Teaching Outside the Box: Finley River School Helps Students Reach Full Potential

As a sophomore at Ozark High School, Jayisha Adams (Class of 2015) realized she didn’t thrive in a traditional high school classroom. She needed smaller class sizes, more flexibility and, most importantly, more one-on-one time with teachers. Thankfully, she was able to find that at Ozark School District’s Finley River School.

“Finley River changed my life,” she said. “I didn’t realize I was struggling with being in a larger setting. I felt like once I left and was in a smaller setting I was able to focus more. That allowed me to get to know people better, get more one-on-one time with teachers and concentrate on my goal, which was to graduate.”

Traditional high school is not for everyone, and sometimes students need a little extra help to get across the finish line to graduation. In Ozark, Finley River School offers an option to high school students who thrive in nontraditional educational environments and need more one-on-one opportunities with educators.

Despite what some may assume, Finley River School is not “where the bad kids go,” Finley River School Director Constance Leonard said. Students cannot just be “sent” to the school, they must apply and want to attend the school. 

“The truth of the matter is that some kids don’t thrive in a regular high school environment,” Leonard said. “Alternative education, like the kind we offer at Finley River, offers innovative, nontraditional approaches to these students, which aids in preventing them from becoming drop outs.” 

Student who go to Finley River fall into a number of categories and end up attending the school for a variety of reasons such as: 

• Under-performing academically 

• Displaying social, emotional or behavioral issues 

• Being victims of the behavioral problems of others

• Displaying a high risk for dropping out

• Displaying the need for individualized instruction including pace and delivery methods. 

Adams really wants to push back against the notion that schools like Finley River are for “bad kids.” 

“I would say it's just another option,” she said. “Say the high school is not working for whatever reason, Finley River could be another option, just like homeschooling or private school are other options.” 

Leonard, who has been the director at Finley River since 2019, said one of the biggest benefits of Finley River’s methods is the smaller class sizes. At Finley River, which mostly caters to sophomores and up, there is a roughly 1:12 teacher-to-student ratio, which allows students to get more one-on-one attention from teachers as they work to complete high school. 

“It’s about breaking down barriers so they can learn,” Leonard said. “Every teacher wishes they could give each of their students the one-on-one attention we give students here at Finley River, but with larger class sizes, that is a lot harder in a traditional-sized classroom.” 

Leonard said students are often at different levels in their learning when they arrive at Finley River, and sometimes it takes some magic to get students on a path toward success. 

“It's about meeting kids where they’re at,” Leonard said. “I often tell students who are struggling with comparing themselves to others that ‘someone else’s best doesn’t have to look like your best. Your best is still great.’” 

“I often tell students who are struggling with comparing themselves to others that ‘someone else’s best doesn’t have to look like your best. Your best is still great.’” - Constance Leonard

Since its inception in 2007, over 200 students have earned their high school diploma from Finley River, and last year the school graduated a record-number 29 students. 

Adams, who was able to graduate a semester early and now sits on the Finley River Advisory Board, went to Ozark Technical College and Midwest Technical Institute (MTI) after she graduated. She got her medical assistant diploma from MTI and then went on to Bryan University and got her medical office diploma. She has worked at Ozark Community Hospital for the last five years, where she is the Chronic Care Coordinator. 

“I feel like if I didn’t go to Finley and have that one-on-one help,” Adams said, “I don’t feel like I would have succeeded as much as I did. I mean, one of the reasons I went to MTI was because they visited us at Finley. We had more time to figure out what we wanted to do after high school.” 

One of Finley River’s biggest goals is to help struggling students graduate, whether through online or in-person credit recovery. But the school also focuses on giving students skills to be successful when they graduate and enter the real world such as budgeting, self-improvement and community service projects. 

“Their school is a part of the community,” Leonard said. “When they feel a sense of community and belonging it helps to be successful long term.” 

To attend Finley River School you must complete this application. There is currently a waitlist for students and students must be currently enrolled in an Ozark school.