In the years since the 1990-91 school year when PASS began, as high school alternative programs coordinator, I have met many talented and promising students who have attended PASS, PALS, PACE and I-CARE. For various reasons, each one of them had been unsuccessful within traditional school settings and had been considered high-need and
at-risk. During the first 18 years of PASS, 992 students earned their high school diplomas, ranging from 9 the first year to 94 graduates our top year. These students are productive citizens in Kingman as well as around the world, and I am proud to say they are teachers, nurses, business owners, secretaries, servicemen in the Army, Navy and Marines, as well as continuing students and parents of the next generation. We see them working everywhere we shop, eat or do business in Kingman!

Our PALS, PACE, and I-CARE students go on to graduate from PASS or KHS. PALS students enrolled in Positive Applied Learning Styles "PALS" for Juniors begin as students who struggled their freshman or sophomore years and are behind by their junior year, yet they go on to pass AIMS and stay in school. Our Positive Acquisition of Language Skills "PALS" is a service for  English Language Learners from Pre-Emergent to Proficient grades 9 through 12. The PALS concept for sophomores is now taught at KHS as TEAMS. The PACE program is taught by both PALS and PASS teachers for second year freshman, sophomores, or juniors who are significantly behind on credits. . I-CARE students have had problems with following rules, but most who finish I-CARE go on to succeed at PASS or KHS.

You might ask "Why?" We feel that it is because many students need a small, intimate educational community that nurtures individual social, academic, and personal growth. PASS, PALS, PACE and I-CARE offer a safe learning environment for students to build skills and increase personal resiliency. This increases the likelihood of success in society as young adults. I appreciate our school staff who work diligently each day to meet student needs and provide students with support and encouragement to realize their full potential. With me, they welcome you to PASS, PALS, PACE and I-CARE and hope you will have a successful and rewarding school year!

Sincerely,

Sandy McCoy
Director