Pellerin Center

L’Anse Creuse Public Schools opened the 2009-2010 school year with a new facility for its alternative education and adult education programs.  The Pellerin Center, named in honor of school superintendent DiAnne M. Pellerin, houses the Riverside Academy and L’Anse Creuse Adult Education. Pellerin was honored for “her long standing support of nontraditional programming and multiple paths of education” according to Michelle Irwin, Senior Director for Community Relations and Programs.  Irwin heads the adult and alternative education programs.

The district broke ground in March 2008 for the two-story, 38,000 square foot facility located on F.V. Pankow Boulevard, off Gratiot, in Clinton Township.  Pellerin Center includes a large common area, media center and a student-run café.  Total construction costs were estimated at $8 million.  The building is currently staffed to serve 425-440 students, but was constructed to accommodate 500.

Complete Communications, Inc. of Clinton Township has provided the school with state-of-the-art communications technology.  CCI installed low voltage voice and data system cabling infrastructure, created the video cabling backbone, and installed flat-screen televisions in the media center and common area. The company has worked with L’Anse Creuse Schools on several projects over the last nine years and is currently installing A-V projectors with IP TV connectivity in schools throughout the district. 

Riverside Academy began about 20 years ago.  The tuition-free alternative school serves students 15 to 19 years of age.  Its goal is to graduate students prepared for the real world of work armed with knowledge as well as desirable work habits. Some students come on their own; others are referred by counselors or brought by parents attracted by Riverside’s unique approach to education.  The school operates on a small school  philosophy in which staff knows and meets the academic and emotional needs of individual students.  Student-to-staff ratio is low. All students receive daily group counseling and individual counseling is available.  Additional academic support is offered via a guided study hall.

Although it differs in style and environment from traditional schools, Riverside Academy follows the state mandated Michigan Merit Curriculum.  A variety of classes are offered including core content (English, math, science and history), career development, art, health and fitness, computer applications, publications, sales and marketing, commercial art and more. These courses are taught in nine-week terms, using non-traditional teaching methods emphasizing experiential learning and project-based instruction.  Riverside courses utilize educational technology including E2020, Carnegie Learning, and PLATO instructional solutions software that is self-paced and individualized to a student’s knowledge level. Students, who complete the requirements, earn a L’Anse Creuse diploma.

FreshStart is a special program offered only to ninth grade students at Riverside.  Learning takes place in a cohort model in which students enter as a group and progress through various levels with the same group. It is based on positive behavior support that rewards students with increased privileges as they progress through educational levels.

Riverside enrolls an average of 44 FreshStart students per term. Students at Riverside can participate in school social activities including clubs and field trips.   They also join students from 17 alternative high schools in Lapeer, St. Clair and Macomb counties for intramural sports such as basketball, softball and bowling, as well as chess and billiards.

Official dedication of the Pellerin Center will take place on November 1.