Unconventional high school program converts youths into avid learners

Fifty-one high school seniors who chose an alternate path to complete their secondary education celebrated at the High School at Moorpark College commencement ceremony last week, ready to explore the next chapter of their lives.

The middle college program is a partnership between the Moorpark Unified School District and Moorpark College that attracts 11th- and 12th-graders throughout the region. Students take high school English, social science and elective classes along with college courses.

"The program enables students to move forward in college while finishing high school," said Pat Birckhead, HS at MC counselor.

Several students told the Moorpark Acorn they enjoyed attending the school because the program features a different style of learning that demands more critical thinking than traditional high school requires.

"I wish every school was like that school. I feel lucky that I went there and got an education that is stimulating," said Jenna Maranga. "You get to learn what you want to learn and take core classes that integrate everything and make the curriculum more cohesive," she said.

Jenna, who is the lead singer for Red and Purple, a five-piece jazz and bossa nova ensemble, was initially attracted to the alternative program because it doesn't include early morning classes.

Students attend high school classes from 1 to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and take college courses mornings or evenings those days or on Fridays and Saturdays.

Jenna attended Westlake High School for two years before making the switch to the HS at MC. She'll go to New York University in the fall as a liberal arts major.

Aris Anagnos, lead singer for Aces High, a rock band in Thousand Oaks, also appreciated the later start time and the atypical school environment.

"I gained back my desire to learn and to start being a better person with an open mind," he said, noting the curriculum covers many different cultures and philosophies. Aris will attend Loyola Marymount in the fall.

Stephanie Bellasalma came to the school to gain "real life" learning experiences and escape the traditional textbook and test delivery system offered in most high schools. She plans to attend fulltime at Moorpark College in the fall.

"The school showed me more about what the world is going to be like," she said. "This is more of a real life school; they teach you things you can actually take away from," said Stephanie, who began high school at Moorpark High.

Senior Natasha Wolfe said the program doesn't allow for "senioritis" because participants have a foot in both high school and college.

"The high school keeps the mind busy constantly and it keeps us thinking and working," she said. Wolfe had spent several years at a boarding school in India, taking advanced math and science classes, before moving to Thousand Oaks in 2006.

Natasha plans to work full-time for a year before returning to college in fall 2010.

John Caffrey, who transferred from Thousand Oaks High, didn't choose the HS at MC route himself. He said his parents enrolled him in the program because his sister attended and did well.

Now he has no regrets.

"The High School at Moorpark College set my mind on where I want to go in the future. I couldn't be happier with how the school prepared me for college," he said.

John will attend UC Davis in the fall, where he'll major in civil engineering and be a member of the cycling team.

His sister Carolyn was the keynote speaker at the High School at Moorpark College commencement ceremony last week. She recently graduated from UC Santa Cruz.

The school is currently accepting applications from juniors and seniors for the 2009-10 school year. Classes follow the college calendar, with the fall semester beginning Aug. 12.