CARIBOU, Maine — The hard work of five high school students graduating from the alternative education program at Caribou High School was recognized during a June 1 banquet at the Caribou Learning Center.
School Director Dan MacDonald gave a brief speech thanking the graduates for their dedication and academic accomplishments.
“The graduating seniors of alternative education have achieved success on their own terms and with their own distinctive styles, and I would like to commend each of them on their accomplishments,” MacDonald said. “We have been so fortunate to have developed relationships and formed bonds with each of these five and will certainly miss them as they move forward.”
The alternative high school program, as the name suggests, utilizes alternate methods of education to accommodate the needs of students that could otherwise not be addressed in a traditional school environment.
MacDonald said he and the rest of the staff would “cherish the time” they had with the graduating students and that they wish them “great success in [their] future endeavors and are excited to think of what the future holds.”
Before kicking off the banquet, the school director announced the future plans of each graduate: Jennifer Robbins will attend Northern Maine Community College in the fall for early childhood development; Casey Wilcox has enlisted in the U.S. Army and will leave for boot camp in August; Jessica Butler has enrolled in the college transitions program through adult education for fall, and Devon Chamberland will continue working two jobs after graduation.
Blended Learning Director Jessica Smith also spoke about the future plans of her student Sebastian Doucette.
“Sebestian Doucette has been a member of the Blended Learning Program for two years,” Smith said. “He is a hard worker with a wonderful sense of humor. He will be taking a year off to work and save, followed by attending college. Congratulations Sebastian.”
Erica Gove, an administrator with the alternative education program, later explained that blended learning is “separate but connected” to the alternative high school.
“Blended learning allows students to work part time on their computers at home and part time at the building,” Gove said. “The alternative high school itself is a separate setting for kids who are still Caribou High School students but require a smaller learning environment and maybe have personal obstacles that have affected their chances of success at the high school.”
Gove added that, academically, the curriculum for the alternative and regular high schools is the same, and that the alternative students are able to participate in sports, extracurricular program, and classes at CHS.
During the June 1 graduation ceremony, each student also presented a rose to a special person in the audience.
Then MacDonald presented the director’s award to graduate Jessica Butler.
“She has been a classroom leader, controlling the classroom when teachers were out of the room and helping fellow students stay on task,” MacDonald said of Butler. “She has been a cheerleader of the program, always promoting school spirit, acting as a mother hen to all the students, making sure their work is complete, and putting their needs before her own. She has been a peer mediator, a real pleasure to work with, and will be greatly missed.”
