Alief Independent School District

S.O.A.R. Evening High School

Offering Evening and Day Opportunities

Extended Hours Program

The History of S.O.A.R

S.O.A.R:  The Special Opportunity for Academic Restoration Program or S.O.A.R. is beginning its thirteenth year in the Alief Independent School District. S.O.A.R. opened its doors during the 1995 – 96 school year with four teachers, and a secretary. Administrative duties were the responsibility of a counselor/manager who was in charge of the program. In its early beginnings, S.O.A.R. has assumed many identities…Alief Evening Program, Kerr Night High School, Alief Night High School, and a variety of other names. Its first 3 1/2 years were at Kerr High School as an evening program. In January of 1999, the evening program transferred to Hastings for the remainder of the 1998 – 99 school year. In 1999 – 2000, the evening program became a daytime program and transferred to the ISC building. That same year, the program had assumed yet another identity with a new acronym…S.O.A.R. Beginning in 2004, the program moved to its present location in the High School Annex (Elsik side).

Purpose & Design: The academic school year is divided into two 18-week terms. Two 9-week quarters per term, four quarters total. The program is and always will be designed as one to help credit deficient students catch up on core subject credits and return to their parent schools. S.O.A.R. is designed as a pullout program. Students come from the main campuses and return to that campus to finish their graduation plan. Students come into the program and are able to take the “A” or “B” part of a course.

S.O.A.R. Evening High School: We are finding that many traditional educational systems are not meeting the needs of many of today’s youth and they are dropping out in record numbers. Superintendent Dr. Louis Stoerner and the Alief ISD Board of Education took action and quickly authorized a non-traditional approach to address the needs of students who need non-traditional opportunities to continue their education. Researching this phenomenon involved 1) students surveys at the high school campuses to determine their interest, 2) site-visits to determine what other districts and campuses were doing to address the dropout crisis, and 3) a focus study of parents, teachers, administrators, and other constituents to determine a best course of action.

Now, in its thirteenth year of existence, SOAR will offer an extended hour’s program to address student needs. SOAR wants all students to return to school and complete the requirements for graduation. SOAR Evening High School addresses many challenges including overage, pregnant or parenting, students living on their own, students who have to support themselves or their families, and those students who need to work to survive.

School of Choice…SOAR Evening High School is a choice program. Students attempting to enter the program must fill out an application and go through a screening and interview process. Transcripts are analyzed to determine credit status. Attendance and discipline are also considered and this information is utilized to determine admission into both SOAR Day and Evening High Schools. Acceptance is based on the needs of the student. Those that meet all the criteria and can benefit from the program are SOARs priority. Everyone completing an application is pre-screened for an interview. Regardless of pre-existing challenges, all students interviewed have a fair chance at being accepted into the program. A recommendation from counselors, teachers, principals, etc. is all taken into consideration however; this does not guarantee an automatic seat in the program.

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Rodney Johnson, Ed.D. Principal

 Joyce Eddings, Assistant Superintendent

Alternative Education Campuses 

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