The following article was submitted by Rebecca Wallace, Family and Consumer Sciences at the Atlantic High School & Atlantic Middle School. It was written by Mary McBride, and is part of a series of articles letting you know what’s going on with the Atlantic, Iowa School District….

Not everyone knows that the Atlantic Community School District has multiple settings for their high school students to earn a diploma. In addition to the traditional high school setting, there
are two other programs to help students meet their graduation goals. These programs are called the Link Center and the Cass County Educational Opportunity Center (CCEOC). Both of these
programs are usually located at the Achievement Center, though they are currently displaced by the 6th and 7th-grade students due to the Atlantic Middle School fire. However, they are two
very different programs that serve a variety of students.

The Link Center is a program for students who need a smaller classroom setting, higher teacher-to-student ratio, and social-emotional support. This program is led by Special Education
teacher Mary McBride and Behavior Interventionist Melanie Fell. They are assisted by paraprofessionals Oran Perkins and Clint Weppler. The Link Center serves students between 6th and 12th-grade and can have up to 10 students at a time.

The CCEOC is a program that allows students to recover credits if they get behind at the high school. This program is led by Special Education teacher Karen Vogl and assisted by general
education teacher Bryce Smith and paraprofessionals Stacy Van Aernam and Sheri Walter. They can serve up to 40 high school students who work at their own pace to complete classes
through independent study.

Both of these programs help to ensure that students who may struggle in the traditional high school environment can still obtain a diploma and move forward in their postsecondary plans.
Students from these programs may go to college and often go on to a successful career.