Their friends call it “stupid school.” They say Challenger Secondary Schools, the alternative program in Spanaway, is a dumping ground for the rejects and dumb kids. But the teens who go to Challenger know better.
• RELATED STORY: Study looks at what works best for alternative schools

“The reality is it’s a very good school,” says Challenger senior Natalie Cross. The Bethel School District secondary school’s small classes give teachers enough time to make sure every student understands, she says.

“They don’t make you feel stupid. The teachers are very kind and very supportive. They care about their students.”

Now a state study supports students’ anecdotal impressions.

Commissioned by the state Superintendent of Public Instruction, the study finds Challenger is among the 10 highest performing alternative schools in Washington based on test scores from 2004 to 2007.

Instead of being a school of last resort, BERC Group researcher Candace Gratama said, “There’s a sense that students are now opting into Challenger. It’s not a place where students just ‘fail in.’”

Two other South Sound alternative schools also made the study’s top 10: Henderson Bay High School in the Peninsula district and Truman High School in the Federal Way district.

According to state superintendent statistics, Challenger:

 • Outperformed Bethel’s three comprehensive high schools – Bethel, Graham-Kapowsin and Spanaway Lake – on the 10th-grade math WASL the past two years.

 • Outperformed the three comprehensive high schools and exceeded the state average on the 10th-grade WASL reading exam the past three years.

 • Was the only high school in Bethel to meet all federal testing and graduation accountability goals last year; 73 percent of students graduated on time, slightly below the state average of 78 percent, but above many alternative high schools.

“The difference between this school and other schools is that this school truly believes students can meet the expectations,” said Cathy Wheeler, who’s taught at Challenger for 16 years. “They just need to do it a little differently.”

The key, says Challenger Principal Dave LaBounty, is the school’s focus on personalizing education for each student.

For instance, students who have trouble juggling six classes at a time can study one class full time for three weeks, then move on to another class the following three weeks, until they’re ready to handle multiple classes. In some cases, students can show what they’ve learned through projects, presentations or means other than paper-and-pencil tests.

STAYING FOCUSED

They can earn credits at a faster rate if they take independent-study “contract” courses in addition to their regular classloads, a benefit for teens such as Ira Wise.

“Ever since ninth grade, I was behind in credits and started doing bad stuff,” the 18-year-old said. After resolving to join the Air Force, he entered Challenger last fall to catch up. His last graduation requirement will be fulfilled when he finishes a geometry class in Challenger’s summer school. He leaves for the Air Force on Sept. 9.

“I found my career and decided to get my act together,” Wise said. “This is the place where you can do it.”

Challenger Secondary Schools serves about 550 seventh- through 12th-graders. Enrollment includes about 200 students who study mainly at home through the Bethel Online Academy.

There’s always a waiting list, typically stretching over 130 by the end of the school year.

LaBounty says Challenger’s strength lies in its staff and approach, not in its buildings. That’s obvious looking at the campus – a collection of 14 putty-beige, box-shaped portables with few windows.

Yet unlike sprawling, comprehensive high schools serving three times as many students, Challenger features a classroom ratio of 13 students to one teacher.

Students attend three classes for three hours and 15 minutes a day, Monday through Thursday, in either a morning session or afternoon session. The catch: They also must do at least 12 hours of homework on their own, making for a weekly total of 25 hours of instruction to comply with state requirements governing alternative education. Kids who need extra help come on Fridays.

Part of the reason behind the school’s high WASL scores may lie in its focus on math and literacy, and downplay of other subjects, in ninth and 10th grades. That prepares students to meet new state graduation requirements to pass the 10th-grade math, reading and writing WASL.

“If you’re having too much trouble with your math, we need to put those (other subjects) aside for right now,” Wheeler said. “You can do those in your junior and senior years. Other schools stick kids in six classes a day, and that’s it.”

Natalie Cross, 18, and Kerrin Graham, 17, thrive on the one-on-one help that Challenger teachers provide but that they found lacking at traditional high schools.

“If you raise your hand, they’ll sit right down in front of you and say, ‘OK, what didn’t you get? I’ll show you how to get this step by step,’” Cross said of the alternative teachers.

Graham, a cheerleader with a 3.5 grade-point average in junior high, said she struggled to understand lessons when she entered Spanaway Lake High. She grew so frustrated with what she perceived as some teachers’ sink-or-swim attitude that she started cutting class, causing her to fall far behind in course credits.

The traditional high school structure, where an instructor could teach well over 100 students a day, works for many students, but not those with inabilities to transition, to adapt or to work with authority figures, said LaBounty.

“It’s like a conveyor belt,” he said. “Every hour, you’ve got to post your stuff on the board. You’ll probably have enough time for one minute a kid as you do your traditional lecture delivery.”

Challenger teachers often have the same students for more than one class and for an entire year, allowing them to become familiar with teens’ personal interests and learning styles – in short, to form a bond that shifts teens’ focus on academics.

Challenger has its share of teens who were disciplinary problems at their original school, got pregnant, or are recovering from drug or alcohol abuse.

But it also has straight-A students, kids with medical and family issues, and teens who simply don’t like the social drama or rigidity of traditional school, staff members say. Two Challenger graduates are studying at Harvard University.

The flexible schedule suits Jean Mendiola, who’s attended Challenger for three years. Since her parents are constantly working, she watches her younger brother and sister when they get home from elementary school, and cooks and cleans for the household.

‘EVERY KID IS IMPORTANT’

But apart from family obligations, the 16-year-old said she came to Challenger to escape the cliques and disrespectful attitudes of classmates.

At Cedarcrest Junior High, she recalled, “The kids would sit there and throw stuff and cuss out the teacher. When I came here, it was a whole different environment. The kids were actually caring about their education.”

Students must apply to Challenger, and are admitted as space becomes available to accommodate individual needs, LaBounty said.

State alternative-education laws require students have a learning plan that teachers check every 20 school days. If kids skip school or aren’t progressing academically, they must agree to an intervention plan.

If they don’t improve, the alternative school can’t receive full state funding for the student and the student must leave. That’s different from traditional schools, which can receive full funding for students who fail every class and come to school just once every 20 days, LaBounty notes.

“Every kid that exits, we try to find out what was the disconnect. Was it in our system? Was it in our delivery?” LaBounty said. “Every kid is important to us.”

Debby Abe: 253-597-8694

How it works

Challenger Secondary Schools tailors education to meet students’ individual needs. Here are some examples:

 • Kids who fail a class don’t have to repeat material they’ve mastered. When they retake it, they start from where they left off.

 • Teachers constantly check students’ understanding of lessons, sometimes with the help of the “Qwizdom” interactive response device, to concentrate on concepts kids don’t get.

 • Every student has a personal education plan and a teacher to oversee the plan.

 • Students can earn class credits more slowly or quickly than in regular schools, depending on their needs and abilities.

 • Students choose whether to go to the school’s four-day-a-week morning sessions or afternoon sessions. Those needing extra help come in on Fridays.