Recipe FOR SUCCESS
Cardinal Collins High School Academic Centre Partners with ADLC
It’s a modern response in helping kid’s complete high school. The School of Alternative Education (SAE) in the Edmonton Catholic School District and Alberta Distance Learning Centre (ADLC) have partnered and immersed programming within the Cardinal Collins High School Academic Centre. It will bring fresh approaches that appeal to an ever-evolving student population.
Cardinal Collins High School is a school for a modern age. Tucked into a new building, it provides state-of-the-art education to kids. These kids are eager to find their futures and live their truths. But in their rush to get there, they often find they need extra support and access to greater services. Edmonton Catholic Schools is answering that call through their High School Academic Centres.
Cardinal Collins High school is located in Clareview Recreation Centre in northeast Edmonton. It has made inroads helping students find the flexible access, on-demand teacher support, and additional services that meet their specific needs through an ongoing partnership with ADLC.
“I think ADLC helps to provide us with the structure and the vehicle to offer students self-paced learning. There are already courses developed, in module format, and they’ve got all of the key essential learning outcomes of the Alberta curriculum that we want to include. It’s all there for our students and teachers,” says Sarah Mandolesi, assistant principal of SAE.
The SAE programs within the Cardinal Collins High School Academic Centre don’t serve the typical high school student. They need extra help and support to make their studies a priority. One example is the Our Lady of Grace program, which is set up specifically to serve the needs of young parents. The program gives young parents access to self-paced education and childcare in the building (thanks to another partnership that Cardinal Collins has with the YMCA).
“Students are often here until 5 p.m. because they love the facility and have the opportunity for their children to be in care while they’re working on their studies. That in itself has been a massive success for our students,” explains Mandolesi.
“There are so many options here,” adds Mandolesi, “Students can take classroom-based programs— especially if there are classes they haven’t taken before or if there are subject areas that students know they need extra teacher support. ADLC works hand-in-hand, with alternative education. We have students that work at a self-paced rate in our self-paced Fresh Start schools [too].”
Fresh Start High School Academic Centres offers students in Edmonton Catholic schools the opportunity to learn and access their high school programming in an environment that’s very different from the usual day-to-day classroom with scheduled classes. Students take a flexible, self-paced approach.
“With [Edmonton Catholic’s] School of Alternative Education, all of our sites incorporate some of the ADLC courses in our subjects. Quite a few of our math subjects and our higher-level sciences are definitely ADLC courses we use on a regular basis,” Mandolesi explains.
“We see Cardinal Collins teachers really using our teacher support resources to the fullest,” says Bryan Frechette, associate principal of ADLC. “They give kids who might not otherwise succeed access to courseware that’s intuitive and engaging, and then they support that onsite. They’ve combined the flexibility we can help with—either by teaching the students directly or providing resources for [Cardinal Collins’] teachers to use with their kids—with this great space in the recreation centre that gives them access to all these other services. It really is a recipe for success.”
ADLC offers two major options for students, teachers, and educational partners across Alberta. Through their Teacher Support program, teachers around the province have access to courseware and classroom resources that can help reduce planning time and let teachers focus on teaching. Through their Student Instruction offerings, ADLC gives both independent and schoolbased students access to courses that help them fulfill their high school requirements. ADLC has professional teachers on staff that provides constant support for their students through phone, or Internet.
ADLC assigns every partner school a learning network liaison— a professional teacher experienced in distance education and available to help make the most of ADLC of- ferings in their schools. “We love working with Cardinal Collins teachers,” says Dominic Gallo, ADLC learning network liaison. “They’re passionate and dedicated to helping their students succeed, and that’s what we’re all here for.”
“Some of the science courses Cardinal Collins uses have interactive online lab components, making it possible for students to do a lab without actually being in one. It’s pretty cool,” says Gallo. “With over 250 courses, it’s pretty clear that ADLC has something for everyone. Some of these courses, the careers in particular, also offer kids the chance to get safety tickets. That’s something that will help them when it comes to life after school.”