Only two years into our Mind, Body, Spirit Initiative and our list of community partners has grown to over thirty. While the bulk of these are newly established partners, at the very bottom you’ll find one organization that has been with us from the beginning: Immanuel Lutheran Church. “Holiday dinner!” “Generosity t-shirts!” “Prom!” These […]
Tony’s Bake Sale
One of the first decisions I remember making as a brand new Principal was volunteering for a young man named Tony to spend time in our building. Tony attends Hillside Learning and Behavior Center, and one of his educational goals is to sell his baked goods while interacting with other students. At a time when […]
Spreading the Love: International Aid
The presidential election of 2016 will forever be remembered for its divisive effects, both leading up to the election and after the results were announced. This divisive feeling didn’t only exist nationwide, but also in our school, where many students struggled to express their feelings about the political landscape and we as teachers struggled to […]
The Eagle Bowling Tradition
Placed in the scope of our Mind, Body, Spirit Initiative, one might think that a bowling team would pretty much just reside inside the body aspect. That is so not the case! Each of the three components can be completely encapsulated within our 5 month season: Mind: Bowling is a little like being a […]
Teacher Appreciation
Next week is “National Teacher Appreciation Week.” Around the country, PTO’s will bring baked goods into teachers’ lounges, principals will leave little surprises in staff mailboxes, and Twitter will almost certainly see a flurry of #thankateacher hashtags. Sadly, the other 51 weeks of the year are not always as kind. Despite teachers being expected […]
Perennial Students
Earth Day serves as a reminder that we share our planet with others. Others alive today and in the future, around the world and around the block. It’s a reminder that sometimes we take our relationships for granted, meaning it’s a great reminder not to. For students at Allegan Alternative High School, Earth Day […]
Where Community Becomes Our Classroom
If there is a most cherished piece of the Mind, Body, Spirit Initiative here at Allegan Alternative, it might very well be the diverse connections our school has made with members of the local community. From partnerships with the American Red Cross and Wings of Hope Hospice, to International Aid and the United Way, students […]
Soaring on the Spirit of Allegan
When Allegan Alternative High School began their Mind, Body, Spirit Initiative, it was clear that community involvement would be instrumental in order to approach education in a more well-rounded, holistic manner. Involving the passion, skills, and diversity of community members provides students with opportunities to both expand their scope of learning outside of the classroom, […]