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Renaissance staff holds up banner: (Front row L to R): Geoff Kida, Social Studies Instructor; Annette Campbell, Counselor; Robin Gillette, Principal; Carmen Medrano, Principal’s Secretary/Office Manager; Manuel Alamillo, Social Studies; Francine Carrera, Office Assistant; Omar Ruiz, Instructional Assistant (Math, Soc. Study and Interventions). (Back Row L to R): SRO Mark Cagnacci; Patti Estrada, Security; Nilson Lopez, IT instructor, George Conrad, Lead Instructor and Math; Juan Garcia, Outreach Coordinator; Deb Pontbriand, English Instructor and Nick Dalton, Science Instructor. |
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson has announced the designation of 29 Model Continuation High Schools, one of them Renaissance High School in Santa Paula. Renaissance was one of four Ventura County schools so honored. These schools are being recognized for providing innovative programs and comprehensive services to students who may have otherwise been at risk of not graduating.
“These outstanding schools provide teaching approaches that better serve their students and give them every chance to flourish,” Torlakson said. “Our goal is to ensure that every student receives a high-quality education and, upon graduation, that every student has a plan for the future and the skills necessary to succeed.”
Continuation high schools meet the needs of students aged 16 years or older who lack sufficient school credits to graduate. The minimum attendance is 15 hours per week or 180 minutes daily. Students benefit from the supplemental programs and services, such as independent study courses, career counseling, job placement, apprenticeships, and concurrent enrollment in community college.
More than 62,000 students attended the California’s 480 continuation high schools in the 2013–14 school year.
The Model Continuation High School Recognition Program is a partnership between the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Continuation Education Association (CCEA). A benefit of this joint effort is the establishment of a resource list of quality programs. Schools on this list can serve as models for other continuation schools.
The selected schools, which retain their title for three years, will be recognized at the 2015 CCEA State Conference held in May in San Francisco.
