Westside Alternative High School

Westside Alternative High School (WAHS) was established by the late Donna Blasingame; daughter of Westside Holistic founder, Dr. H. Millicent Lindo and twin sister of current President, Gale Lindo. Building on her desire to help youth get their high school diploma or GED as a solid foundation to a better future. The Westside Alternative High School is now a charter school based on the requirements set forth by the Illinois State Board of Education and the Chicago Public Schools and offers a full high school curriculum, college preparation, vocational training, and specialized academic and supportive services to students who have either dropped out or have been dismissed from regular public high school, but desire a second chance to earn a diploma.

A large percentage of these students come with serious academic deficiencies. The mission of Westside Alternative High School (WAHS) is to reclaim these youth, ages 16-21, who have not been successful in the traditional educational setting and provide them with diverse and exemplary educational programs and supportive services. WAHS is committed to providing a customized academic foundation to meet the needs of our community population. In addition, WAHS utilizes a student-centered and value-oriented holistic approach to help students address the social and emotional barriers that they face as a result of their academic challenges and extenuating life situations.

Secondary and remedial courses are taught by qualified instructors using a school-to-work concept. The idea is to provide hands on instruction geared towards preparing students to receive a high school diploma or GED for a vocational career, if college is not desired. Unlike the typical alternative high schools, WAHS views remediation of academic deficiencies as part of the holistic process rather than an isolated entity. Experience with the remedial population reveals that many students at this level come from schools whose programs for academic deficiencies were only for students designated as “Special Ed”; thus overlooking those students that had not been designated but still experienced serious academic problems due to low math and reading scores. At WAHS, all students are assessed and tracked. WAHS acknowledges the impact that a student’s psycho-social and cultural realities have on their academic success. Accordingly, the school maintains a strong social/clinical support system. Areas such as individual, family, and group support counseling, mentoring, outreach, tutoring, referrals, empowerment and community leadership activities are integral components of the holistic curriculum.

WAHS also incorporates into its overall design an approach that maximizes a students optimal potential by using students’ social and cultural experiences as a basis for teaching and learning. The assumption is that all students have rich experiences and encounters that can be used to build their academic skills. To learn more, call (773) 265-8651.

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