Ferguson High SchoolSetting and Context

Harold Ferguson High School is an alternative school located in Loveland, Colorado.

This school serves a population of 100% at-risk students. As is common with Loveland schools,
Ferguson is largely racially homogenous with Caucasian students. The student population
consists of about 120 students, with 11 full-time teachers.
Educators and other faculty members at Ferguson are skilled at supporting at-risk
students and are invested in the success of each and every student. Such a population can be
tricky to navigate, but students have an incredible support network with the staff. Non-staff
members are seldom present in the school. Parents, volunteers, and community members are a
rarity in the school, unless there is a special event made for the parents of high-achieving
students. Additionally, the relationship between the immediate community and the school is
somewhat tense. The disrespect of some students towards neighborhood residents has led to
complaints and a negative perception of the student body and school.
In the classroom, students experience many different procedures and expectations
between teachers. Some teachers find classroom success using a more rigid structure with hard
deadlines, while other classrooms foster student success under more casual and relaxed norms.
This works for individual classrooms, but student preferences can sometimes create conflict
when these classroom cultures clash. Additionally at Ferguson, classrooms go beyond traditional
classrooms. Students have the option for credit recovery, and online classes through Thompson
online and PLATO.
Ferguson High students are all expected to practice the policies contained in the acronym
CHOICE. This stands for curiosity, hard work, optimism, caring, and engagement. Each week is
themed as one of these characteristics and the school focuses on the trait in all endeavors for that
week. Students with special needs are well taken care of by the half-time special education
teacher. All IEPs are given to the teachers for modifications and/or accommodations. There are
also a number of ways that conflict resolution is handled. The principal, assistant principal,
counselor, campus monitor, and teachers all have good relationships with students. When
conflicts arise, they are almost always settled by the student(s) talking to the staff member that
they are most comfortable with.