Mississippi State University has partnered with three local school districts to bring a new learning experience to the area’s teenagers.MSU and the Oktibbeha County, Starkville and West Point school districts are working together to form the Studio School, a hands-on learning center for students who are at risk of dropping out of high school.
Members of the Starkville community are working with various departments at MSU to provide alternate education to teenagers ages 12 to 17. The school’s projected start date is fall 2008, when initially 75 students would enroll. Plans call for a future increase to include 200 students.
“The Studio School is for kids who don’t do well in the traditional classroom,” said Allison Buehler, a member of the planning committee for the new school.
“Some students can’t sit and be lectured to all day. They can’t sit in a classroom,” Buehler said. “The Studio School provides a more interactive and hands-on experience for students. Students will be working with various projects, and they will learn how to apply themselves in a more interactive environment.”
Buehler is a co-owner of The Savvy Grape Wine & Spirits store in Starkville, which recently opened with the purpose of funding the Studio School. All net profit from the store’s business will fund the school’s ongoing costs.
Buehler said the school recently received a $75,000 planning grant that will give the Studio School a place to start. The school committee is now seeking state and federal funds to support the school, as well as local support from the community.
The committee is also working with the Mississippi Department of Education and local educators to develop a curriculum for the Studio School.
The school will provide students with a curriculum that focuses on visual learning styles, with classes dealing mostly with art and architecture. The Studio School will work with the Colleges of Education, Art, Architecture and Design; Engineering; Forest Resources; and Veterinary Medicine to provide students with a comprehensive learning experience.
Karen Blanton, director of communications for the Mississippi Department of Education, said the current high school dropout rate in Mississippi is at 26.6 percent, with a graduation rate of 61.1 percent.
“Programs like Studio Schools are important in combating the drop out rates,” Blanton said. “Some students just don’t see the relevance between what they are learning in school and how it will help them in life. The studio school confronts some of the problems students are facing.”
Although the state has a dropout prevention initiative program, the dropout problem cannot be solved at the state level, she said.
“It is up to community leaders and families to get together and come up with some solutions that work,” Blanton said.