WSC Academy Opens New Brighton Location; Becoming New Charter School

After several years of operating out of , WSC Academy recently opened its own Brighton location on Citation Drive, near .

The alternative education high school will become Brighton's newest public charter school -- the only one to open in Livingston County this fall. The school is open to high school aged students, 19 years old or younger before Sept. 22.

Previously, the school operated within Hazel Park School District. Work Skills, which sponsors WSC Academy, saw an opportunity to break free and open a multi-site charter sponsored by Lake Superior State University. The other location will be in Ypsilanti and the two will operate as its own school district.

Work Skills, located in Brighton, provides employment services to a wide variety of people, including those with disabilities.

The Brighton location will enroll about 100 students this fall and students will attend class Mondays through Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

"We have a very flexible schedule that allows students to work," Kelly Robson, WSC Academy Brighton School Leader said. "That's our main thing -- to allow students who have to work, need to work or want to work, to work. The kids still need to come, just not as much as they would in a traditional school."

The structure of the school is mostly online-based learning, with students still required to complete all Michigan Merit subjects like math, english, science and social studies. There will also be some teacher taught electives such as psychology.

"They can even take physical education online -- it sounds weird -- but they learn the curriculum and then they have to do supervised physical activity that is made through the teacher, myself and the software," Robson said.

Even though courses are online, students will get personal one-on-one help through any staff at the school or through volunteers.

"Some of our volunteers are retired engineers and very highly skilled," Robson said "They are more like tutors."

South Lyon resident Kyle Dougherty, 18, previously attended the old South Lyon High School before switching to WSC Academy two years ago. He will graduate this upcoming school year.

"I like that you can go at your own pace and I really like the teachers," Dougherty said about the alternative education school. "I like the whole online thing -- that it's all on the computer. You pretty much teach it to yourself through the lessons and then take the test on it."

Students at the Brighton location will also have the opportunity to travel to for art classes, where they will be able to commission the work they do in class. Studio West, also located in Brighton and a branch of Work Skills, is an art studio for people with disabilities and others they serve. Studio West opened late last year.

There will also be other opportunities for students such as a job club that reviews interview techniques and resumes as well as organized sports with other alternative high schools.

Work Skills will also open its resources to families of WSC students.

"We want to take care of not just the child, but the entire family. We want to make sure everyone is living a quality life," Robson said.

Buddy Moorehouse, communications vice president of the Michigan Association of Public School Academies, said WSC Academy will be one of about 29 new charter schools in Michigan this fall, after legislation was approved late last year to in Michigan. A majority of the charters will be in Detroit, he said.

With the addition of WSC Academy, Brighton will have three charter schools in addition to the Brighton Area Schools District. The other two charters are , which opened last fall, and the Charyl Stockwell Prepratory Academy, both of which are sponsored by Central Michigan University.

For more information on WSC Academy, visit them online at www.wsc-academy.org or contact Kelly Robson or Carrie Kennedy at 810-534-6147.