GLENDALE, AZ — Seven months ago, Peoria Pathways was a pitch on paper. Now, it's a campus full of students finding their own way.
Peoria Unified held a ribbon-cutting for Peoria Pathways, a new campus designed to give students a different road to a high school diploma. The campus houses 4 programs serving hundreds of students, from those who need to catch up on credits to students with intellectual disabilities learning real-world workplace skills at the end of last year.
"We are doing our ribbon cutting here at the Peoria Pathways campus," said Sybil Jacob, Director of Alternative Education for Peoria Unified. "It is really just a celebration of what seemed sad at the end of last year: the repurposing and shutting down of schools, but it was a great rebirth, if you will, for our district."
The campus hosts 4 programs:
The Works Program serves students with intellectual disabilities, teaching workplace skills and connecting them with community jobs where they earn paychecks. The program is capped at 32 students in the morning and 32 in the afternoon.
The S.O.A.R. Center is for students who have dropped out and want to earn their diploma. Students can attend until they are 22 years old and receive wrap-around services, including connections to healthcare access, a clothing closet, and a food and nutrition bank on campus supported by community partners. The S.O.A.R. Center currently enrolls 40 students.
Peoria Flex Academy offers an alternative path to a high school diploma, drawing students from all 7 of Peoria Unified's comprehensive schools.
The E-Campus Virtual School is an online-only program serving more than 1,200 students in grades K-12.
The campus currently serves around 120 in-person learners, with space for up to 160.
The path to enrollment moves fast. New students can receive a laptop within 48 hours of enrolling and can work from home or come to campus. School vehicles are available for students who need help getting there.
Since opening on Aug. 3, 5 students have already graduated through the Flex Academy and the S.O.A.R. Center combined.
For students like Andrew Ortega, who works full-time at Walmart, the campus has been a turning point. Ortega said he dropped out as a freshman, tried to return as a sophomore but was dropped for not completing his work, and came to Peoria Flex Academy at the urging of his older brother who had graduated from the same program.
"At a certain point, I didn't think school mattered at all," Ortega said. "I thought, you know, it's pointless. Nobody cares if I graduate. But once I got to a certain age, I realized that school actually could open up so much more opportunities for me."
Ortega said the difference at Peoria Pathways comes down to how students are treated.
"Here, they really make you feel like they care about knowing who you are and they care about your success, and they care about your future," Ortega said.
Classmate Cirroc Thompson-Bashan found the same thing. After struggling with a long commute and other challenges that made it hard to keep up in a traditional school setting, Cirroc said coming to Peoria Pathways changed everything.
"When I came here, schoolwork became fun," Cirroc said. "It's like a big family here. They all kind of push you under their wing like you're one of their own... It's real love."
For Jacob, who has spent 30 years in the district, 12 of them with Peoria Flex Academy, watching the campus come to life has been surreal.
"This is their home. This is their safe harbor. This is where they want to be," Jacob said.
Families interested in any of the programs can call the main campus number, and staff will direct them to the right one.
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