Less pomp, more circumstances for these Central Iowa kids

Hundreds of students in caps and gowns lined up for the graduation processional in Des Moines on May 24. But this wasn’t your traditional graduation. And the students participating didn’t have a traditional high school experience.

Two hundred of 299 graduating Options Academy students donned black caps and gowns and were accompanied by proud families at Hoyt Sherman place. “We don’t practice — kids show up, if they picked up their cap and gown great, if not we hand them out that day,” Amanda Dvorak, Associate Principal for Alternative Programs at Des Moines Public Schools explains. “We like Hoyt Sherman because it’s not the same as Knapp Center. They haven’t had the same experience anyway, so we get to do it our way. It is one last chance to give them something special.”

Options Academy provides a way for students to graduate high school when traditional school isn’t the right fit. Jeanette Gines is one of those students. She is one test away from graduation, and dreams about cosmetology school and someday having her own business. She also has dreams for her unborn child. “I want to be the best mom for her, [to] lead by example, and show her how to be a nice young lady. I want to see her finishing school and handling her business, and I will support her in anything.”

Gines found the traditional school route wasn’t meeting her needs. “There was a lot of distraction, the teachers were good, but I wasn’t getting the help I needed. I came across Options because my sister went there and I heard her talking about it.”

The Des Moines Independent Community School District has a dropout rate of 4.9 per 10,000 students, compared to 2.2 at the state level. For those with low socio-economic status, this rate increases to 5.49. Graduation rates in Des Moines area are 72%, 15 percentage points below the state graduation rate.

Dvorak describes the challenges Options Academy students are overcoming to be able to graduate. “We have young moms, young dads, we have kids who don’t have parents, kids involved in the court system trying to find way out. I could tell stories about any kid.” She attributes their success to the relationships they have with their students. “We have one hallway of a building and eight classrooms. It is small, everyone knows everybody, teachers know all their kids, they know everything about their kids. Success case managers are phenomenal. They provide everything non-academic.”

And non-academic needs abound in the metro area. Food insecurity and homelessness rates have increased, and Des Moines has very high levels of English Language learners, students with disabilities, and students with low socio-economic status. Transportation is also a huge barrier. “Our current location is on the south side” explained Dvorak, “attendance is the number one barrier — chronic absenteeism is our biggest hurdle to get over.” Options and other public schools piece together grants to eliminate barriers in areas that district funds cannot cover.

The school has one counselor who also helps kids find their way after graduation, from applying for financial aid, filling out postsecondary education applications, and connecting students to job resources. Gines describes support from all staff and teachers, “They push you so far, they send messages encouraging you, they reach out to make sure everything is OK. They really want you to graduate.”

“Our motto is every kid gets a new day, so if today is not your day let’s try again tomorrow.” Dvorak loves her job and is passionate about giving kids all the chances they need. But she also has some tough days. “After the shooting [at Starts Right Here], we made plans to welcome students into space. It turns out we can’t serve them, only virtually because of involvement with the court. I know it was the right choice by the district — it just didn’t feel right in my heart.” She also described losing a student last year. “Those are always the worst days.”

Dvorak affirms good days greatly outnumber the bad, and she loves what she does. The joy in her voice was contagious as she described the young man she had been working with for over a year. “He has dropped 3 or 4 times, comes back passes a test, he makes a little more progress. then life happens and he needs a break.” He has worked full-time at a job that he enjoys and will continue after high school. And on May 16, he passed his final exam. “Finally, he did it! I know his boss — once he was done he was going to get a raise.”

Dvorak wants everyone to believe that each and every kid deserves a second chance. And sometimes a third or fourth. Options Academy has a waitlist of 150 students. In the fall they are opening a second location but emphasizes that they will still provide students with the same level of personal attention while they increase enrollment. She wants to quash misconceptions about her kids. “[People believe] that they don’t care. They do. They are not lazy. They just don’t know how to connect to school. Traditional school didn’t work for them. And now we are trying to figure out how to connect them to school and how to make it work. They really do. They are just looking for hope.” She pauses. “And their parents care. We have parents who want their kids to be successful, they just don’t know how.”

Gines is happy with her experience, and her shot at a brighter future. “Every day I am greeted by amazing teachers, and a great lunch. You can ask anything you want as many times as you want. It makes you want to come back [to school] everyday.”

I hope we can all learn to give all Iowa kids another chance to succeed.

If you would like to support the Students at Options Academy, you can reach out to:

Options Academy

C/O Amanda Dvorak

1000 Porter Ave

Des Moines, IA 50315

Chris Espersen is a Gazette editorial fellow. chris.espersen@thegazette.com