40 enroll as Guadalupe Regional High to reopen
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 26, 2006
Colleen Sparks colleen.sparks@arizonarepublic.com

Nearly 40 students have signed up to take classes at a high school in Guadalupe that Tempe Union officials plan to open Aug. 7.

Tempe Union High School District staff handed out registration packets at a community meeting last week and 37 students signed up by the deadline, district Superintendent Shirley Miles said. The district plans to open the Guadalupe satellite of Compadre High School in time for the first day of school Aug. 7, said Linda Littell, the district's director of communications.

The Maricopa County Regional School District announced this summer that the Guadalupe school would not reopen for the fall semester because of financial struggles, leaving about 70 students without a home campus. The school is within Tempe Union's boundaries so the district wanted to help. "It's kind of a whirlwind but obviously we're happy that the students responded the way they did," Littell said. "There's a lot of work to be done."

She said guidance counselors would contact the 37 students to meet with them to review their records and transcripts, probably this week.

The district's English-language learner coordinator, Jeff Bale, will review students' records to see if any are eligible for ELL services, Littell said.
A psychologist also will review students' files to see if any need to participate in special-education services, she said.

Tempe Union is looking for two teachers that could teach math, science, English, social studies or some combination of those subjects at the school, Littell said.

About 90 residents last week listened to Miles talk about the district's goal to reopen Guadalupe Regional High School during a community meeting on the school's campus.

"For the students' sake, it's a good thing because why would you want to deprive someone of an education," said Wynton Barnett, branch executive of the Boys & Girls Club of the East Valley, Guadalupe branch.

The high school is housed inside the Boys & Girls Club building.

"It's centrally located within the one square mile of Guadalupe," Barnett said.

The Guadalupe students will have access to basketball, flag football, pool tables, computers and other activities at the Boys & Girls Club's teen center. Barnett said his concern is that students are given a chance to succeed and don't have adjustment problems because the learning structure is different under the district's control.