“Alternative school” used to be synonymous with “the place kids go when they’ve been kicked out of regular school.”

Not in Pendleton. Mark Thompson, teacher at the Carnegie Learning Center, is very selective as to which students are allowed in this alternative school. Students are required to fill out application forms, interview with Thompson, have a parent or guardian interview with Thompson and sometimes even enlist teachers to recommend them.

“I am looking for students who are self-motivated to come in and do the work necessary to get the classes done,” said Thompson. “It’s all about motivation.”

Students get behind in credits for a variety of reasons, not the least of them being a move from one school to another before course work is complete. Once they are behind, it can be very difficult to catch back up.

“I moved to South Carolina and the curriculum there was different. I was behind,” said Jordan Reynolds, senior, noting they attend school year round in that state. “When I moved back here I was behind again. So far I’ve been to four different high schools. There were too many credits to be made up for me to graduate on time. I can earn credits a lot faster here.”

He can earn credits faster at the Carnegie Learning Center because the students work at their own pace. Their courses are available on computer software. After logging into the system in the morning, they select which class they want to work on. Reading material, practice tests, and mastery tests are available as they progress through the course.

“They can go to whatever class they want to work on,” Thompson said. “If they want to work on English or math or whatever, that’s their choice. I just require them to keep busy and continue working for the time that we’re in class.”

Each student may be working on a different subject at the same time. Thompson doesn’t teach in the traditional sense, he is more of a facilitator. He encourages the students to continue working, grades assignments that the computer cannot (such as essays), and records grades.

Some students come to the Carnegie Learning Center for just an hour or two a day to work on a couple of classes, and some stay all day. Only 15 computers have the proper license for the software program, so the number of students allowed to attend the center is very limited.

“I needed more credits and this seemed like a good option where I could work at my own pace,” said Hayleigh Ell, sophomore. “It’s a lot easier to do it by myself. I’ve learned to use independent study skills. I moved in the middle of my freshman year and got behind because the new school wouldn’t accept my credits.”

Reynolds also mentioned that the program teaches personal responsibility. If a student doesn’t complete the course work, there is no one else to blame. Other students chimed in that sometimes they don’t perform well in classes because they have a personality clash with the teacher of the subject.

“You feel like they don’t care about you so you don’t want to do any work for them,” said one of the students. “In the long run you’re really hurting yourself, but still.”

Since the computers don’t have a personality to clash with, the students find it easier to focus on the material.

Another benefit to the Carnegie Learning Center is the lack of distractions, mentioned by several students.

“There’s not as much drama over here,” said Justin Griffin, junior, who admitted he got in trouble at his school in Indianapolis before moving here. “It’s nice not to worry about the drama.”