It was a short move across South Street in downtown Bayfield, but this year’s transition from a set of modulars on the east side of the road to the more permanent building on the west side has allowed students to identify even more with their space at the academy — which is intended to offer a supportive and personal approach to learning.
“This year, they took ownership by helping to decorate our space,” said Halie Forsthoff, the Dean of Students at Wolverine Academy. The building has clearly been “branded” by its occupants this fall, and the freshly painted purple doors provide a bold greeting to students and visitors alike.
“They’ve really made that space their own,” Assistant Superintendent Bill Hesford told residents and staff members who participated in a facility planning workshop for the district earlier this month. Superintendent Leon Hanhardt agreed, noting that it is important to provide an autonomous space for the students who are attracted to Wolverine Academy.
“Wolverine Academy was first started within BHS as a support program for children who were struggling for various reasons,” Forsthoff described. “We took on the project-based learning model, and we offer a lot of social/emotional supports for students.”
Wolverine Academy specializes in hands-on activities and real-world applications for learning, and a strong social-emotional curriculum is embedded into daily practices at the school. The education that is offered is tailored to each student, and that flexibility is largely possible because the academy is smaller than the school at large.
“We have small class sizes. It is about 15 students per class,” said Forsthoff, who welcomed 31 total students to the academy this year, up from the 14 or 15 who attended when she began at the school five years ago.
She said the smaller school seems to appeal to her students.
“The bigger setting at BHS wasn’t a good fit for them for various reasons,” Forsthoff observed, stating that students and staff members form richer relationships in the smaller setting. “There are only three full-time teachers here, so that is only three staff members that they have to stay connected with. Our retention is also really high, so you get to know them super well year after year.”
Those relationships are important as Forsthoff works alongside Elizabeth Wirak (Humanities) and Abrah Masterson (Math/Science) to help students develop both the hard and soft skills they will need to succeed.
“We have a social contract that students can put input into every year - what they value and want to see in their classrooms and daily expectations,” Forsthoff described. “Conflict resolution is important too because if students can’t work through that here it is hard for them to be successful.”
Students are challenged at their level, and by allowing them to drive topics they feel as if they are engaging in meaningful work. The academy uses a competency-based grading system, so students have multiple opportunities to show mastery of a subject.
“We really try to tie the projects to their individual interests and their learning styles. Being small allows us to do that,” Forsthoff stated.
As is the case at the high school, students can also pursue options to receive college credit for some courses, but many of them begin their journey at Wolverine Academy by catching up on credits they may have missed along the way.
“There are a lot of options for credit recovery. We have a class dedicated to that,” Forsthoff said, noting that the need to catch up is one of the primary reasons students are first drawn to the academy.
The emphasis on providing real-life experiences is another draw, and that has led to the creation of a number of partnerships that allow students to participate in internships and perform community service.
“We’re very much about experiential learning, so we focus on trying to get outside the classroom. We work with a lot of local organizations for our elective programs,” Forsthoff said, indicating that students participate in a culinary program with MANNA and are actively involved in the Field to Fork Program offered by Pine River Shares — where Wolverine Academy used to be housed. Students are also motivated by opportunities to engage in activities offered by the San Juan Mountain Association.
“We do Outdoor Ed courses like survival skills, fly fishing, mountain biking, and rock climbing. I think that is a big piece of it as well,” Forsthoff said.
Students apply to attend Wolverine Academy, usually after being referred by a counselor, teacher, or even a friend. As part of their application, students will meet with Forsthoff to discuss the purpose of Wolverine Academy, and it is made clear that classes are operated with an emphasis on mutual respect and the achievement of academic and personal goals.
“At the start and end of each school year we do reflections and a wish list,” Forsthoff said, adding that the exercise allows students to express what they enjoyed about the experience and what sort of things they would like to see included in subsequent years.
“We want to get their vision into the school, so we actually look at that,” Forsthoff explained, noting that more field trips were added to the curriculum this year at the request of students.
While there is a general desire on the part of Wolverine Academy scholars to seek an education that differs in some ways from the traditional experience offered at Bayfield High School, they are free to be involved in any of the BHS activities they choose.
“We have student-athletes, as well as students who participate in theatre and choir. They still can go to all of the pep assemblies and dances and things like that, and they participate in graduation with everyone as well,” Forsthoff reported.