Vincent G. Parks Alternative Education Center Debuts This Fall in Ecorse

Ecorse Public Schools has renamed its alternative high school after a former employee. The former Hope Alternative Academy is now the Vincent G. Parks Alternative Education Center. The Ecorse Public Schools Board of Education approved the renaming of the alternative academy to honor longtime district employee and alumnus Vincent G. Parks. A dedication ceremony was held in August. Parks served in various capacities during his tenure at Ecorse Public Schools and retired from the district within the last decade. He passed away in 2018. The newly renamed education center will continue the district's mission of providing alternative education services to students who need credit recovery opportunities and personalized educational pathways.

Alternative Education is a program operated as a subdivision of the regular K-12 program. Students served include those who have specific needs which are not met in a tradition classroom setting. These programs seek to provide added flexibility, alternative instructional models which may include online instruction, smaller classes, a shorter school day, counseling, child care, and transportation. The goal is success for students who are at risk of not graduating with their class and who may be struggling to learn in a classroom setting. Ecorse Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Josha Talison says the program serves students aged 16 to 21 and the district currently has 47 students enrolled in the program this year. "We want to make sure that those students who may need an alternative learning environment can get their high school diploma in an efficient way so they can be contributing members of society and make sure no door is ever closed to them because of a lack of high school education," he adds. "It's very important that legacies are always recognized by the school district and Mr. Park's left an indelible legacy that we're happy to honor."

Victor Williams is Head Teacher at the Vincent G. Parks Alternative Education Center. He recalls that Parks was well-respected and liked by students, parents, and co-workers. Parks was a teacher, truant officer, coach, and mentor to many students that made their way through the schools. "If he needed to make a home visit, he went to the homes, he knew the parents, he got along with the grandparents, and by him being a longtime Ecorse resident, and he graduated from Ecorse High School, he had earned more respect than anybody I know in the district," he says.

June Childress-Jones has been employed in the district for 20 years and has worked as an associate registrar in the district and currently works at the Hague Early Learning Village. "He left a positive legacy with the residents of Ecorse, with the students in Ecorse, and with the school board," she says. "He was well-known also in different cities. We have a lot of students from different cities so on count day he would go to Detroit, he would go to River Rouge, and he'd go to Lincoln Park, wherever the students lived. He cared for the students, he cared for the community. He was a treasure."

Williams adds, "With him came stability to the whole department. I'd see him at sporting events, activities, and things like that and when he walked through there, order was maintained. I would say that's probably his biggest legacy to the district."