BETTENDORF, Iowa — On Wednesday, Sept. 18, students and families got a look at the new building for Edison Academy, an alternative school in Bettendorf.
Right now, the school is in the old Bettendorf post office just off of I-74. The new location is just across the street from Bettendorf High School. It adds more than 4,000 square feet of learning space.
Administrator Jeff Blackwell helped start Edison nearly 50 years ago. It serves students from the Bettendorf, North Scott and Pleasant Valley districts.
"It’s designed to address the needs of kids for whom a traditional high school education isn’t working," Blackwell sad. "Either they get credit deficient, or they have issues with other kids, or they have home issues, or something like that."
That's been the experience for junior Elise May. She said going to Edison rather than a traditional high school has helped her prepare for life after graduation, where she hopes to be a children's therapist.
"I wouldn’t be the person I am today, I feel like I would definitely be that stuck-up, stubborn teenager that I was back then, and I wouldn’t be able to mature to my full advantage, being there versus being here," May said. "I have teachers that listen to me, if I’m having a bad day they’ll sit down and talk to me, they’ll ask me what's going on, no judgement."
The same applies to senior Graci Stahler. She wants to go to college to become a juvenile probation officer.
"I feel like the teachers are definitely way more interactive with you, and coming to Edison, it’s just a smaller community, so if you need more help it's okay, no one's really gonna judge you," Stahler said.
Senior Aidaen Peppin has also had a positive experience. He said Edison has been like a family to him. After graduating this year, he wants to go into a trade like welding and pipefitting or HVAC installation.
"It has been a real mind opener, helped a lot with my emotions, learning to control my anger, my patience and whole lot of other things," Peppin said.
Blackwell said the experience is only going to get better with the new building.
"We feel it’s like, died and gone to heaven, if you will, because it’s so nice compared to where we are now," Blackwell said. "We’ve made it work, we’re very good, all of our staff, all of our team is very good at making tough things seem easy. But this building itself is gonna help us a great deal."
The new building has a collaboration space, four classrooms and what's called a "brain room," which are all facilities that wouldn't fit in the old building. That extra space means the school can serve 20 more students, bringing the capacity up to 70.
"We'll be able to serve more kids that are teetering on the edge of, 'Should I stay in my regular high school, or should I find another way to get an education?'" Blackwell said.
Last year, 29 students graduated from Edison. Blackwell said there are 32 on track to graduate this year.
The Davenport district has its own alternative school. It served 160 students last year. Moline High School has an alternative program on campus with about 165 students this year.