Most high school students look to the beginning of the second
semester after winter break with mild trepidation or at worst,
utter loathing.
San Juan Bautista – Most high school students look to the beginning of the second semester after winter break with mild trepidation or at worst, utter loathing.
But students at Anzar High School usually have a little something to look forward to, whether it’s fronting the punk rock band of their dreams or studying the finer points of animal husbandry.
Anzar’s intersession, which just finished its fourth year last Friday, is a two-week program designed to get the school’s 370 students back into class with a bang and connect them with their passions.
“We’re a small school, so we can’t always offer as many electives as we’d like,” said Charlene McKowen, Principal at Anzar High. “Intersession allows an opportunity for students to take those sort of classes and for teachers to teach them, and everyone really enjoys it.”
Students choose from a selection of crash-courses in a given discipline, such as agriculture, creative writing, etiquette, dance or women’s leadership. They spend six hours a day, five days a week with the same teacher and group of students. Courses are offered depending on what subjects teachers volunteer to teach and, while the instructor is required to have a background in the subject, the class often has little to do with their position – history teachers give lessons in rock n’ roll and physical education teachers offer classes in journalism.
“Teachers and students are brought together by a common passion,” said Leroy Dozal, who taught a class in magazine publishing for intersession. “And having that in common gives me a chance to connect with students I wouldn’t normally be able to.”
While the courses are graded, for the most part they are performance based – meaning students are charged with creating a performance piece, publication, or other tangible product for a grade instead of taking a written final exam.
“Being able to get them involved in a program, to take ownership of their education, is a real bonus for students,” McKowen said.
Anzar’s intersession was inspired by a similar program utilized at a small, inner-city school in Oakland.
“The idea was to engage students who had probably never enjoyed a single minute of school since junior high and connect them with some passion on any level,” McKowen said.
While part of the program’s success may be due to the school’s small size, intersession programs have proved successful at high school and junior high schools of varying sizes throughout the nation. While San Benito High School has no formalized plans to offer an intersession of their own, educators say such a program may be a possibility in the near future.
“We have been discussing different sorts of programs, and the possibility of observing intersession programs at other districts,” said Debbie Padilla, SBHS Principal.
Though it only lasts for a few days, Anzar educators say the time spent in intersession is invaluable.
“I really enjoy the program and it just keeps getting better,” Dozal said. “Every student can be a great student, it’s just a matter of building their skills and engaging their passion.”
