Liberty High School has a lot to celebrate. On Wednesday, State Superintendent Tom Torlakson announced a list of California schools that had been designated as Model Continuation High Schools in 2017. Of the 452 continuation high schools in the state, only 35 were singled out for their efforts to prepare at-risk students for 21st century learning. For the first time, Liberty was among them.

“We are so excited to be valued for what we do here in our work with our kids,” Principal JoAnn Severson said. “There’s so many wonderful programs here at Liberty, and this award really shows it.”

Continuation schools provide diploma programs for juniors and seniors who were previously not on track to completing their high school education. The schools listed were chosen based on a comprehensive application process that involved effectiveness, assessments and use of data. The process also included a peer review panel and on-site visit.

“I applaud the dedicated administration and staff on their work to assist and motivate at-risk students and help them reach their full potential,” Torlakson said in a statement. “The positive and nurturing climate these schools have created inspires students to do well in their academic work and also to contribute to their communities.”

As with other continuation schools, Liberty works to provide a safe and nurturing alternative education environment for its 68 students while still providing the same core classes as well as electives and enabling for academic, personal and social development.

“A lot of our kids don’t fit in the traditional setting and need something outside the box, and we offer them that,” resource teacher Erin Biber said. “The staff here really goes an extra mile, and it’s really nice that we were recognized for that.”

Science and technology teacher Nicci Nunes said that there are a lot of misconceptions that people outside of Liberty have.

“People think only bad kids come here,” she said. “We work hard, and I think we’re really good at what we do here. We’re trying to give kids another chance to be successful when they have not experienced that so much in their education. It’s nice for someone to finally see and support that work.”

Coming from teaching at Benicia High School for many years, English teacher Cliff Nelson was well aware of the misunderstandings the community had of Liberty, but he remains impressed with the hard work the staff does.

“I’m thankful to be a part of this great team,” he said. “There’s some outstanding teachers, and Ms. Severson has created an enormous support network within the community.”

In addition to its academics, Liberty also has its own athletics department. The school has its own golf, softball and basketball teams, the latter of which joined a league this year where they compete against five other Bay Area schools. The school also offers a Career Week every spring, a mentorship program in which members of the community talk to individual students, a Master Gardeners program to provide hands-on horticultural lessons to students in the school’s greenhouse, Sources of Strength and an annual holiday dinner where the staff cooks the meal from home to be prepared for the entire school.

Students also learn technological skills through 1:1 Chromebooks, and an outdoor education class taught by Nelson was implemented for the first time this year.

“We have an innovative group of teachers that change and adapt and mold to students almost on a daily basis for whatever their needs are,” Severson said.

Liberty staff are looking to expand the programs offered including a project where they build electric cars and even more miniature versions of tiny houses.

“They would learn framing, insulating, electrical, plumbing, and other hands-on things,” Severson said. “It’s a way to be another elective and experience to the kids right here.”

Additionally, Leadership is working on an anti-bullying project to “help victims of bullying stand up for themselves and empower bystanders to become what we call ‘upstanders,’” according to Nelson.

There are also plans for the senior class to go on a challenge ropes course, which Nelson said would allow kids to learn team building skills and gain confidence.

“One of the things they do is sort of a leap of faith,” he said. “That’s kind of what they do after they graduate, so I hope we can prepare them for that.”

Staff are thrilled to see all their hard work pay off.

“The biggest victory is for the students here,” Nelson said. “They’ve worked really hard to ‘clean up our image,’ and I think they really want people to know that they can rise to the challenge, they’ve gotten a second chance and they’re taking advantage of it.”

Liberty will be honored along with the other schools at the 2017 California Continuation Education Association Conference in Fresno on April 28 to 30.