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ACES to receive more personalized learning

ALPENA — ACES Academy is going to be implementing some changes to make learning more personalized for its students.

Principal Matt Poli said the school is looking at adding personalized learning for the students, and he said it’s easier to implement that at ACES than at any other school.

“The whole goal is really personalizing it for the kids so they have the skills that they need when they get out of here,” he said.

Dean of Students Laura Stibitz said intentional use of technology to free up the teacher to provide more support to the students is going to happen next year.

“Instead of the teacher delivering all content, it’s utilizing different pieces of technology, whether it be a YouTube video or an online quiz or something like that,” she said. “The teacher can be moving around to different groups or individual students and give them the concentrated help they need on a subject matter.”

Poli said there also is going to be a new platform of mentoring available for the students.

“We do a lot of that now, but really to come up with a systematic approach where every student comes in and they’re going to be tied with a mentor who will be with them until they graduate,” Poli said. “It’s a different kind of mindset for a school, but I think it’s good for our kids to have that person.”

Poli said they will be doing a lot of pushing to have students participate in dual enrollment to see what they can do.

A second part of Project Student Gourmet with the Alpena Senior Citizens Center is going to take place next school year, but it will be different for the students.

“It’s going to continue but it’s going to morph into Project Student Entrepreneur,” Poli said. “For a two-hour block during the day, we’re going to have around 10 students going to the senior center and working on different things.”

Stibitz said the current students are optimistic about the new changes that are coming for the school.

As for the new students coming to ACES next school year, Stibitz said an orientation week is going to be held that will be about how to use technology, what are the building expectations, introductions to the programs that are available, and team building. Orientation also is a new thing for ACES.

Julie Goldberg can be reached via email at jgoldberg@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5688.

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