By Staff
Up until the new millennium electives were on the chopping block at schools across the state. Art classes, foreign languages and many non-core classes were eliminated to save expenses.
In those sweeping cuts went many classes that students enjoyed. In some cases, it was their favorite classes.
That's what makes Gov. Bob Riley's announcement to expand ACCESS Distance Learning to four local schools a year earlier than anticipated so exciting.
Thanks to this program and others like it, Demopolis, Sweetwater, A.L. Johnson and John Essex high schools can practically add new teachers and programs for a fraction of what they would cost in a traditional classroom setting. In most cases, these additions would have been impossible without ACCESS and state funding.
ACCESS allows students from any part of the state to learn in a virtual classroom environment. Meaning a class like oceanography in Marengo County isn't such a far-fetched idea. A guest lecturer from NASA in a physics class is also a possibility.
ACCESS brings those who are some of the best in their field to our schools in a capacity which previously would never have been possible.
It's an exciting time to be enrolled in our local schools, and programs like ACCESS make it all that much more special.
Demopolis Times