---

Wolf Creek charter school in Chisago City is apparently serving a need because enrollment continues to grow and its quarters have expanded. An open house last week publicly introduced newcomers and longtime school supporters to Wolf Creek’s new location in Chisago City.

When the internet-based school was first sanctioned as a Minnesota charter school it was housed in storage-slash-unfinished rooms off the Chisago Lakes District Offices in Lindstrom. The two learning managers had to use the School Board meeting room for group events such as special speakers. Capacity then was fewer than 50 students. There are now almost 80 students and the new enrollment goal is 100. There are four teachers now; and program growth may soon add a fifth.

Dean of Students Brenda Swanson, Laura White, Terri Berryman and Amanda Brett are the academic staff members along with “administration” in the person of Tracy Quarnstrom.

Quarnstrom, associate principal, was leading the tours of the new school in the Chisago City Fairview Medical Campus, at the south end of what used to be a long term care center.

Greystone Construction’s Jim Swanberg oversaw the project that changed the old building layout into a colorful, clean, functional learning facility. He said the charter school project took from the end of August to about the end of October to complete-- school staff was easy to work with and knew what they needed. The space is triple what Wolf Creek had before, said Quarnstrom..

Two rooms house the computer labs that are the foundation of Wolf Creek’s programming. There is a kitchen area and a lobby, with library alcove that’s quickly filling with fiction and non-fiction book and audio donations.

Wolf Creek was developed originally as a Rush City, North Branch and Chisago Lakes districts’ program to respond to needs of motivated students who were dropping out (or on the verge) for a variety of reasons.

Some of the distance learning student body just doesn’t thrive in the social confusion inherent in attending a big high school. Other students are engrossed in fulltime jobs or devoting large amounts of time to hobbies such as modeling, or equestrian pursuits, and they don’t have time to attend school all day, every day. Other students are affected by family crises that make attending school tough. Students have enrolled because they become pregnant or are so advanced academically that regular school isn’t stimulating.

Wolf Creek is non-tuition and is a public school funded by the state school aid formula, donations and grants. The state pupil funding travels with any student from their “home” district into the Wolf Creek budget. Chisago Lakes School Board sponsors the charter school as a legal requirement for it to function, but there is a separate Board of Directors for Wolf Creek.

Enrollment in Wolf Creek consists of students from all over Minnesota. You do not have to be a Chisago Lakes Dist. resident.

A licensed teacher collaborates with the student’s family and develops a graduation plan. A minimum of 25 hours per week is needed to do the on-line coursework. Students meet weekly with their learning manager or instructor, and during these sessions tests are taken and evaluated, there’s group work done, technology instruction is given and academic goals are kept in focus.

It is expected that an enrolling student in grades 9 through 12 will commit to one year in the program. New applications are accepted before the start of the school year or at the beginning of each quarter. It takes a couple of weeks for the application to be reviewed.

Of course, internet access and e-mail and a CD ROM drive are necessary equipment components to attend Wolf Creek.

Graduates achieve a Chisago Lakes diploma.

To contact Wolf Creek call (651) 213-2017 or 213-2037.

The Wolf Creek website is linked to Chisago Lakes’ district page, at chisagolakes.k12.mn.us/wolfcreek/trio-wcwebsite.htm

---