At MCHS and in the Mason City Community, there seems to be a negative connotation about the Alternative School. Students think the school is for people who are not smart or cannot even handle simple social situations, but that is simply not true.
Mr. Dave Ciccetti is the building principal of MCAS. He’s worked at the Alternative School for over 40 years. The walls of his office are filled with cards and notes from students, with smiley faces and hearts adorning them. In his words, there are a few key differences between the regular high school and the alternative school. “Obviously we’re much smaller than Mason City High School,” and “We have a really strong advisor-advisee program… Every student has an advisor, who kind of monitors their progress every week.” Students also have more independent classes at MCAS.
The stereotype of MCAS students being the kind of people who hate school and just want to drop out is completely inaccurate. “There are no magic potions,” Ciccetti says, “somebody that we bring over here that absolutely hates school, a lot of times they’re not successful.” The students at the Alternative School want to learn, but the reason they’re at the Alternative School is because something about a traditional environment does not work for them.
Some of the main inaccurate perceptions the Alternative School staff and students battle is the trope that people who go to the Alternative School are losers, or they aren’t nice, or they can’t stay afloat in a traditional environment. “Most of the kids here, they get here for two major reasons; number one, they’re behind on credits,” Ciccetti stated, “the second group would be, somebody who goes through the high school, and for whatever reason, they don’t feel comfortable.”
Another big part of the Alternative School is community outreach. Students are required to have a certain number of community outreach hours as a senior. “Doing community outreach, I think, helps get students in touch with their community, and kind of giving back. I think that’s a life skill.” Another way community involvement helps the Alternative School is boosting their image. As previously mentioned, the alternative school is seen negatively, and doing this community service helps show people what they are really about.
The Alternative School has only nine staff members, and about 85-95 students. The program is small, but it has a big impact. Hopefully, in the future, the school is seen as a different opportunity for students to succeed.