At the start of the 2020 school year, Grossmont Union High School District will be bringing three high school programming options for students in grades 9-12 to the newly dubbed Alpine Education Complex, the former Alpine Elementary School site.
According to GUHSD Superintendent Dr. Tim Glover, the three programs coming to AEC will not resemble a traditional high school program with five full days of schooling each week, but are designed to serve specific, niche needs of Alpine students that are seeking an alternative schedule.
“This is a great chance to take a step forward with some of our East County students,” Glover said.
The Home Choice program is essentially a home school program for students in grades 9-12. Glover said that GUHSD reached out to Mountain View Learning Academy students at the close of the 2018-19 school year to potentially continue with an alternative school structure at AEC through high school. Through this program, Alpine students could complete a portion of their high school curriculum closer to home but would remain tied to a school of residence.
GUHSD will also be expanding two options for rapid recovery of credits for students who need to make up for lost time and credit hours.
The Learning Center Credit Recovery Program is structured so that students in grades 10-12 are able to complete work at an accelerated rate through the use of virtual classrooms. The school site would be utilized as a learning center for students to meet with teachers in a live setting but fulfill class requirements on an independent study basis from home.
An Independent Study program is also being implemented through AEC where students utilize textbooks rather than virtual classrooms but can still work independently from home.
The three programs mark a step forward for high school programming in Alpine. To date, a 1997 plan for a high school to be built in Alpine did not coalesce and was followed by the 2004 Proposition H bond measure and the 2008 Proposition U bond measure, neither of which ultimately resulted in a high school for Alpine students.
In a July 24 phone call, Alpine Union School District Superintendent Dr. Newman said that the goal is to provide as many opportunities as possible for students in the K-12 continuum.
“We’re working hard with Grossmont to build programs that our communities would be proud of and will meet the needs of our students…. The bottom line is that we’re just so excited that after many years of Alpine hoping to have a high school in our community, we’re beginning to offer some high school opportunities and build toward the future,” Newman said.
