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APS Rebound program gives students a second chance

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Contributed by: Kristin Morin/YourHub.com on 11/21/2008

Even though he finds it challenging, math is SheRon Furness' favorite subject.

Furness, 16, has a 4.0 grade point average and a perfect attendance record.

Academic success wasn't a path Furness was following just last spring, when he was expelled from Rangeview High School.

"I need to succeed for myself and for my family too ... so they can see I can do it," Furness said.

Furness is one of 98 students enrolled in Aurora Public School's partnership program, Rebound, 11351 E. Montview, Blvd., an educational opportunity for students who have dropped out or been expelled from school.

Hanging around people who were bad influences caused him to get kicked out of school, Furness said. Now he is back on track and meeting new friends who are in his same boat.

APS Rebound opened its doors in August and is one of two in Colorado run by Ombudsman Educational Services through their parent company Educational Services of America.

"This is a perfect example of an integrated approach of how the community works together for the success of our students," said John Barry, APS superintendent during a Rebound celebration event Nov. 20.

"I think Aurora saw a need and really wanted to do something about it," said Melissa Geist, Rebound director.

At Rebound, kids are given a second chance to earn a high school diploma and, because of a partnership with the Community College of Aurora, potentially dual-credit for college.

"I challenge all these students, and it is possible, to walk across that stage and get a high school diploma and an associate degree," Barry said.

The Rebound program is funded by APS and teaches students with a combination of online coursework and in house assignments -- all in an environment with a 10:1 staff to student ratio.

Students can start the program anytime during the semester. They spend four hours a day -- in the morning, afternoon or evening -- at Rebound, and have additional online schoolwork.

Students are given "programs" of material in a combination of different subjects. These programs must be completed in 10 days, but students can pick and choose what they want to work on and when it fits into their schedules.

Rebound students range from sixth-graders to high school students.

"We need these kids to get every kind of skill and education possible," said Linda Bowman, president of the Community College of Aurora.

Students are recruited to Rebound through Colorado Youth for a Change, an organization dedicated to motivating dropout students to return to school.

Janiece Mackey, bilingual educational outreach specialist for CYC, said she receives lists from APS of students who have left school and makes cold calls and home visits referring them to Rebound.

"They actually say they have thought about (going back to school) but they don't know how," Mackey said.

Rebound has a capacity for 106 students and is looking to expand I the future. The program will graduate 28 students this year.

Furness, a junior, plans to graduate next year and attend community college before transferring to a university.

"There really is one answer to every question," Bowman said, "and that is education."

For more information on the Rebound program, call director Melissa Geist at 303-326-2123.

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