Welcome to Prairie Phoenix Academy and Other Alternative Programs

Home of the Rising Phoenix

Greetings Scholars, Families, and Community Members,

Welcome to the 2026–2027 school year!

It is my pleasure to welcome our scholars, families, staff, and community partners to a new year at Prairie Phoenix Academy and across our alternative programs. This year, we are grounded in a shared commitment to community, belonging, relationships, rigorous learning, and student success.

Our goal is simple: every scholar should feel known, valued, supported, challenged, and connected. We recognize that every student's educational journey is different, and our programs provide flexible, personalized pathways that help scholars move toward graduation and prepare for life beyond high school.

Our Programs

Our alternative programs provide multiple pathways designed around the individual strengths, needs, and goals of our scholars, including:

• Prairie Phoenix Academy (PPA) — An in-person, alternative, and personalized high school experience where relationships, individualized learning, and student voice are at the center of our work.
• JEDI Virtual Programming — Flexible virtual learning opportunities that provide scholars with personalized and accessible pathways to continue progressing toward graduation.
• Graduate Equivalency Diploma Option 2 (GEDO2) — An alternative pathway for eligible scholars to demonstrate high school completion while preparing for their next steps.
• Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG) — Career development, leadership, employability skills, and opportunities that prepare scholars for success beyond high school.
• Community School Model — Partnerships and wraparound supports that connect scholars and families with resources within our school and throughout the community.

Building a Community of Belonging

Community will be at the center of our work this year.

We want our schools and programs to be places where scholars and adults feel welcomed, respected, connected, and valued.

Building that kind of community requires all of us. It means developing strong relationships, communicating with one another, respecting differences, addressing challenges directly, celebrating successes, and working together when difficulties arise.

We believe that relationships and accountability go hand in hand. Our scholars deserve adults who care deeply about them while maintaining clear and consistent expectations. When mistakes happen, or relationships are harmed, we will work to create opportunities for accountability, restoration, learning, and reconnection.

Rigorous, Relevant, and Personalized Learning

Our commitment to learning matches our commitment to relationships.

We believe every scholar is capable of meaningful and challenging academic work. Our educators strive to provide rigorous, relevant, culturally responsive, and engaging learning experiences while providing the individual supports scholars need to succeed.

Through personalized instruction, project-based and experiential learning, career exploration, virtual opportunities, and strong relationships with adults, we want scholars to understand not only what they are learning, but how their learning connects to their future.

Our goal extends beyond earning credits and reaching graduation. We want scholars to leave our programs prepared to successfully transition into college, career, military service, apprenticeships, or other post-secondary opportunities that align with their goals.

Partnering With Families

Families are essential members of our school community.

This year, we are committed to strengthening communication and partnerships between school and home. Families should know how their scholar is progressing, where support may be needed, and who to contact when questions or concerns arise.

We invite families to communicate with us, participate in school activities, celebrate successes, ask questions, and partner with our staff throughout the year.

When scholars, families, educators, and community partners work together, we create stronger opportunities for young people to succeed.

Our Commitments for 2026–2027

As we begin this new year, we will continue to focus our work around four commitments:

Fostering a Culture of Care
We will prioritize relationships, belonging, social-emotional wellness, student voice, and opportunities for restoration when harm occurs.

Disrupting Inequities
We will examine our practices and student outcomes, remove barriers to success, and work to ensure every scholar has equitable access to opportunities, support, and rigorous learning.

Providing Rigorous and Coherent Instruction
We will maintain high expectations and provide personalized supports so scholars can access meaningful, relevant, and challenging learning experiences.

Elevating Community
We will strengthen relationships among scholars, staff, families, and community partners while creating a culture of communication, accountability, trust, and shared responsibility.

Rising Together

Being a Rising Phoenix represents more than our school's name. It represents our belief in growth, perseverance, possibility, and the ability to continue moving forward.

Every scholar who enters our programs brings strengths, experiences, dreams, and potential. It is our responsibility to recognize those strengths, build upon them, and help each young person see a meaningful path forward.

As we begin the 2026–2027 school year, I invite our entire community to join us in a simple commitment:

Build relationships. Create belonging. Maintain high expectations. Communicate with one another. Take accountability. Keep scholars at the center.

I am honored to continue serving as Principal of Prairie Phoenix Academy and Other Alternative Programs and look forward to all that we will accomplish together.

With gratitude and determination,

Nehemirah Barrett
Principal
Prairie Phoenix Academy and Other Alternative Programs