The Knox Community School Corporation’s Redskin academy continues making an impact on students’ lives. Director of Curriculum and Instruction Peggy Shidaker shared another success story from the alternative high school program during Tuesday’s school board meeting.
“It’s about a young man and the media’s here, so I’m not going to share that name, but this young man faced some challenges,” Shidaker explained. “Last year, he was a senior in the Class of 2019 – some of the challenges due to choices he made and, unfortunately, some of the choices that family members made.”
Because of those challenges, he wasn’t able to graduate. “He had four classes to finish,” she said. “But I kind of stood my ground and wasn’t going to withdraw him. But he didn’t get to walk with the Class of 2019 because he did not graduate.”
However, Shidaker learned that if he could earn those four credits by September 30, he would still be considered a 2019 graduate. She then worked with Redskin Academy Teacher Dave Miller to help find him. “So between Dave and his texting and my calling – several calls but Dave did it mostly, though – that young man finished his final course on Friday, September 27,” Shidaker said. “And we are so excited that he is receiving his diploma.”
Superintendent Dr. William Reichhart also commented on the achievement. “He had tears in his eyes when I talked to him after he got done, just what it meant,” Reichhart said. “And so with all the things that go on in education and all the things we talk about, very seldom do we just concentrate on the successes that we have had, and it’s great.”
Shidaker said this brings the number of graduates from the Redskin Academy up to 14, since the program began last school year.
