Six months ago, the Montgomery County R-II School District made plans to open an alternative school for students seventh through 12th grade in the beginning of 2024.

Now, the school is planning on opening early as it will have its first day of classes on Dec. 5. The name of the school will be A.C.H.I.E.V.E, which stands for Alternative Curriculum Helping Individuals Earn Victories in Education.

“We were able to get it ready,” R-II Superintendent Dr. Tracy Bottoms said. “There wasn’t a ton of major renovation in there that needed to be done. But it needed new flooring and a paint job. We had to add a restroom to that for students. It has doors in there that kind of separate the building a little bit. We put in new drop ceiling grids and added new lights. We’re working on technology now. We have the internet there. We’re working on getting the technology ready to go for the doors and camera system. That kind of fell into place. We feel like we’ll be ready to go.”

There will be about 13 students at the alternative school. Middle school students will be at the school all day, while the high school students’ schedule is split into two shifts 8 a.m.-11:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.-3:45 p.m. Dr. Bottoms said the middle school students will be at the school on Dec. 5, while some of the high school students will start in January.

“We’re nervously excited,” he said. “We’ve been having conversations with some parents. Some of those parents right now are about getting their students over there. If we can find a way for these kids to find success, that’s a win for everybody. It’s a win for the students, it’s a win for their parents and it’s a win for the district. Right now, they may not be finding success in a lot of areas. But if they get over there and find some success, that’s a good thing. That’s what we’re hoping for right now.”

The school will be housed in a 4,500-foot building that is located at 501 Niedergerke in Montgomery City. The building was formerly the Montgomery County Family Services Building. The cost of the building was $420,000 on a 10-year lease and the purchase was approved by the R-II School Board in May.

The alternative school will have two classrooms, one on each end of the building.

“We think it’s a good space,” Dr. Bottoms said. “I think the kids will have adequate learning spaces here. You think about adding five, six, seven or eight kids in here. If you can move kids around, it’s a good space for 13-15 kids.”

The staff will include teachers Dawn Linstruth and Irma Salamanca, Montgomery County Middle School assistant principal Josh Schwenck and R-II special education staff members Sara Salfrank (director), Amy Neill (process coordinator) and Stacey Creech (secretary). Schwenck will be the school’s administrative contact.

Dr. Bottoms said Linstruth came up with the A.C.H.I.E.V.E. name for the school.

“A.C.H.I.E.V.E. sounds great because if we hear about a student’s success and if this is a kid achieving success, then the A.C.H.I.E.V.E. program is the correct name,” the superintendent said.