TOWER — For staff and students at Vermilion Country School, flexibility and a sense of community in this very small school has proven to be the key to success. By building a program designed around the needs and goals of individual students, the school has seen a sizable growth in enrollment, to the point where the school is in the process of implementing a waiting list for potential new enrollees. They’re now considering applying for approval to increase their enrollment, which is currently capped at 75 students, to allow for as many as 125.
“The short story is, we’re doing great,” said school director Sam O’Brien, who came to Vermilion Country, or VCS for short, in 2022, with years of successful experience as a charter school director in the metro area.
To increase enrollment, the school will need permission from its authorizer, known as Osprey Wilds, one of several nonprofits that, under state law, authorize and provide oversight over charter schools in Minnesota.
Now in its 12th year of operation, the school has worked through many of the challenges it faced in its early years, and O’Brien and the board have implemented a number of changes that have helped the school meet its original mission of providing a solid alternative for students who aren’t a good fit at more traditional schools.
The school, which serves grades 7-12, had long seen a steady flow of students who were dissatisfied at their regular schools for any of a variety of reasons. But the school used to experience a steady churn of those students, who would attend for a few months, then leave for someplace new.
That’s changed, said O’Brien. Now, the students who enroll are staying, and that’s led to a steady growth in the school’s enrollment. Five years ago, during COVID, the school had bottomed out at just 28 students and was facing significant financial challenges as a result.
But since O’Brien arrived, that’s turned around, as enrollment has almost tripled since then. And since public school funding is based on enrollment, that’s made for a sea change in the school’s finances, which is one of the few schools in the region that’s enjoying a healthy budget picture. Looking forward, that’s likely to continue improving. The school built its budget for the current school year conservatively, assuming enrollment of 57 students. Now at 75, the school will be seeing significantly more revenue this year than anticipated.
It’s become an upward spiral for the school, as the growth in funding over the past few years has allowed them to hire more licensed teachers and other support staff, which increases the help they can offer to students. That, in turn, encourages more families to consider the school. As those new students find success, they stay, and enrollment continues to build.
Currently, the school has eight licensed teachers and ten other support staff, which provides a very attractive student-to-teacher ratio.
A remarkably flexible program is also making a difference.
“VCS is a school that is set up for differentiation at the start,” said Erin Monteith, who joined the school’s teaching staff this year. “Each student’s needs are considered as we create a learning plan for them. Other schools place students based on age and grade. This is what makes this school unique.”
O’Brien noted that the school’s original mission called for individual learning plans for each student and that’s a mission the school has worked hard to do well.
“When kids first come in, we ask what their needs are and how can we meet them. It’s almost like a customer service sort of approach. Then, we do our best to make sure we’re investing in the things that students and families say they need to do well,” he said.
Different learning methods
Those student-focused investments include the creation of three separate programs designed to meet the varying needs of as many students as possible. For about 45 percent of the students, the school day is fairly typical and includes full-day attendance. But for students who need or want to have outside employment, are family caregivers or are in situations that make daily attendance difficult, the school has set up a hybrid program where they attend school part-time and learn online the rest of the week. Right now, about 45 percent of the school’s students make use of the hybrid option. Another ten percent take part in the third option, which is a fully online experience, although those students do meet regularly with teachers in facilities closer to their homes. The school, for example, has a partnership with the Nett Lake School, which allows for a licensed educator to meet regularly with Nett Lake students who take part in the online option, and helps to make sure they stay on track with their learning objectives.
All students can take part in the wide variety of school events and outside activities. Unlike most public schools, VCS students take regular field trips, and those out-of-school activities tend to attract interest from students across all three learning programs.
Advisory time builds sense of community
Students at VCS start their day in their advisory, which is overseen by a teacher and para- professional. That’s not necessarily unusual, but the 45 minutes that students spend in their advisory is longer than in most schools. O’Brien said the time is used well and provides an opportunity for everyone to prepare for the day, to talk about anything of note that happened the day before, or simply interact with their fellow students and school staff.
“It’s kind of a de-stressor before you start the day,” said Evie Mayo, a ninth grader who was participating in a round of Uno, a card game, with her advisor Erin Monteith and several of her fellow students earlier this week. The students were relaxed and joking with each other. “We have a strong rapport and are building a sense of community that spreads into other parts of the school,” said Monteith. “We have wonderful conversations and some great competition when we play Uno.”
Other students in the group talked about their reasons for coming to VCS. At least three in the group were from Ely and said they found VCS a better fit with their personalities. Mayo said she faced a lot of bullying in her former school and has found that isn’t an issue at VCS.
“It feels like the teachers are a lot nicer here. They try to help the kids rather than just kind of have some superiority complex,” she said.
Another student said he likes the fact that the school lets students learn more at their own pace and gives students a fair bit of flexibility as long as they get their work and continue to learn.
Whether it’s in a card game or simply talking, the school’s more relaxed approach helps build trust within the school. That has positive implications on discipline.
“We’ve increased achievement, decreased disciplinary referrals, and have fewer student conflicts,” O’Brien said. “When you build that, the result is really great, and it’s created an environment in which students and families want to stay.”