Old Town High School is starting a new alternative education program this fall.

Alternative education programs are generally designed to help students who have not been successful in traditional classroom settings maximize their full potential. Many high schools throughout Maine provide alternative educational programs for their students because they recognize that students can achieve academic and social success if they are placed in the right type of program. Alternative education programs can be the right setting for many students.

In this new program, each student will help develop along with the teaching staff, an individual learning plan which will guide their educational experience. Students may earn credit through a variety of pathways including teacher-designed courses, online self-paced classes, work internships, United Technology courses, adult education evening classes, independent study courses and college courses.

In addition to academic coursework, alternative education students will have access to personal improvement counseling opportunities, work skills trainings, career exploration programs and college transition supports, as outlined in their individual learning plans.

Students can be referred to this program by school counselors, instructors, administrators and parents. Once an application has been completed, candidates and their parents/guardians will meet with the alternative education team to discuss the program. The alternative education team can consist of alternative education teachers, high school administrators, high guidance counselors and the alternative education director. Once a student has been accepted to the program, the student and parents/guardians along with the alternative education staff will begin to develop an individual learning plan for the student that will guide his or her program.

The program will be based in RSU 34’s Adult Education Learning Center, located directly behind Old Town High School. Bryan Murphy, a long-time teacher at OTHS, has been selected to be the program’s lead instructor. Those who have questions about this new and exciting program can contact Murphy directly (bryan.murphy@rsu34.org) or can call Old Town High School Principal Scott Gordon at 827-3910 (ext. 303).

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