PSA: Laurel High School Accepting Students For Spring 2005

[racerx]

I'm a former Laurel student. I graduated in '97 after going there for 3.5 years. Laurel does have a reputation to those not so familiar with it. Laurel provides an education to those tossed out of public schools and those who don't fit with the public schools standards of thought and behavior. Because of this there were some bad seeds but at no time was there a safety problem or a student that was deemed a lost cause. Everyone was part of Laurel and that was all they needed to belong.

Despite some of the bad things said about Laurel every educational process is only successfull if the students make use of the opportunities handed to them. Laurel is that kind of place. We had brilliant teachers who, honestly, could be earning much more at a bigger school. Lucky for the Laurelites, the teachers love their jobs there.

The classes were pretty open. Meaning that if there was a few students interested in a subject, that subject would be taught. We had a sexism class taught by a senior. We had a movies class and even skateboarding. Of course these classes were overseen by teachers so that we didn't just screw around. We were also encouraged to attend lectures at UT and write/ discuss them back at the high school. Even some of the students jobs were counted towards their diploma. For example, I did aircraft maintenance at a small airport. I got credit for mechanics, aerodynamics, on top of earning a few bucks.

The new principal Alison is a great role model for the students as well. She was on the board of directors when I attended. She's taught psychology at UT and ethics at a community college in the area. I spent alot of time talking to her during high school.

In response to the hacker class, Laurel is a school of open information. There is no subject too shady or taboo for discussion at Laurel. Whether its one on one with a teacher or as a group of peers. The atmosphere allows students to feel comfortable to talk about things they would normally be afraid to discuss with parents or peers. This helps keep the misinformation among peers minimal. This is especially important on the subject of drugs and other subjects with common misconceptions. I believe that the teaching strategy at Laurel encourages free thinking and allows mature thought processes by making the student take responsibility for their education and life choices more so than at a public school.

Laurel is a wonderful school and if it wasn't for the teachers there, the area would have a higher drop out rate. Everything that could be educational can be learned there and I mean anything. If tuition was a concern, time and work put into cleaning and upkeep of the school was deducted from the students cost. Getting into a college afer Laurel wasn't a problem either. I was accepted to UT, U. of Dayton, and Embry Riddle Aeronautical Colleges. All in all, I value every moment I spent at Laurel and am thankful for the teachers who stuck around to teach us hellians.

[Uziel]

I had mentioned that I am teaching a class on Religion and Occultism. I am trying to draw some guest speakers to Laurel to talk about their beliefs. If you're interested in talking about your beliefs, and you follow a non-socialized religion, please send me an email, and we can set up a time.

Thanks in advance

[iblis]

In response to the hacker class, Laurel is a school of open information. There is no subject too shady or taboo for discussion at Laurel. Whether its one on one with a teacher or as a group of peers. The atmosphere allows students to feel comfortable to talk about things they would normally be afraid to discuss with parents or peers. This helps keep the misinformation among peers minimal. This is especially important on the subject of drugs and other subjects with common misconceptions. I believe that the teaching strategy at Laurel encourages free thinking and allows mature thought processes by making the student take responsibility for their education and life choices more so than at a public school.

I had mentioned that I am teaching a class on Religion and Occultism. I am trying to draw some guest speakers to Laurel to talk about their beliefs. If you're interested in talking about your beliefs, and you follow a non-socialized religion, please send me an email, and we can set up a time.

Having come from a school well known for hiring faculty that thought rot-13 encoding was a Neo-Nazi language (remember kids, the number 13 is evil, even if the English alphabet is divisible by it - I received detention for pointing this out, by the way.) and that learning how to read the runes on Tolkien's books was a certain sign of a Satanic and / or Pagan (which, to them, meant the same thing, and involved my person and belongings being searched for bombs, or other threats to humanity) background, this is good to know.

[LarrySeeker]

Damn, Janell. Wish I were young enough to be in high school!