Standing before the school board during its November meeting, Dr. Justin Fears excitedly shared the progress taking place at Alpha Academy.

As the administrator of Warren County R-III’s alternative school setting, Fears has witnessed tremendous growth the past five years. What began as a last resort for struggling high school students has now become a haven of hope for those needing support toward finishing their education. 

“When I took over, it was a blank page,” said Fears of the school’s structure and goals. “There wasn’t much protocol, and they were still relying on administrators from other buildings to come handle discipline.”

Now the vision is extremely clear for both those teaching and learning in the Alpha Academy. Around 20 percent of the seniors who graduate from Warrenton High School do so with the support of the Alpha Academy.

“We really tried to restructure the whole educational paradigm,” said Fears. “Our first task was to create a comprehensive handbook that set some guidelines on how we were going to tackle issues the building was facing — one being the stigma of the program.”

Fears actually used the development of the handbook and Alpha vision statement as his dissertation project for his doctorate. 

“At first there wasn’t much for the kids to take ownership of here,” said Fears. “We started adding plants and carpet and reading areas that helped kids feel a little more welcome when they came in.” 

Alpha also changed its evaluation process for admitting students. 

“At risk can mean many things, but most of the students we have are credit deficient, in danger of not graduating,” Fears stated.

This year Alpha already has helped 22 students compete their graduation requirements.

The Alpha classroom numbers are much smaller, with 12 to 15 students in most environments. There is a classroom side with instruction and senior area which is self-guided. Alpha can accommodate up to 44 students and typically serves between 35 and 40 at a time.

“I’ve been fortunate to have an awesome team here,” said Fears. “The relationship component is huge in helping these kids be successful. They need to feel supported.”

It’s the atmosphere that is different for students, not the workload or the expectations.

“I do like that Dr. Fears and the teachers are still holding them accountable,” added Assistant Superintendent Dr. Aaron Jones. “It’s not that the curriculum is easier. It’s just presented in a different way.”

Alpha currently has a staff of five, with three teachers, a counselor and Fears.

Alpha Academy Principal Justin Fears poses by a wall of handprints left by students who have used the services of the academy to graduate from Warrenton High School. Record photo/Derrick Forsythe.