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YellowWood |
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The Yellowwood Alternative Educational Program offered by the Scranton School District provides options for students whose needs are not being met in the regular high school curriculum. The program is community-based with students assigned to work sites at various service and civic organizations. Prior to receiving students, each site is evaluated to assess its appropriateness as a "school" assignment. The tasks students will be asked to perform on-site are also evaluated for curricular richness. Students are expected to be judged and will accrue competencies toward graduation based upon their real performances at the service site. Yellowwood is a caring community’s response to the problems faced by youths who struggle in our schools. It extends the curriculum into the community to give students real options for learning, offering the energy and enthusiasm of our students as volunteers in a true service-learning experience. Yellowwood also invites the community with its vast resources and abundance of experiences to serve as a partner to help students find their way through school- -and through adolescence.
Students who are enrolled in the Yellowwood program are recommended by their home schools. In order to be invited to participate in Yellowwood, however, a student must choose to enter and commit to the programs requirements. Yellowwood does not represent an easy way through high school ;rather, it is an honorable option that requires family support and individual dedication. Although students are not paid, attendance and job related performance determines whether a placement may be continued. One day of each week, students are required to meet with the program coordinator for a "chunk day" exercise. " Chunk Days" allow the district to monitor student progress, present learning options in a small group setting, address social issues that demand attention and reflect upon individual experiences in a thoughtful and ordered manner. Students learn to support and advise each other as well as manipulate the realities of the situations facing them. The Yellowwood experience requires strong parent involvement . Attendance at two scheduled parent trainings is required for students to continue in the program. The Yellowwood experience is a team experience …student, parent, community and school district working collaboratively to foster success.
The following business and community organizations are partners in the Yellowwood program:
The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce
The Scranton School District
The County of Lackawanna
Scranton Chapter American Red Cross
Allied Services
Community Medical Center
City of Scranton , Comm. Develop.
Lackawanna County Head Start
Marywood College, Fricchione Day Care
Meals on Wheels of Lackawanna County
Scranton Public Library
Montage Recreation Complex
St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen
Lackawanna Junior College
Scranton Animal Hospital
Scranton Council for Literacy Advance
Ob Gyn Associates, Ltd.
Anthracite Heritage Museum
Everhart Museum
Boys’ and Girls’ Club
Lackawanna Branch - PA Assn.For Blind
Girl Scouts