How NARS uses the offices and school building -- and the results

1. What is the school profile? The student profile?
2. What can we do for students and families?
3. How do colleges and the military view NARS graduates?

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

1.
Profile of our High School

The North Atlantic Regional High School is located in Lewiston, Maine.  NARHS is a state-authorized private school, recognized by the Department of Education, and fully accredited by the National Private Schools Association.  We assist in designing and delivering a custom-designed program for each student, whether he or she is attending public school, private school, college classes, or homeschool.   For homeschool families, parents decide and direct the content of each course, while fulfilling the requirements for each specific high school credit. 

Once the student has acquired the necessary credits, he or she is eligible for a high school diploma.  Students graduate with varying numbers of high school credits according to their ability, ambition, and academic goals.  Yet all graduates must fulfill the basic requirements.

Founded in 1984 and incorporated in 1989, we adhere to the foundational core curriculum outlined by the state, but allow broad flexibility in fulfilling those requirements under the careful evaluation of our certified staff.

The NARHS staff is driven by the students.  It is the student’s work we are encouraging, the student’s success we are seeking, and the student’s motivation we are uncovering.  Students working on their high school courses are allowed to work at their own pace; there are no speed limits -- students are allowed to go as fast as they like, or as slow as they need. 

NARHS teachers and advisors know the necessary educational standards and work with the students and families to ensure each student meets the standards. 

Our high school program is enjoying an expanding presence in other states, especially among homeschoolers.  And, in recent years, we have been gratified that public schools and other private schools in numerous states have referred students to NARHS.

Profile of our Students

Students come to us with a mix of public schooling, private schooling, and  college work. 
Most of our students have been homeschooled for at least part of their school careers, but not all.    Some students begin working on their high school diploma when they are 11 or 12 years old, some begin college courses as young as 15.  Others finish the requirements as adults.  For some students, we work with their very first course selections for high school, while for others we work to reconstruct the academic work they did years ago.

NARHS graduates have moved into college, universities, careers, and all branches of military and government service.   (See reverse side.)  Some continued the family farm, some went to technical schools, and some became apprentices in other trades.  Over the years, a few dozen graduates were young professional actors and actresses, professional sports figures, professional musicians.  These students presented unique issues to manage while they carried out careers and maintained studies with NARHS.  We have that flexibility.

Parents and students enjoy the diversity offered in the academic programs provided under the guidance of our school.  Likewise, the school enjoys the diversity offered by this mix of students.

Because each student’s program is custom-designed, there is no class standing or class ranking, but the student’s GPA is calculated to reflect his or her level of academic performance.

Although not all our students were prepared in the same way, they WERE all prepared for the same thing -- they were prepared for adulthood.

The Class of 2002 had 330 graduates.
The Class of 2003 had 439.
The Class of 2004 had 548.
The Class of 2005 had 608.
The Class of 2006 had 528.
The Class of 2007 had 759.
The Class of 2008 had 791.
The Class of 2009 had 665.

2.
These are the situations in which we meet with students and families on the NARS campuses. Except for open workshops, students and families come by appointment.

TUTORIAL SESSIONS
These sessions occur on an “as needed” basis. A student may need actual direct instruction in a subject area to complete a course requirement or to get past a difficult area of study. These sessions are always initiated by the parent or student and arranged by the specific teacher assigned as their advisor. Such sessions may involve that teacher or another who is better skilled in the area of need. These sessions may take place once or twice a week and last for 6 weeks, or whatever proves to be necessary for the student. The parent and student decide. It is preferred and encouraged that the student AND the parent participate is these tutorial sessions.

GUIDANCE SESSIONS
Parents and students will come to NARS for an appointment with their assigned certified teacher. These consultations are offered on an “as needed” basis; some families never need any of these guidance services and some families need one or two. Guidance sessions may involve issues of learning difficulty, issues of transition because the family has moved, issues of advancement to other grade levels, issues of readiness to advance and how to get there, and so on. Another form of guidance may involve “packaging” a student for college admissions or for scholarship qualification.

ACADEMIC REVIEW
Students may come to NARS with a host of previous work done at other schools or in other educational settings, such as previous high schools, college classes, homeschooling, specialized courses, organizations (scouts, 4-H, US Coast Guard, etc.). Academic reviews are offered to evaluate what high school credits may have already been achieved and, therefore, which ones remain to be completed to qualify for completing the graduation requirements. We offer this service for ADULTS, also, since they can benefit from earning their high school diplomas.

PORTFOLIO REVIEW
Families and students come to the campus for one-by-one appointments with their assigned certified teacher for portfolio reviews. These reviews are required for all of our students. They present the work they have completed according to our published guidelines. It is reviewed subject-by-subject, and the teacher makes the appropriate notes in the student’s academic file.

CURRICULUM PLANNING SESSIONS
A typical question for this type of appointment might be, “We want to do a Science course that avoids promoting evolution as the only way life has developed. What Science courses will offer what we want?” These curriculum planning sessions are referrals to one of the 750+ items we have published in our High School Resource Advisor. We have no vested interest in the choice the family makes for their coursework, and therefore, we are free to make multiple recommendations to the student and family and allow them to decide. In the curriculum planning sessions, NARS staff acts as a resource only, offering our knowledge of the various curriculum items we have studied. Ultimately the choices are the parents’ and students’ to make.

COLLEGE AND CAREER PLANNING
Parents and students come to these appointments as part of their preparation for college, career, or military futures. These appointments are always initiated by the family and are held on a one-by-one basis at NARS. One of the usual outcomes of these appointments is telling the student or parent which questions to ask the military recruiter, college admissions, or prospective employer. We offer direction, but they do the actual research. They sometimes call on us for follow up recommendations, and we do what we can to help.

NARS has no binding affiliations, no personal interests, and no financial arrangements of any kind with any college, employer, or branch of the military. We offer guidance in these areas, but all decisions are made by the family and student. Decisions made are bases on what's best for the student and not any institution or business.

PARENT TRAINING
From time to time, we may offer parent training workshops. These would be offered to a group of parents (and in some cases students) to motivate, encourage, and offer direction in improving the student performance. These may include topics such as
“Finding Your Child’s Learning Style”
“How Do I Know When I’m Doing Enough?”
“The 4 Advantages of Homeschooling”
“Dual Enrollment -- Using College Courses to Fulfill
High School Requirements”
“Preparing My Child for the Real World”
“How to Evaluate a Writing Assignment”
“The Nuts and Bolts of a Self-Designed Course”
None of these sessions are mandatory, but they are offered occasionally to families associated with the school.

GENERAL PUBLIC WORKSHOPS
Several times a year, we invite people from the community to attend information nights about our program. Ten or twenty people may assemble on a given day to hear our presentation and to ask us questions.

FOLLOW UP INTERVIEWS
Once a family has made contact with NARS about their student, we may invite them to an appointment here at NARS. These appointments give them an opportunity to interview us about how we might benefit their student or their situation. Sometimes these are simple, “Tell me about your school” inquiries. Sometimes they are more, “Here is our situation...What can NARS do to help us?”

Generally, all appointments are confined to one hour. General workshops and parent training sessions last two hours.

Some of our certified teachers are here everyday, but not all. Some of our certified teachers work full-time, some work in other schools during the school day, some are part-time and work as they are able, and some are available to step in as needs arise. Accordingly, teachers make appointments on the days they will be here. Support staff in the office work full time and can reach the teachers as they are needed. In all, 30 staff work from the Lewiston office.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

3.
How do colleges and the military view NARS graduates?

These are the colleges, universities, and schools to which our graduates have been accepted in the past three years. This should offer some idea of the types of students and families who work with us and where our students have gone after high school graduation.

Adelphi University
Adirondack Comm Colege
Adrian College
Alaska Pacific Univ
Albright College
American Musical & Dramatic Acad
American Univ
Amherst College
Andrews University
Angelo State University
Antioch College
Arcadia University
Asbury College
Ashworth College
Assumption College
Atlanta Chr College
Augusta (GA) State University
Babson College
Bagley Coll of Engineering
Bard College
Barry University
Barton College
Bates College
Baylor University
Ball State University
Beal College
Bellevue Comm College
Bellin College of Nursing
Belmont Abbey College
Beloit College
Bennington College
Berea Col of Music
Berkshire Inst of Chr Studies
Bethel University
Bluffton University
Bob Jones University
Bowdoin College
Boston University
Bowen Tech College
Bowling Green State Univ
Brandeis University
Brevard Comm College
Bridgewater State Univ
Brigham Young University
Brookhaven College
Brownsville Schl of Ministry
Bryan College
Bryn Mawr College
Camden Comm College
Carleton University
Carnegie Mellon University
Case Western Reserve Univ
Catholic Univ of America
Cedarville University
Central Maine Comm College
Central Michigan University
Christopher Newport Univ
Cincinnati Bible Coll & Seminary
Cincinnati Conservatory of Music
Claremont McKenna College
Clark University
Clarkson University
Cleveland Institute of Music
College Misericordia
College of Charleston
College of the Atlantic
College of New Jersey
College of St. Rose
College of St. Scholastica
College of the Holy Cross
College of the Ozarks
College of Wooster
Colorado Christian Univ
Colorado College
Colorado School of Mines
Colorado State University
Columbia International Univ
Concordia University
Cooper Union Adv Sci & Art
Cornell University
Cornish College of the Arts
Cranbrook Academy of Art
Creighton University
Curtis Institute of Music
Daniel Webster College
Daystar University (Kenya)
Denison University
Denver Darkroom Schl of Photog
DePaul University
Divers Institute of Technology
Dordt College
Drew University
Drexel University
Dutchess Comm College
Earlham College
East Carolina University
Eastern Michigan Univ
Eastern Nazarene College
Eastern University
Eastman Conservatory of Music
Eckerd College
Elim Bible Institute
Elizabethtown College
Embry Riddle University
Emerson College
Erskine College
Evergreen State College
Fairleigh Dickinson Univ
Fairmont State College
Florida State University
Franciscan University
Franklin College
Franklin Pierce College
Freed-Hardeman University
Full Sail University
Geneva College
George Fox College
George Washington University
Georgetown University
God’s Bible Schl & College
Gordon College
Goucher College
Grace University
Granite State College
Green Mountain College
Green River Comm College
Grinnel University
Grove City College
Guilford College
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampshire College
Hartt School of Music
Harvard University
Hesser College
Houghton College
Highland Comm College
Hillsboro Comm College
Hillsdale College
Hofstra University
Holy Cross (College of the)
Houghton College
Hudson Valley Comm College
Huntington College
Husson College
Indian River Comm College
Indiana University
Iowa State University
Ithaca College
Ivy Technical Comm College
James Madison University
Jefferson Davis Comm College
Johns Hopkins University
Johnson and Wales University
Julliard
Kalamazoo College
Kansas State University
Keene State College
Kennebec Valley Tech Coll
Kentucky Wesleyan College
Knox College
Lake-Sumter Comm College
Laramie County Comm College
Lawrence University
LeTourneau University
Lee University
Lehigh University
Lewis and Clark College
Liberty University
Lipscomb University
Livingston College
Loma Linda University
Long Island University
Louisiana Tech University
Loyola University
Lyndon State College
Lynn University
Macalester College
Maine College of Art
Malone College
Manhattan School of Music
Marion College
Marlboro College
Marquette University
Marshall University
Massasoit Comm College
Marymount Manhattan Colegel
McIntosh College
Mercer University
McMaster University
Merrimack Comm College
Mesa Community College
Messiah College
Miami-Dade Comm College
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Mississippi State University
Monroe Community College
Montclair State University
Moody Bible Institute
Motorcycle Mechanic Instit.
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Ida College
Mount St. Mary’s University
Multnomah University
New Brunswick Bible College
New College of Florida
New England Bible College
New England Conservatory
New Hampshire Comm Tech
New Mexico Tech
New Tribes Bible Institute
New York University
North Carolina State Univiversity
North Central University
North Greenville College
North Idaho College
North Park University
Northeastern University
Northwest College
Northwest University
Norwich University
Notre Dame
NYU Tisch Schl of the Arts
NYU Steinhardt Schl of Education
Nyack College
Oakton Community College
Oberlin College
Odessa Community College
Ohio State University
Ohio University
Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Olivet Nazarene University
Oregon Inst. of Technology
Orlando Culinary Academy
Pacific University
Palm Beach Comm College
Pasco-Hernando Comm College
Peabody Conservatory @ Johns Hopkins
Penn State
Pensacola Christian College
Pepperdine University
Philadelphia Biblical University
Piedmont College
Pinecrest Bible College
Plymouth State University
Pomona College
Purdue University
Queens University
Raritan Community College
Reed College
Rensselear Polytech Institute
Reynolds Comm  College
Rice University
Ringling School of Art & Design
Rivier College
Rochester Institute of Tech
Rockport College
Roosevelt University
Rutgers University
St. Andrews College
St. Anselm College
St. John’s College
St. Joseph's College
St. Mary’s College
St. Olaf College
St. Petersburg College
St. Thomas University  
Sarah Lawrence College
Sarasota County Techl Inst
School of Music at Indiana University
Sealaska Heritage Institute
Seattle Art Institute
Seattle Pacific University
Simpson College
Smith College
Southern Adventist University
Southern Maine Comm  College
Southern New Hampshire?University
Southern Virginia University
Southwest Baptist University
Sterling College
Stockholm Univ (Sweden)
SUNY (State University of  New York)
SUNY Coll. of Environmental Science
SUNY?Maritime College
Suffolk County Comm College
Suffolk University
Swarthmore College
Syracuse University
Taylor University
Temple University
Tennessee Temple University
Texas A & M University
Texas Christian University
The Masters College
Thomas More College
Trinity College of Florida
Trinity International University
Tulane University
UCLA School of Music
Ultrasound Diagnostic School
Union College
Universal Tech Schl, Phoenix
US Air Force Academy
US Coast Guard Academy
US Merchant Marine Acad
US?Military Academy (West Point)
US Naval Academy
Unity College
University College of Bangor
Univ of Alabama
Univ of Buckingham (UK)
Univ of Central Florida
Univ of Chicago
Univ of Colorado
Univ of Connecticut
Univ of Georgia
Univ of Hawaii
Univ of Indianapolis
Univ of Maine
Univ of Maryland
Univ of Massachusetts
Univ of Miami
Univ of Michigan
Univ of Mobile
Univ of New Hampshire
Univ of North Florida
Univ of Pittsburgh
Univ of Puget Sound
Univ of Redlands
Univ of Rhode Island
Univ of Richmond
Univ of South Carolina
Univ of Southern California
Univ of Southern Maine
Univ of Sioux Falls
Univ of Texas
Univ of the Free State, South Africa
Univ of  Utah
Univ of Vermont
Univ of Washington
Univ of Waterloo
Univ of West Florida
Univ of Wisconsin
Univ of Wyoming
Valencia Comm College
Valparaiso University
Vassar College
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Tech
Wagner College
Walla Walla College
Waterloo University
Wayne State University
Webb Institute
Weber State University
Wells College
West Point (US?Military Academy)
West Virginia Wesleyan College
Western Baptist College
Western Carolina University
Western New England College
Western Washington University
Westminster College
Westmont College
Westwood College of Tech
Wheaton College
Wheelock College
Whitman College
Willamette University
Williams College
Wilson College
Winthrop University
Word of Life Bible Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
(This list changes each month. Not all changes will not be reflected on this published page...)
 

MILITARY  ENLISTMENT

NARHS graduates who have been homeschooled usually have no issues enlisting in the military. Students who transfer all (or nearly all) of their required credits into NAHRS may experience difficulty. Military needs change from time to time, especially in times of war, and military rules change accordingly. Military recruiters from all over the United States have referred their candidates to NARHS for years. NARHS graduates have been accepted into every branch of the US Armed Forces. But keep in mind these circumstances change, and just "having" a diploma is not the only criteria for acceptance into the military -- you must also have a reasonable score on the ASVAB, pass a personal interview, and otherwise meet the criteria they have established at that time. Expulsions from school, criminal activity (especially convictios), recreational drug use and alcohol use will all affect how you are considered for military service. 

There are no guarantees for NARHS graduates, or, for that matter, graduates of other schools.