Imagine a school with small and intimate classes where teachers, parents and students are a community created to help learners thrive. This is a place where a student who is interested in plants can take a botany class from a local herbalist, learn boat-building skills or participate in a full-scale production of a Shakespeare play as part of their learning plan. Picture a classroom where teachers have been with students for years and know their needs and dreams well and can help them navigate through rough patches in life with compassion and skill.
As a student you feel supported and known, you know the adults who are part of your learning community and your peers truly care. This environment is creative and responsive and allows students to survive and thrive when they could not in a mainstream high school.
This is not an imaginary place; it is an alternative learning program in the Port Townsend School District called the OCEAN Program. It has been operating for more than 15 years and has helped many a student graduate who might not have without it.
This beautiful creative program is currently in danger. The only alternative learning option for high schoolers has been placed on the chopping block and needs the community to come forward and take a stand. Let the school board know it is important for this community to have the OCEAN High School Program and that the entire K-12 program deserves full support from the Port Townsend School District.
Zhaleh Almaee
Port Townsend
