The 15 districts of Beaver County and Lincoln High School in Ellwood City have partnered with the Regional Choice Initiative to provide more choices for their students. Thanks to a grant from the Federal government, students from these 16 schools can take classes online, at other schools, and even earn college credits. FHS is one of the participants in the RCI program. “It [RCI] provides students with more choices in classes by taking advantage of the latest advances in technology,” commented Rita Kaplin, one of the counselors at Freedom. There are four main parts of RCI. The first is called “Open Seats,” which allows students to travel to other, near-by high schools to take classes that are not a part of the curriculum at their home school. Some of these classes are also offered online by using “polycom,” an interactive way for students to learn using computers. Junior Sara Murphy and sophomore Sadie Schweinsberg are enrolled in a Japanese class through polycom. “I like the class, but there are some problems,” added Murphy. So far, there have been some issues with equipment and the difference in the schedule also causes some problems. Murphy also commented, “It’s hard because sometimes the teacher gets distracted when someone in the class asks a question.” Kaplin adds that, “[The traveling] requires a lot of scheduling coordination, so it’s better for us to use the online courses right now.” Classes taken through the “Open Seats” program are not factored into the GPA or class rank of the Freedom students because they are considered elective credits. The second feature program in RCI is called “Dual Enrollment.” Through this course, high school students can take college classes at local universities, such as Penn State, CCBC, and Clarion University, in order to earn college credits. These classes can be factored into a student’s schedule or taken outside of regular school hours. Senior Ashley Adams participated in the program when she took a English Composition I class at CCBC the first semester. Adams thought the class was cool because there was more of a focus on literature rather than grammar. “I learned a lot that I probably wouldn’t have learned here at Freedom,” said Adams. She also enjoyed that classroom discussions covered more controversial topics than are allowed in the Freedom curriculum. Other students from Freedom have taken classes such as American Sign Language and Physiology. Most of the students have found them to be interesting enhancements to the Freedom curriculum. Third in the Regional Choice Initiative is the Cyber Class program. Through this option, high school students may take online classes. There are a great variety of courses offered, however it is not a viable choice for every student. “It is important to have a strong student with the right personality,” said Kaplin. “They also have to understand the responsibility that comes with taking an online course.” Because there is no teacher to supervise their work, online courses are more demanding of the student themselves and require a student to demonstrate good time management skills. Students must be capable of independent work. “Turn of Education” is phase four for RCI. This option is for students who are behind on their credits in high school or who want to return to school to earn their diploma. Classes are offered through an online curriculum.