Turtle Mountain Community Schools expanding alternative school option

BELCOURT, N.D. (KMOT) - A school district in the Turtle Mountains is offering an alternative to traditional learning, and it’s so popular it’s expanding.

We all learn and grow at our own pace.

Thanks to an option at Turtle Mountain Community High School, students in Belcourt have the opportunity to earn their high school diploma on a path that works for them.

For roughly 25 years, the district has offered an alternative school option.

High School Principal Brad Larocque said it isn’t much different than a typical classroom.

“It’s a smaller setting, it’s a place where kids can get their high school diploma, get their work done at their own pace,” said Larocque.

He added that students still have access to things like college credit classes, elective courses and extracurriculars.

Larocque said it’s growing in demand.

The alternative school has roughly 60 students currently enrolled, plus a waiting list. For that very reason, the administration decided to build a separate building.

“It’ll have its own cafeteria. It’ll have its own multi-center where kids can do activities and things like that,” said Larocque.

The new building will have six classrooms. He said construction started in October.

The building will have a max capacity of 125 students.

Larocque said students must be at least 16 to enroll in the alternative school.