Photo by David Doemland
Colby Ratzlaff, 11, center, celebrates as his robot crosses the finish line Monday morning during class at Turning Point Learning Center. Fellow classmates, Ryan Scherich, 12, second from right, and Nick Debauge, 12, wait for their turn to races the course. Watching from left are Kristi DeBauge, Kevin Scherich, Hiltrud Rollins and instructor Ginger Lewman.
Turning Point Learning Center has passed its three-year trial period and will be open and operating for the 2007-08 school year. The Center began as a charter school through a cooperative effort of the Emporia school district and Educational Services and Staff Development Association of Central Kansas, which runs both the virtual and on-site classes.
Jennifer Miller, virtual school contact and fine arts teacher, and Ginger Lewman, on-site coordinator, have planned open houses for potential students and their parents at 3 and 7 p.m. Monday at the school, 315 S. Market St. Students will make presentations and some parents will be available to talk about virtual and face-to-face classes. Those who attend the 3 p.m. session also will have an opportunity to watch classes in session.
Applications to participate in Turning Point will be taken until June 8.
“It’s going to be a great opportunity to see where we are and where we’re going next year,” Lewman said.
Turning Point’s strength is that it is a “non-traditional and innovative center that offers an educational choice for parents who want to get more involved in their children’s education,” materials from the school state.
The virtual school is meant to be a good fit for home-schooled students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade. The $95 enrollment fee covers numerous services and supplies.
“When they come here, they get curriculum, they don’t have to pay for it,” Miller said. “They have a certified teacher guiding and helping them. ... They do their main learning at home with a parent or grandparent or whatever. A lot of them come in on-site and get extra help.”
Children receive a laptop computer and a printer to use in the virtual program, and youngsters go in at least once a month for science or art academies, which are continuing throughout the summer. Those academies will be continued in the fall, Miller said.
Miller, with her musical training, wants to add a choir at the school, if enough students and parents are interested.
She’s also hoping that in the future, teachers from Turning Point will make some home visits, in addition to the online work. With coursework available online, Miller said, it is easier for students to keep up their studies if their families need to go out of town for several days or weeks. As long as a computer is available, the child can study.
“We’re trying to add another option for parents,” Miller said. “We don’t turn kids with special needs down. ... We work with all students.”
Both the virtual and on-site schools give state assessments and prepare students to take them.
“We are a public school,” Miller said; “we’re just different in the services we do for kids.”
The on-site classes, for children in fifth through eighth grade, draw a range of students from different backgrounds and achievement levels. Learning comes more from hands-on activities and thorough research prompted by “driving questions” from the teacher.
This week, the Center’s 12 “face-to-face” students were working on a variety of projects to wrap up the school year. Some were building a race track for the robotic cars they’d designed as they learned physics; some were working to complete year two of algebra in nine weeks instead of a year; some had worked on a film about economist Milton Friedman to enter in a YouTube.com contest.
“I’ve got a couple of budding filmmakers here who are really into this field,” Lewman said.
Another group has been doing research to prepare for a debate on whether Kansas should be a free state or a slave state.
Comments
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Posted by hjcary (anonymous) on May 3, 2007 at 6:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Awesome! this sounds like a great opportunity for the parents in Emporia. I did not realize this program existed. Great move Emporia.
Posted by Kelonia (anonymous) on May 3, 2007 at 8 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This school is a Great place to send your child! If it went on into high school my son would attend until graduation. I (and my son) both feel that he has gotten more out of this year in TPLC than he has ever gotten before, even when he has had exceptional teachers.
I strongly encourage those parents even mildly interested to attend the open house and talk to the kids (and parents).
Also, the majority of the credit goes to Ginger Lewman. She really pushed hard to get this off the ground. Congrats for a great first year Ginger!
Posted by remaco (anonymous) on May 4, 2007 at 12:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
TPLC is a wonderful educational experience for any child. It has done wonders for our son.The only thing that could make TPLC any better would be to offer grades 9 through 12. A world of thanks to Ginger Lewman and Jennifer Miller. Instructors that really care about the kids they teach.
Posted by doggiesrule (anonymous) on May 4, 2007 at 7:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm glad to see that the TPLC Virtual Program was highlighted in the article too. It's nice to know that students not only in Emporia, but in surrounding counties and across Kansas have access to this sort of option in eduction. Something with high quality curriculum with options for homeschoolers!
Sometimes the traditional public school is not what is best for our kids and a place like this that's able to help ALL children is a God's send. I hope you get a lot of people visit or at least call to find out more!
Posted by GingerTPLC (anonymous) on May 4, 2007 at 10:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
WOW!
Thanks, guys but this is certainly NOT a one-woman show! Many people at the district, including John Heim and Susan Hernandez, as well as the USD 253 school board, and the people at ESSDACK actually are the ones who created and put into motion the original vision.
There have been many people working for the past 3 years (2 years before I signed on), getting this school off the ground, and we still have a LONG way to go before we relax!
Most kudoes should go to TPLC's parents who have decided to partner with the school to better their children's educational opportunties. All schools in Emporia would be as successful if every single parent chipped in as much as you all have to provide a well-rounded educational experience! We are truly an extended family, focused on children's individual needs and that's what has made all the difference!
Posted by honey3854 (anonymous) on May 4, 2007 at 3:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
My daughter Brooke attended TPLC this year. Ginger Lewman is enthusiastic, caring and a motivator. It was refreshing for my daughter to be encouraged to think outside the box. Ginger's school utilizes innovative approaches to learning. Teaching comes naturally to her as she nurtures the mind AND spirit of your child. The month of May may ring the end of the school year for most teachers' involvement with their students but Ginger's oversight of your child's welfare continues on...
We need to support these kids. This generation will be deciding our future and the future of generations to come. Would we be so short-sighted to meagerly budget resources they need?? Would we ever dream of starving their bodies as traditional schooling now starves their minds???
If any parent feels their child could benefit from these services, they certainly owe it to their child to check out what TPLC has to offer. The traditional school system for my daughter's needs was so stagnant that we had nothing to lose and everything to gain this past year by trying out the Turning Point learning center. Need I say more?
Posted by honey3854 (anonymous) on May 4, 2007 at 3:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Great job to everyone involved!!
Posted by barbara61 (anonymous) on May 12, 2007 at 11:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Please try to get your program to go up to the 12th grade. This town needs change. The schools here are a disaster. Most kids do nothing but complain about the schools here & there number one complaint is the attitude of the teachers. So to be able to go somewhere you can be treated with respect would be great for kids and the parents.
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