No desks, no dress code, teachers called by rst name only, and freshmen taking classes with seniors. Classes such as “Historical Documentaries” and “Fantasy Literature” are mixed in with algebra and geography.
These characteristics are just a few of many that make the State College Area School District’s Delta Program one of the most unique — and perhaps one of the most misunderstood — educational options in the area.
The Delta Program was founded in 1974 as the Alternative Program for grades 9 through 12. The name Delta, meaning “change,” was chosen in 1993 as a gesture to better reflect the school’s mission. A middle school program for grades 5 through 8 was added in 2014.
Delta is the only program of its kind in Centre County. It is a member of the National League of Democratic Schools, a small organization of alternative schools in the country.
Jon Downs, director of educational alternatives at State College Area School District, oversees the Delta Program but is quick to point out that the school’s democratic approach is at the heart of its day-to-day operations. Students and parents serve on search committees for new hires, and issues are addressed at weekly all-school meetings for the middle and high schools.
“They are supposed to advise me, but really they hold the cards in terms of making decisions,” Downs says. “Kids come here because they want a small community, more opportunities for leadership, and a greater connection to their school.”
The program enrolled 130 high school students and 80 middle school students for the 2015-16 school year and expects to enroll 147 high school and 100 middle school students for 2016-17. Students are organized into about a dozen groups called “clumps.” A teacher, who also serves as an adviser, oversees each clump.
Students have the option to take classes at State College Area High School or pursue arrangements with Penn State to supplement Delta’s classes. Students from elsewhere in the district also can take classes at Delta. About 60 percent of Delta high school students take at least one class at State High.
State College Area School District superintendent Robert O’Donnell had not encountered a program similar to Delta prior to coming to the district. He says the democratic model is an extension of student-governance structures in place at the district’s other schools.
“There’s no question that throughout our district we work on putting structures in place that have students at the core,” he says. “For example, at our middle schools we have a teaming model in place. The relationship between teachers and students is at the core of how we structure caseloads of teachers and how we organize classroom time.”
O’Donnell taught an algebra class at Delta this past year. He says the majority of his students were interested in the arts but recognized the importance math would play in future endeavors, such as calculating ticket prices based on venue size and profit/loss ratios.
“We started out with some good conversation so I could get a sense of their interests,” he says. “Most kids, when you’re in a class that includes abstract concepts, are looking for something that makes it relatable to them.”
Educational choice in the Centre Region is nothing new. The area is home to four charter schools, a cyber school, a Catholic school, a Christian high school, and a Quaker school. Many students come to Delta from those programs.
Karla Altenburg-Caldwell enrolled her children — Joe, Isabelle, Jack, and Lilly — in Delta after they completed elementary school at the State College Friends School.
“This program has a lot of the same elements and mutual respect between teachers and students,” she says. “The fact that the students have a voice in the school, everyone has an equal vote … you don’t get that at other places.”
She adds that she hears from other families that Delta is for what they call “problem children.” She says the opposite is true. Her son, Joe, who graduated from Delta in June, helped teach fencing and rock ensemble, opportunities he would not have had elsewhere, she says.
“The biggest misconceptions tend to be that it’s only for the kids who have a problem working with the regular school system, there’s a high incidence of drugs, and it’s just not as strong a program — but the classes are very rigorous,” she says.
Downs says that Delta’s lack of dress code and open scheduling policy raise eyebrows at first, but, in the long run, have a positive impact on students.
“If you take a cross section of our kids compared to traditional schools, you couldn’t tell one from the other,” he says. “Sure, we may have more kids who dye their hair or wear different clothes to school, but they aren’t weird.”
Mia Reese, who will enter sixth grade this year at Delta Middle School, says she gained confidence during her first year in the program. Reese led an all-school meeting in May and was not shy about telling her classmates to keep quiet, saying, “When I say, ‘No side conversations,’ I mean no side conversations, not more side conversations.”
After the meeting, Reese said, “At my other schools I felt shy and didn’t say anything. This is the best decision I’ve ever made in my life to go here. There’s so much more freedom, and everyone gets along here equally.”
The average SAT scores for Delta students are on par with those of students at State High, and students have gone on to colleges such as Harvard and Dartmouth. Delta’s seniors complete graduation projects that are presented to the school at the end of the year. This year’s projects ranged from four-day bike rides to teaching music to middle school students.
Jack Williams, who graduated this year, enrolled in Delta so that he could graduate early and pursue a music career. He grewup playing cello and drums, but switched to keyboard in high school and now records what he describes as “electronic hip-hop” under the name Hughes.
He performed with fellow State College artist Cecil Blutchter at Penn State’s Movin’ On music festival in April and was planning to move to New York City over the summer to continue his musical endeavors.
“I’ve been doing shows with Cecil on and off over the past year, and the teachers have been great about working around my music schedule,” he says. “I don’t think I could have pursued my music at this level without Delta.”
Anna Hirsch, another graduating senior, presented on songs she taught to the Delta middle school jazz band. Hirsch, daughter of local musician Rich Hirsch, will attend Temple University this fall to study saxophone performance.
“The kids were great to work with,” she says. “We worked in groups of four to six people, and the kids learned how to be part of an ensemble.”
As Delta’s seniors head off to college, Downs says they are well prepared for the collegiate environment because of Delta’s mixed grade-level classes.
“People will ask me how we can teach ninth graders and 11th graders at the same time, and my response is ‘How can we not?’ As soon as students leave 12th grade, they’re going to university classes with kids that aren’t in their grades and working with people who aren’t their age,” he says. “Kids should be able to learn what they want when they want.”
Deb Steinberg, a special-education teacher at Delta, says the mixed grade levels allow teachers more flexibility in terms of curriculum design.
“Having students in the same classes from ages 14 through 18 really allows us to see their growth over that time,” she says. “The smaller school environment allows students to focus on leadership skills.”
Downs completed his eighth year with the program in June. He previously served as a counselor at the district’s Career and Technical Center. After earning his principal certification, he had the choice between the job at Delta and principal of one of the district’s elementary schools.
“I knew what I would be getting myself into with an elementary school job, but I didn’t know what this job was going to be, which intrigued me,” he says. “It’s gone by very fast, and the whole community is something I wouldn’t trade for the world.”
Delta is currently housed on Nittany Avenue in a building that dates back to the early 1900s. Colorful murals painted by students line the walls, and the building’s maze-like structure provides plenty of places for students to study or hang out between classes.
In 2019, the Delta Program will be moving to the State High North Building on Westerly Parkway, as part of the State High renovation plan. Downs says the move will represent a difficult change for students and faculty, but it also will provide an opportunity for the program to grow.
“We are looking forward to more integration with State High,” he says. “There are also limitations of this facility in terms of HVAC and accessibility that will be solved in the new facility.”
O’Donnell says that the Delta community is an active voice in the district, especially when considering the size of the student body. That community will be important as the district continues to evolve.
“The Delta community has a voice as we look at what our priorities are moving forward,” he says. “It’s a very engaged group of learners and families — and it’s working.”
