Area Learning Center celebrates 20 years of helping kids succeed

Published 12:00 am Saturday, March 1, 2008

Twenty years ago, Ronald Reagan was president, the Cold War was in full force, computers were an innovation and the Albert Area Learning Cener was started.

On Feb. 1, the Albert Lea Area Learning celebrated 20 years of educating students. Begun in 1987, the learning center originally served students who had dropped out of school and wanted to return to earn their diploma.

As years passed, the mission of the local center, and of learning

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centers across the state, expanded to include students who were having struggles in their mainstream high school setting and were in danger of dropping out.

Since 2000, the Area Learning Center has been located in Brookside Education Center, using half of the second floor. The program serves eighth- and ninth-grade students in its confidence program and 10th- through 12th-graders in the rest of the program.

The anniversary open house was attended by educators, parents, students,

former students and graduates, as well as County Commissioner Christopher Shoff and State Rep. Robin Brown.

One graduate, Ashley Kaderabek, now works for the school district as a paraprofessional. She said she does not think that she would have completed her education without the Area Learning Center.

Another student, Nate Kuiper, is a motorcycle mechanic. He said he loves what he does and would not have finished and gotten his diploma at the high school. The learning center helped him to do that.

Janelle Claussen Tuttle graduated the first year of the program. She said that she was more comfortable and found success at the Area Learning Center. That, in turn, has helped her in her job working for the county.

Linda Rognes, who is a social worker at the Freeborn County Department of Human Services,

has taught parenting at the learning center for the past 20 years. She said all schools in this community do a wonderful job educating students, but the Area Learning Center helps those students who need a little extra support.

Rob Esse, the center&8217;s founder and first coordinator, explained to the audience that what he wanted most, and what he cherished most about the center, was the community. He said he was pleased to see that sense of community was alive and well today.

Since 1987, 654 students have graduated from the Area Learning Center.