Back to School

The OCCC Charter School began classes on August 18th. Here are some exciting things about this school year:

Taking a Byte out of Learning

In order to best serve this wide variety of students, the OCCC Charter School offers over 100 courses online in addition to classes in a traditional classroom setting. Students work independently in the OCCC’s state-of-the-art computer labs or from home, which allows a flexible schedule and accommodates other responsibilities, such as work schedules and childcare. Students check in with teachers every day for accountability and guidance. The online classes include quizzes, exams, vocabulary games, videos, etc., allowing students to learn the material and assess their progress through different avenues.

This innovative program provides the opportunity for students to take a wider variety of classes and allows students that enroll well after the beginning of a semester to accumulate credits without struggling to catch up in a class that is already halfway done.

Meet Some New Team Members

The OCCC Charter School has some new faces. Meet three new education staff members:

Registrar Kelly Inouye taught for twelve years before getting her administrative credential and joining the OCCC Charter   School. Her experience so far has been “busy – a lot of learning, a lot of fun,” she said. “The people are fun; the students are fun.” She is enjoying working with adult students and appreciates their drive to learn. “They’re eager,” she said. Her goal this year is to “jump into the job” and work as a team with the rest of the staff. “I’m excited about all the things I’m learning, learning how a school runs, how excited the students are,” she said.

English Teacher Debra Barbre has many talents. In addition to having taught 7th grade English, guitar and broadcast journalism, she is a singer and guitarist. Her eclecticism shows in her curriculum and assignments. In her Writer’s Workshop class, assignments include a resume and cover letter, poetry, a hypothetical thank you letter for a gift the student disliked, a bucket list project, and a picture chart of students’ lives. She has teamed up with Math Teacher Elmira Calalo, who helps them format their projects on the computer. Debra enjoys connecting with her students and making the material interesting. Her goal is to get her students to read: “Reading is the key to everything. Hopefully we’ll make them readers.”

After ten years in the Air Force, Science Teacher T.J. Reyes wanted more time with his three kids, so he went to Vanguard University to get his teaching credential. “I felt a call to teach,” he said. “It’s in my blood.” His father and several other relatives teach. He taught and substitute taught for several years before joining the OCCC Charter School team. He particularly enjoys the counseling aspects of teaching. He says there is “no fun” in teaching straight science without connecting it to his students’ lives. He feels that the important part of teaching is connecting with his students and telling them “what life is really like.”