Testimonials

Forging new territory in Nevada

As one of the smallest capital cities in the nation, Carson City, Nevada, with a population of just over 56,000 has to be creative when it comes to education. How do you provide a rigorous and varied curriculum when other cities, such as Reno and Las Vegas are competing for your teacher talent pool? Enter Silver State High School-a charter high school using a unique blend of online and face-to-face learning to reach students.

Just like the pioneers of Carson City, the founders of Silver State High School are charting new territory. "Our goal is to make Silver State High School a place where students WANT to be, not a place the HAVE to be," says Alan Staggs, Assistant Administrator. "Distance Education is the trend of the future. As courseware improves and becomes more advanced, the convenience and ease of distance education will be a more tempting alternative to high school age students."

SSHS is a fully accredited public charter school operating under the aegis of the Nevada Department of Education. Students work entirely online, but teachers are available in two shifts if students need to work with them. "We have 260 students, and on any given day we may have about a dozen who come in to work with teachers on specific concepts." In addition, students are required to come in one-half day each week. During that time, teachers circulate and work one-on-one with students on an as-needed basis.

Teachers are divided into two shifts with one group working from 7:30 to 3:00, while the 2nd group works from 9:30 until 5:00 to provide more time options for students. "The coolest thing to me, the 'charge my battery' thing, is the fact that when I work with the kids, it's one-on-one," says Keith Martin, Social Studies Instructor. "Some of these kids work 60+ hours a week and also help out with baby brothers and sisters. They will often go online at midnight and work until 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning because they really want the education. It's remarkable."

Silver State initially attracted mostly at-risk students, but as the popularity of the program is growing, more mainstream populations are adding to the mix. Martin sees this as a good thing. "A few students thought they could come here and just goof off. But those who are serious about the learning will now chide those who aren't."

Flexible hours and accessibility are two strong factors that draw students to Silver State. Students enjoy 24/7 access to teachers via email and 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. face-to-face. As with most virtual initiatives, grades can also be obtained online by students and parents. Labs with about 4 dozen computers are available at the Silver State facility, and loaner computers are also available for students to take home.

"As an educator, I truly believe that technology will become a cornerstone in the toolbox of education," Martin notes. "What excites me is that when our students leave our school they are so confident in their use of technology and the internet-it's second nature to them."

Does the school make a real difference? Martin relayed a story about a recent graduate who took the initiative to write a letter to the school to say thank you. "She came from a very rough situation and was basically supporting herself by the time she was 16." The young lady wrote to the school stating that if it weren't for Silver State and the ability to use the online education option, she most likely would never have graduated, and may have been in a far worse situation. "How powerful an educational system like this can be," says Martin, "where a young lady like this-an incredible young lady with such a will to survive-is confident now that she can continue to learn, and she can use technology better than most of her peers."

To learn more about the Silver State High School program, visit their website at www.silverstatehs.org.