Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal Silver State High School student Ariedne Zelaya, 16, listens as principal Steve Knight talks about the charter school Tuesday.
Entering the doors of Silver State High School in Carson City, the building looks more like a business than a place of learning.
The building is comprised of mostly cubicles and the students wander from classroom to classroom based on what subject they need help in at the moment.
To principal Steve Knight, it's education, just enhanced.
"This is not a pilot program. It's education of the future that's here now," said Knight. "It's a hybrid model. The students have to come in and physically be here but also do distance learning through online courses."
Students of the charter high school are required to be at the school only four hours, one day a week. After that, they complete all their work, receive grades and feedback and complete courses online.
"We have the same credit requirements as a traditional high school. This isn't a shortcut, we get mostly serious, serious students," Knight said.
The deadline to enroll a student in the school is noon Thursday.
Ariedne Zelaya, 16, is a junior at the school, and said the unique schedule has been advantageous to her.
"I missed a full year of school because of surgeries, but this allowed me to catch up," Zelaya said. "It adapts to your schedule and it's the only program that offers a lot of one-on-one attention with the teachers."
The school is sponsored by the Nevada State Board of Education, has its own independent school board and is offered as a free alternative to a traditional high school setting. The enrollment is capped at 300 students total, with less than 20 spots still open.
The only drawback, said Zelaya, is the lack of sports and the lowered amounts of social interaction.
"You don't get to be around hundreds of kids every day. It's definitely less social than a normal high school," Zelaya said.
In addition to the traditional courses of study, the school also offers more specialized fields utilizing local organizations, including the Civil Air Patrol, Nevada National Guard, Carson City Fire Department, Nevada Division of Wildlife and Experimental Aircraft Association.
"We offered (School Emergency Response Training) that allowed more than 60 kids to become certified, and even had one use the CPR training to save a life this summer," said physical education and health teacher Cindy Talia.
The school also utilizes curriculum from across the country in a variety of subjects.
"You may have one course from the University of Florida and another from Maryland or somewhere else," Knight said. "But it is all approved by the State Board of Education as up to Nevada's standards for curriculum."
This year, the school achieved accreditation from the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools, the same institution that is the accrediting agency for area high schools. Schools are required to be in operation two full years before becoming eligible for accreditation. Silver State Charter School began its third year several weeks ago.
• Contact reporter Jarid Shipley at jshipley@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.
Silver State Charter High School
Phone: 883-7900
Online: www.sshs.org
Address: 3719 N. Carson St.
The deadline for enrolling a student for the 2006-07 school year is noon on Thursday. As a charter school, there is no fee.