When school lets out for the day, it’s another beginning for Nelson Horine.
His students take geometry when other people are eating dinner. They learn Spanish or history as the sun goes down. The classes are small, and the stakes are high. Most struggled in typical high schools and need a second chance or a different way to learn.
At Anne Arundel Evening High School, many of them stick it out, leaving with a diploma.
“What we see is kids who weren’t successful in the day school thrive in the evening school,” said Horine, who was named The Washington Post’s Principal of the Year.
Horine, 71, has made evening school the heart of his life’s work, a constant through much of a 50-year career in his Maryland school system.
He has no plans to step away soon.
Since 2004, the alternative-education program has expanded from three high school campuses to six in the county that includes Annapolis. It has gone digital, too, offering some classes online.
For him, the mission could not be more important.
He talks at length about his students. Some have failed classes and are making them up as they continue at their regular high school. Others transfer and take all of their classes in the evenings — because they have day jobs, or fell in with the wrong crowd at a previous high school, or got into trouble, or face other struggles.
“Every day is different because there are new problems to solve,” he said.
The goal for evening-school students, who usually are behind on credits, is to graduate at some point; they can stay on through the school year when they turn 21.
“It’s really ultimately about dropout prevention,” he said.
Colleagues say Horine has helped create a sense of belonging for students who are some of the school system’s most vulnerable. They learn the same curriculum and take the same tests as their daytime counterparts, but in the evening, the attention is more personalised and relationships are easier to forge.
Fellow educators say Horine’s style is effective — that he handles students with kindness, firmness and fairness.
“I wanted to have a pretty direct connection with students and the success of students,” he said. “That’s what was important to me as a school administrator. These are kids who really need support, and it’s my passion.”
Horine is credited as a mentor for aspiring administrators and an instructional coach for teachers. He also has received praised for his efforts to learn more about what works for students.
He has worked to amp up the excitement of commencements, he and others say. Each graduate gets photos taken and mailed home. The school throws a reception afterward.
Last year, he congratulated 98 students as they crossed the stage. The large auditorium was filled to standing room only. There were tears.
“Everyone is moved by what these students have done, what they have achieved to graduate high school,” he said.
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Source: The Washington Post, 14 April 2019