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Former firehouse becomes an alternative middle school By VICKI GUARINO CENTRAL POINT -- A new school is about to open to give middle school students an option in education. "Station 7 8," named for the former fire station on Third Street in which the alternative school will be housed, is expected to welcome its first class at the beginning of February. The school will operate as a pilot program with one teacher and 15-18 students through the end of the school year. It could reopen in the fall with a larger faculty and enrollment. "This is ground-floor for us -- something we've never done before," says Scenic Middle School Principal Bob Bowers. "It's something we want to do, and evaluate at the end of the year." Station 7 8 students will come from Scenic and from Hanby Middle School in Gold Hill. Together, those schools enroll just over 1,100 students. Station 7 8 teacher and program coordinator is Kirk Gibson, a Hanby dean and counselor at Gold Hill's elementary and middle schools. He is a former middle school English teacher. The new school is intended for students who are floundering in traditional middle school classes. Some youngsters struggle after they move from the closely monitored environment of elementary school to the crowds and schedule rush of middle school, says Bowers. Middle school teachers, with classes of 30 or more students, lack time for extensive individual attention. At the same time, Bowers adds, academic pressures have increased. New state standards, leading to tests in the 10th grade for the Certificate of Initial Mastery, are making the need for effective learning environments more crucial than ever. At the high school level, teachers and counselors for years have been able to refer troubled students to an alternative: the smaller classes and individual attention at the Crossroads school. Until Station 7 8, there has been no alternative to middle school. School buildings are packed already, so there is no space for a new program. "We've been wanting to do this for some time," says Bowers. Although the need has been long-standing, the opportunity to launch the program arose only recently, when district administrators found that the fire station was available, says Gibson. The building has been turned over to various community groups. Gibson says it is ideal for a school, especially an alternative education program that requires flexibility. Gibson says there is room for private discussion and independent study, and room for group activities. A kitchen will be available as well. "It's a great location," says Gibson. "You don't feel like you're in a school." The pilot program is developing quickly. While administrators work out details on the building lease, Gibson is busy putting together the curriculum, selecting students and arranging for a couple of additional staff positions. Gibson concedes that he has a lot of organizational ground to cover in a short amount of time. "I'm wearing my cape and flying as fast as I can," he jokes. Although the program will focus on students who are having problems at Hanby and Scenic, organizers want to fill Station 7 8 with students who have a variety of skills and needs. "Grades are a factor," says Bowers, "but mostly it's kids who have multiple F's, but have abilities and could meet (academic) standards under a different structure." The problem might be chronic absenteeism, a need for closer supervision and tutoring, or medical or family difficulties. Availability of the fire station resolves the district's space problem, but the district still has a funding problem to overcome. To get by for the rest of the school year, administrators are scraping together money from existing school budgets. Gibson's counseling work at Gold Hill schools will be covered by other staff members. The plan, district officials say, is to begin the small program now, and assess the results. If the program shows promise, grants and other district funds could be used to initiate a larger program in the fall. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA