In 2008, Charlottesville City Schools founded the WALK program to “help struggling students earn the credits needed for graduation.” Today, the program’s door is by the art hallway, adorned with a graffiti-style logo. But what exactly is WALK? Who is it for? What do they do? And why should you care? 

Dianna Poe, the program’s coordinator, has had two kids go through CHS. When I ask her what WALK does exactly, she invites me to walk with her and see the space for myself. The room is warm and bright, and the kids are in a cooking class, discussing how to make different Thanksgiving foods. “We’re a dropout prevention program,” she explains. “What WALK means is, back in the day, kids used to say all the time, ‘I wanna walk at graduation.’ So, we’re helping them walk at graduation.” 

When WALK was founded, 75% of CHS students graduated on time. Most recently, in 2021, 96% did. WALK helps students stay in school by allowing them to take or retake classes online. “Right now, we have 16 different classes that we’re offering,” Ms. Poe shared. 

As we continue walking through the space, Ms. Poe points out many things: “Here we have our own little libraries, so we can get all kinds of books that kids need.” In another nook: “We keep sweatshirts, and if kids need clothes, we have a washer and dryer if somebody wanted to quietly wash their clothes.” Nearby: “We keep feminine supplies and shampoo.” Around another corner: “You can see back here they’re always making tea and hot chocolate for people, and we always have food.” The space feels cozy and welcoming, with numerous rugs, lamps, and chairs situated in every nook and cranny.  

The program is split into two groups: a group of freshmen and sophomores, and another group of juniors and seniors. Originally, WALK was only geared towards upperclassmen; the freshmen and sophomore group was instilled into the program more recently. “This is kind of what we’ve always done,” explains Ms. Poe in the online learning classroom for the juniors and seniors, with computers lining the walls and desks filling the room. “But what we’ve realized is that by the time a kid is a junior or a senior, and they need this program, a lot of times they’re not coming to school anymore. They’re not really engaged. So, if we can get to know kids who might have a hard time in school, if we can get to know them in ninth and tenth grade, we’ll do better in really helping them their junior and senior years. So we started this over here.” She gestures to the cooking class we saw earlier, which is for the underclassmen. “This class is hands-on, and it’s exciting, and you’re cooking, and it’s for students who maybe don’t need to sit in a class all day.”

Many students don’t enjoy sitting in class after class every day, and many would prefer a more hands-on environment. So if a student feels that WALK is right for them, how do they become a part of this program? “To get into WALK, the school counselor recommends students, and then we have a committee that looks at kids to make sure they’re appropriate for the program,” Ms. Poe says. “We don’t take kids because they don’t like their teacher or because they don’t want to be sitting in a certain class.” She maintains that WALK isn’t a cure-all for everyone. “Some kids love it. But some kids don’t want to listen to somebody teaching online. But it’s self-paced, so it feels better for some kids where the classroom isn’t appropriate right now.” 

Although WALK is a dropout prevention program, it isn’t just for students who want to drop out. “We’ve had all kinds of kids,” Ms. Poe explains. “I’ve had the valedictorian in WALK. I’ve had somebody who had anxiety and just needed a smaller space. You name it, and we’ve had them in here. So it really just depends on what the kid’s needs are.”

We know statistics show that WALK has had an incredibly positive impact on CHS’s graduation rates, which it speaks to serve, but how have we seen its impact directly here at school? “For some kids, it’s a safe space,” Ms. Poe notes. “They feel really at home here. Our teachers aren’t lecturing all day, and our groups are smaller, so you have a really homey feel.” This homey feel was immediately apparent on my visit to their space. “I have some kids who say they like to come because they feel safe here. So we feel like if we’re making it where [the kids are like] ‘Okay, I’m gonna go to school today because I feel safe in that space,’ maybe they’re gonna go to their other classes too,” she remarked. 

For Ms. Poe, there are a few things to clear up. “I think there are a lot of misconceptions about WALK.  For a lot of alternative learning in general, people think, ‘Oh, I can get my credits really fast.’ And that is not true. I think a lot of kids come in here and realize, ‘Oh, this is more work than I thought it was. I’d rather be in the classroom.’ We’ve had, in fact, three this year who want to go back to the classroom.” WALK is, of course, an essential space for the kids who love it and need it. “It’s important to us that it’s a real education and not a credit factory. You know, many online programs are considered not very good, so our teachers work really hard for it to be a good education,” Ms. Poe explains.

Finally, why is the WALK program itself so important? “I think this building is so big,” Ms. Poe says. “And I think kids can get lost. And for kids who might need a little extra support, this is a good place for them.” Charlottesville High School has a population of around 1400 students, and it’s no secret that many of these kids receive less support than they might need. For the media and for some people, it’s very easy to dwell on these shortcomings. However, what is far more important than focusing on a problem is to be the one who helps solve it. And by helping kids who need further support, what program does this better than WALK?