Cedar High begins life at OC Shelton

What a difference a year makes for Cedar High School.

The Shelton School District's newest school debuted last September with all 70 students in grades nine through 12 learning at home due to the pandemic, and all seven teachers are offering instruction, alone in classrooms, at CHOICE High School in downtown Shelton or from home.

On Sept. 1, Cedar High School started its second year with 100 students on the 27-acre Olympic College Shelton campus. Olympic College President Marty Cavalluzzi and Shelton School District Superintendent Wyeth Jessee were among the guests who gave speeches on the opening day.

"The small, warm community that Cedar High School provides is not only special but is wildly popular with students," Jessee wrote to the Journal. "We are lucky to have a partner like Olympic College who is looking to expand learning opportunities for high school students and help create a bridge to higher education."

The Olympic College Shelton students don't arrive until Monday, and there won't be very many of them. Most have opted for online classes.

"It's fun to have kids on campus, in person," said Cedar High School Principal Amber Hosford. "We know that's how they learn best."

She added, "It's a struggle with kids not knowing how to talk to each other anymore."

"We're absolutely delighted to have them there," said Allison Smith, campus administrator for Olympic College Shelton.

During the first week, the staffs were working out some "wrinkles," including IT issues, Smith said.

"I believe we have everyone settled in," she said.

The first day on the campus Sept. 1 "was amazing," Hosford said. "We did a lot of team building and social and emotional learning with the students."

Teachers are sharing classrooms. The Shelton School District added a greenhouse to the campus, and is working with the City of Shelton on permitting to add two portables behind the library.

The portables will add four classrooms, and might be ready for use in the second trimester, Hosford said.

Olympic College Shelton will focus on offering classes that help provide pathways for the Cedar High students, Smith said. The Running Start program provides high school students with the opportunity to earn two-year degrees while still in high school.

"With Running Start, they only have to go into the classroom next door ... We're trying to promote that college atmosphere here," Hosford said.

CHOICE High School is designed for students to work individually on recovering lost credits, while Cedar High is designed for collaborative learning.

"It's a lot more college going atmosphere," Hosford said.

Cedar High School truly began establishing its own identity in January. That's when the student veered away from the Shelton School District's K-12 Academy online and begin the second trimester with its interdisciplinary, project-based focus. The students helped select a mascot for the school.

Like the rest of the Shelton School District schools, students and staff members are required to wear face masks.

"We're focusing on keeping kids in school all year, in person," Hosford said.