The first quarter grades for the 2013-2014 school year have led to an uneasy feeling for the Alliance High principal Dr. Patrick Jones and the teachers at AHS. Because of the many failing students in the first quarter, during the second quarter there will be a “ninth period” for freshman. It will be a time to improve grades and help the freshman pass their classes so they can move on to sophomore year. Although this is not required it is strongly recommended that students attend for a goal to improve their grades.

At the first week of the school, fifty freshmen were failing classes and at the end of the first quarter forty-three were failing. Ninety-five percent of the forty-three students were failing a required class. Jones states that the students “disregard the importance of passing classes.”

The Bulldog Achievement Center, or BAC, which previously was open from 7:30 – 4pm, will now be open from 7:30 to 4:30 to give the students more time and a place to do their homework and get help if needed.Ninth period is from 3:31 to 3:45, which will be the time to talk to teachers, get assignments, make up tests or get clarification if the student doesn’t understand the topic they are in and are struggling with it.

Ninth period is an “intervention strategy to help the students succeed,” said Jones and will “not eliminate work for them (the students.)” For Jones, consequences are a last resort and he want to put a “positive spin” on getting up their grades. There are many failing more than one class, and it is a conscience choice, “It frustrates myself as a principal, as an educator and it also frustrates the teachers,” said Jones.

In the future this will most likely include other grades not just freshmen, but they will experiment with the freshmen this quarter. The freshmen were at the highest need, “when you fight a forest fire you put the most amount of water on the hottest part of the fire,” said Jones.  Academics and behavioral choice, “should run parallel when they intersect issues arise.” It’s not that the students are not capable it is that they don’t do homework, classwork and they don’t participate in class either, so they make a conscience choice to not participate.

The group of kids failing continues to increase and students are not what they use to be. It is nobody’s choice but the students. “If we just keep pushing, there is nothing better then the little victories along the way,” said Jones. “Never quit trying.” It is something that seems small and unimportant but it will have a great impact on the students’ future. If you don’t know what is going on now, you won’t in the future either. Freshmen are urged to take the opportunity to participate in ninth period as this program hopes to decrease the number of failing students, and create a better academic experience at AHS.