Journey alternative school closes.

By Kate Krieger. Senior Correspondent.

AMBER TOWNSHIP – Journey Alternative Junior/Senior High School, that served students of Mason County has closed its doors with hopes that the students who attended the school can return to their home districts for the 2015-16 school year and then transition into attending the new Gateway To Success Academy, which will be located in Scottville, starting the fall of the 2016 school year.

Ludington Area Schools Superintendent Andrea Large said this recommendation would be proposed to the LAS Board of Education; the school is jointly operated by LAS and Mason County Central.

“The West Michigan Leadership Group initially planned to open Gateway To Success Academy (G2S) for the fall of 2015-2016,” Large said. “In April it became apparent that the magnitude of tasks associated with opening a new school could not be successfully completed in that timeline. We have been looking at every possible solution in an attempt to keep Journey Alternative Junior/Senior High School open. We have been working collaboratively with area districts and West Michigan Leadership Group in an attempt to keep plans in place to accommodate their students’ return for one more year.

“Only recently did it become evident that we had exhausted all the available options to keep Journey open for the upcoming school year. Our current plan is to have students return to their home districts for the 2015-16 school year and transition to Gateway to Success for the 2016-2017 school year. We will make every effort to help students in this transition year. Area superintendents and Jamie Bandstra (Journey’s principal) have been working collaboratively to put programming in place that will meet individual student needs.”