Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Renovations may not be completely done yet, but classes will start as usual Monday at the Alternative Learning Center's new home.
The ALC moved this summer from its Winona Avenue location to the portion of Lakeview Middle School previously used by Ivy Tech.
And they couldn't be happier.
"We have probably twice as much space as we had at the old building," said Brenda Rigdon, executive director of Kosciusko Literacy Services.
That space includes two large adult education rooms with computers, classrooms, a small cafeteria, a conference room, two classrooms for students of the AIMS (Alternative Instructional Methods) program, offices for teachers and directors, an entrance separate from the middle school and handicapped accessible restrooms and entrances.
A small playground will be added in front, and the lower level of the wing will be used for a preschool for children with emotional problems and offices for therapists, social workers and support services.
Rigdon said the move was just in time, because the previous building was "bursting at the seams."
Last year the ALC had approximately 500 students, she said, "and every year those numbers go up."
"We were totally full last year," she said. "At the end of the year, we could not fit another student in."
She's also happy that the classrooms have windows and better lighting, and that several classes do not have to share one classroom, as they did before.
"Each class can have its own room," Rigdon said. "That will facilitate discussion and will make it easier to hear the teacher."
The ALC comprises adult education programs, including literacy, English as a second language (introductory to advanced), civics classes for the citizenship exam and GED classes; AIMS, a program for students who cannot function in a traditional high school setting but who want to finish their high school education and get a diploma; and programs that were previously offered by the North Central Indiana Cooperative, which is no longer centralized for the five school districts it serves.
Tony England, ALC director, said there are five classrooms that can be used by adult students in the evening, when AIMS students are not there. He also said many of the adult classes continued to run during and immediately after the move to Lakeview, and during the construction and renovation.
"They did not miss one instructional day," said Rigdon. "They're that dedicated."
Some final finish work may continue after the school year starts Monday, she said, but for the most part, the major construction, including the handicapped parking and access to the building in front, should be done.
