Hometown Helena Thursday, May 11th: Project for Alternative Learning (PAL)

 Watch this week’s meeting here!

Hometown Helena this Thursday, May 11th: Project for Alternative Learning (PAL)

May 9, 2023 Greetings Everyone, Springtime means graduation time.  High School graduation is one of the last remaining rites of passage in our post modern society. All over the valley schools will be saying goodbye to the seniors, and wishing the graduates and their families well:  Helena and Capital High schools, Helena College and Carroll College, and the Project for Alternative Learning. I’ve always liked these lines from the opening of the second act of Our Town, by Thorton Wilder: “So: It's three years later. It’s 1904. It’s July 7th, just after high school commencement.  That’s the time most of our young people jump up and get married. Soon as they’ve passed their last examinations in solid geometry and Cicero’s Orations, looks like they suddenly feel themselves fit to be married.”    ‘Our Town’ was first performed Broadway in 1938. I rather doubt that Cicero’s Orations get much classroom time these days.  But I think geometry is still being taught.  And kids still look forward to the rite of passage that is high school graduation. Rick Hays invited the faculty and students from the Project for Alternative Learning (PAL) to join us at this week’s Hometown Helena.  Initiated many years ago by the Helena School District,  PAL is the local option for students who, for many different reasons, may not do well in traditional educational settings. But they do very well in the alternative setting the PAL provides.    Matt Carey is the Principal at PAL.  He will be joined by a PAL student or two.  Below is a brief introduction to PAL, from the application page on Helena School district's web site. "Welcome to PAL. Taking the step to apply for the program means you have decided to make your education a priority. If accepted, you agree to uphold and support the philosophy, curriculum, benchmarks, policy and procedures in place for the program. We use a multi-faceted educational model that works best when students are motivated and are accountable for their learning. Please take some time to review these ideas as you move through the application. At PAL, we enroll families. We look for families with a spirit of community, a willingness to build relationships based on trust, and students who will enrich life within our school environment. Parents are an integral part of our school and they will be asked to remain committed to their child’s education. If you and your family want this kind of learning experience, please take time to fill out an application and return it to your guidance counselor at your home school.(Applications can be picked up at both Capital and Helena High School guidance counselor’s office)." Looking forward to seeing you this Thursday morning, either in person on the 6th floor of The Montana Club or via the zoom option.   Jim Smith 406-949-1002

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Hometown Helena -- Thursday, May 11th, 7 a.m. @ The Montana Club & Live via ZOOM hosted by Pinion: Project for Alternative Learning, Matt Carey

Meeting URL: https://pinionglobal.zoom.us/j/98440665674?pwd=WXo4SGpTZ0o2YUJTTTJkb0ZWYU1aQT09 Meeting ID: 984 4066 5674 Passcode: 107886 Online Meeting Instructions: Please keep your phone or microphone muted during the meeting and note that your camera may be on depending on your ZOOM settings. Please "raise your hand" at the start of the meeting if you will have an opening update or introduction. In-Person Announcements: Please plan on approaching the front of the room to make announcements directly to our host so online attendees can hear. There is time at the beginning of the meeting for announcements. View Program Recording: Hometown Helena is recorded and posted at HometownHelena.news, typically within a day. Hometown Email List: This private email list is not shared. You can join or update your email information at HometownHelena.news or by clicking the button below.

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The Hometown Helena Team is Jim Smith, Rick Hays, Kelly Cresswell, Emily McVey, Emily Frazier, Ali Mandell, Tom McGree, Peter Strauss, Haley McKnight and Matt Elsaesser

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