Alaska Middle College School ‘preparing students for success’

EAGLE RIVER — Students of the Mat-Su Borough are encouraged to claim the last few slots at the school that can give them both a high school diploma and potential credit toward an Associate of Arts degree from the University of Alaska by the end of their senior year.

Alaska Middle College School, or AMCS, opened in 2012 as an effort to get high school juniors and seniors from the Valley proactively involved in their college education. It is not a charter school but an alternative school resulting from the collaboration between the Mat-Su Borough School District and the University of Alaska Anchorage at the Chugiak-Eagle River Campus.

Prior to acceptance, students must take the Accuplacer test to determine their readiness for college classes and submit two academic references with their application. Potential students must be juniors or seniors in high school with a minimum 2.0 GPA and he or she must have completed the equivalents of English 1 and 2, Algebra 1, Geometry, Civics, World History, Physical Science and Biology. Failing any of those requirements, there is a chance that the student will be able to attend after an interview with the school’s staff.

The school’s biggest draw, Program Administrator Kathy Moffitt said, is that it’s free.

“The Mat-Su Borough School District affords families and students the opportunity to earn college credit at no expense to the families and to build the skills required to be successful in a college atmosphere,” Moffitt said.

“The difference between what we offer and dual enrollment is that we are actually on a college campus, so our students are in college courses with college students. They’re getting the authentic experience, not just getting college credit,” she said.

If a student places high enough on the Accuplacer test, he or she could be taking all college classes during their junior and senior years of high school and accept an associate’s degree with their high school diploma at graduation. However, students may also choose to transfer their earned credits to another university and continue their degree there, or continue in the University of Alaska system and work toward a bachelor’s degree.

“It’s kind of a complicated system but it’s an incredible opportunity,” Moffitt said.

This past May, the school held its first graduation ceremony with a total of 34 graduates, three of whom graduated with the required credits for an associate’s degree, said Administrative Secretary, Darjon Gimm. Last year, the eight students who completed the program walked at the graduation ceremonies of the high schools they attended as underclassmen. There are currently 58 juniors and 38 seniors enrolled at AMCS, its highest enrollment yet.

“It’s not for every student but for some it’s the best (school) they can be in, because they’re ready for the next level of rigor,” Moffitt said.

MSBSD Superintendent, Dr. Deena Paramo, said that college readiness is one of the biggest goals of the school and that AMCS is a perfect example of the district’s “big three”: Innovation, Choice and Customer Service. Dr. Paramo also said that the school is not necessarily for the smartest students, but for those who will work hard.

UAA Communications professor Solveig Pedersen agreed. Given her work with the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) as the Director of the Social Justice and Youth Empowerment programs, Professor Pedersen feels she is especially prepared to work with the kinds of students that the middle college attracts.

“I really like the mix of the ‘overachiever types’ and people who are just looking for alternative ways to finish high school,” Pedersen said. “When they’re given the extra challenge and a different climate (at AMCS), those kids can really thrive.”

In addition to her full-time teaching job through UAA, Professor Pedersen is currently volunteering with the Anchorage Youth Development Coalition in a community-wide effort to raise the high school graduation rate from 76 percent to 90 percent by the year 2020.

Sue Skvorc — high school Math and Science teacher at AMCS and, full disclosure, mother of the author of this article — says she also feels well suited to the job, saying it seemed “written for her.”

“It’s a school geared just for upperclassmen who want to go to college, so as a teacher that’s pretty much the ideal audience, to me anyway,” Skvorc said.

In her 13 years at Colony High School prior to starting at the middle college, Skvorc said she taught “just about every” math and science class that was offered, and therefore felt uniquely qualified for the position as AMCS. Skvorc also said that she felt “more free to move” from Colony after she retired from coaching cross country skiing in her second-to-last year there.

“In my 20 years in the district, this is the best job I’ve

ever had,” she said.

John Robertson, who teaches the high school-level social studies and English classes, expressed a similar sentiment.

“Being a ‘start up’ (teacher), it’s always exciting to get into something that will both give you options and benefit the families in the community,” Robertson said.

Robertson started teaching in Alaska at Houston High School a few years ago, then moved to Valley Pathways when his position was cut. When funding ran out for his second district job, he came across the middle college “just by coincidence” in his search for a new school, and soon found himself in “the best teaching job in Alaska,” he said.

“It’s a really fun program and I think that it’s doing a lot,” Robertson said. “The feedback that I’m getting from students is that the school has really worked for them and I’m frequently told it’s their favorite school they’ve ever been in.”

“Our teachers really inspire the kids, and encourage the kids, and hold them accountable,” Superintendent Paramo said. “They were just a perfect match for their positions. They treat their students with dignity and maturity and really motivate them to do well.”

Professors Bill Jamison, Ryan K. Johnson, Roy Mitchell, Dmitriy Ostrovskiy and Melissa Ray of UAA also will teach AMCS students this year.

Contact Caitlin Skvorc at 352-2266 or caitlin.skvorc@frontiersman.com.