Metre Early College from page A13 Early College High Schools Early College High Schools are designed to meet the needs of stu- dents who may do better in a non- traditional high school setting or are interested in being challenged. These programs provide students with both a high school diploma and up to 60 high school credits, which are transferable to most state col- leges and universities. Early College High School programs may be career focused and usually are located on a college campus. These programs are created through a collaboration between an intermediate or local school district and a community college. Enrollment in these schools can begin as early as ninth grade with college classes beginning as early as 10th grade. There are more than 160 early college high schools throughout the country, including several in Michigan. We're especially inter- ested in helping to increase post-secondary access and opportuni- ties and in improving the quality of educa- tion to students who are being underserved by traditional, compre- hensive high schools." - Gary Weisserman - Courtesy Michigan Department of Education Academy, a nationally acclaimed mag- net high school administered by the Bloomfield Hills School District, as well as several private schools and home schools. The bulk of the students, however, come from traditional public high schools across Oakland County. "I've never met a more diverse group of kids;' Weisserman says. "My goal is for this to be a progressive lab for what early college high school education can be. Educationally we can't focus on just get- ting kids through high school anymore Positive Feedback "The people who go here are really cool people, and the teachers are really nice says Marissa Randel, who transferred from Walled Lake Central. "I decided on OEC because I felt this was a great oppor- tunity. You get college classes for free, and I will end up being a year ahead of my friends." "What I love about being on a college campus is that you can walk outside, there are no bells, you can wear what you want and use electronic devices:' says Randel, a high school junior whose family belongs to Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. "I love it for her;' Marissa's mom, Jaclyn Randel, says. "Gary Weisserman's there to meet the kids [in the morning] and he knows them all by their first name. He'll pull them aside and see how they're doing. "He was there to help Marissa pick her classes;' Jaclyn says. "They're really inter- ested in the interests of each student. She's getting a lot more individual attention even though it's on a big college campus. It's a campus within a campus." "I have his e-mail address, his cell phone and he's always here says A14 October 30 • 2008 Whitney Williams, a junior transfer from Southfield-Lathrup High School, when asked about Weisserman. She attends OEC "for a better education, smaller school and the opportunity to take a col- lege course?' "I like being able to go to college classes at night and have an easier school day so I have more time to focus on music — I play bass guitar:' says Nicki Friedlaender, a junior transfer from the Roeper School in Bloomfield Hills. "I see Gary Weisserman like every day, he's always walking around:' says the West Bloomfield resident who is a member of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. Victoria Greenstein is one of only three students admitted as a high school senior. She transferred from the Frankel Jewish Academy in West Bloomfield, having com- pleted most of its curriculum. She's taking 14 college credits — economics, freshman composition, Calculus II and Spanish. "I can walk into Mr. Weisserman's office and we'll just talk." says Greenstein, a West Bloomfield resident whose fam- ily attends Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills, "He's an open warm person. Everyone on campus is getting to know him." "He bent over backwards to help us:' chimes in her mother, Annette Greenstein. "Gary Weisserman is the epitome of a mentsh:' Shifting Sands "When I left high school [Farmington Harrison], I wanted to be an artist:' Weisserman says. "When I left college, I wanted to be a writer. And when I was a teaching fellow in creative writing, I real- ized what I liked was the teaching?' After years of straddling the line between high school and college teach- ing (see story below), Weisserman got interested in the early college movement, co-creating the Genesee Early College on the University of Michigan-Flint campus in 2007 in partnership with the Genesee Intermediate School District. The opportunity to create an early col- lege within Oakland County, where he Back to Basics Who: Gary Weisserman, head of school, Oakland Early College. Age: 39 Resides: White Lake Education: Graduated Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit; Farmington Harrison High School; B.A. in English language and litera- ture, State of Michigan Secondary Teaching Certificate, both in 1991 from University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; M.A. in educational studies (educa- tional administration), U-M, 1996; Ph.D. Program in educational studies in educational technology (ABT), U-M -"I'm good ole mister." Past history: director, early college and K-16 initiatives, 2006-2008, the University of Michigan-Flint, office of the provost. Co-creator, with part- ners at Genesee Intermediate School District, of Genesee Early College which opened in 2007. Teacher, Southfield High School/Levey Middle School, 1992-94; teacher West Bloomfield High School (1994-2006). Created technological projects such as the Civics Institute's International Youth Initiative (IYI), Arab-Israeli lives and grew up, and in partnership with the West Bloomfield School District, where he taught, was irresistible. "This is where I live. This is where my kids go to school. Working within my community is a big part of who I am and what I want to do?" More information on Oakland Early College is available at www.oaklandearlycollege.org . Conflict Simulation software and The Conflix Project, an award-winning, Web-based simulation game about American politics and governance. Current posts: program director and project developer, 1996-pres- ent, Interactive Communications and Simulations (ICS) Group, U-M; adjunct lecturer in education, 2001-present, U-M School of Education. Family: Married to Dolly Kerin Weisserman, M.D., a Commerce Township pediatrician. Children are Drew, 6, who attends Scotch Elementary School in the West Bloomfield School District, and Simon, 3, a preschooler at the Jewish Community Center, West Bloomfield. Belongs to Temple Kol Ami, West Bloomfield. Gary's mom is Deborah Weisserman, who with his late father, Harold, owned Deborah's Invitations in Southfield. She now partners with his sister Maureen. Awards: 2001 Newsweek/WDIV Teacher Award; 2000 Disney American Educator Nominee; 1997 Oakland County Technology-Using Teacher Award Winner.