Denver’s West High School plans to use a $77,000 grant to develop a program it hopes will link students’ interests more closely to their course work.
“It’s a philosophical viewpoint on how to give kids a reason to go to school,” said Les Lindauer, executive director of Emily Griffith Opportunity School, which will work with West. “When they hear they are getting training that will get them a good job, their eyes really perk up.”
Incoming freshmen at West will choose an area of focus and then will take classes that match that focus.
The classes will align with programs students could pursue at Emily Griffith, Community College of Denver and the University of Colorado Denver.
The $77,000 School Innovation Grant is from Denver Public Schools.
“All kids need something relevant on the immediate horizon,” said Pat Sanchez, principal at West. “If a student is interested in art for example, he should be able to see a career in it and not have to wait four years.”
School officials hope to begin the program in the fall of 2009.
