Michigan Works Launches Alternative School in Benton Harbor

For students who don't succeed in traditional school settings, the road ahead can feel daunting. High school dropouts reach a point where catching up is mathematically impossible, while their adult peers confront many personal issues that prevent them from improving their lives as they would like, says Chris Fielding, chief executive officer for Southwest Michigan Works! Last fall, the agency opened its answer in the Bridge Academy, at 777 Riverview Drive, Benton Harbor.

Several rationales drove the agency's decision. When we really looked at it, all our programs had a common goal, and that was education. It gave us the opportunity to put everything under one facility and reduce administrative overhead, Fielding said. The academy also fills a void left by the closing of Twilight, Benton Harbor's alternative school, around three years ago. We were seeing ourselves having to turn students away every year, because of the maximum capacity of every program, he said.

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