New Hope charter to work with once 'at-risk' young adults
Author: Wendy Leung , Staff Writer
High school didn't go very well for the Ontario resident. Her temper got her in the middle of a lot of fights. In her senior year, Lopez dropped out.
But now Lopez, 20, is a single mom, and she knows she'll need a high school degree if she wants to provide for her 10-month-old son.
"I need to do it for him," Lopez said.
Lopez is enrolled at Operation New Hope, a new charter school set to open next month that works with at-risk youth ages 17 to 24.
"It's for students with no diploma and who don't fit into the traditional school system," school administrator Russel Degnan said.
Since 1980, Operation New Hope has been working with single mothers, low-income students, youth who have left juvenile detention centers and other young adults considered "at-risk."
The program provides academic lessons, life skills and vocational training with a high school degree or its equivalent as the goal.
Thanks to a $750,000 federal grant, disbursed through the San Bernardino County Workforce Investment Board, Operation New Hope has been able to expand into a charter school system. The school can accommodate 40 students for the two-year program.
Operation New Hope was founded by Degnan's father, Bill Degnan, who was a youth mentor at a juvenile detention facility in Paso Robles. The program was a court-ordered recovery program for troubled teens and grew to a life skills curriculum now used in youth facilities in 16 states.
Russel Degnan said he hopes to partner with churches, vocational centers and other community groups to provide job and life skills to the school's inaugural class.
"They say it takes a village to raise a child," Degnan said. "People roll their eyes when others say it, but that's what Operation New Hope is. Operation New Hope fosters community."
Registration is open for the Operation New Hope charter school. Students must live in San Bernardino County but not in the city of San Bernardino. Operation New Hope charter school
Where: 9330 Base Line Road, No. 205, Rancho Cucamonga
When: Semester starts Sept. 7
Info: 909-527-3894, www.onhcares.com
"It's for students with no diploma and who don't fit into the traditional school system," school administrator Russel Degnan said.
Since 1980, Operation New Hope has been working with single mothers, low-income students, youth who have left juvenile detention centers and other young adults considered "at-risk."
The program provides academic lessons, life skills and vocational training with a high school degree or its equivalent as the goal.
Thanks to a $750,000 federal grant, disbursed through the San Bernardino County Workforce Investment Board, Operation New Hope has been able to expand into a charter school system. The school can accommodate 40 students for the two-year program.
Operation New Hope was founded by Degnan's father, Bill Degnan, who was a youth mentor at a juvenile detention facility in Paso Robles. The program was a court-ordered recovery program for troubled teens and grew to a life skills curriculum now used in youth facilities in 16 states.
Russel Degnan said he hopes to partner with churches, vocational centers and other community groups to provide job and life skills to the school's inaugural class.
"They say it takes a village to raise a child," Degnan said. "People roll their eyes when others say it, but that's what Operation New Hope is. Operation New Hope fosters community."
Registration is open for the Operation New Hope charter school. Students must live in San Bernardino County but not in the city of San Bernardino. Operation New Hope charter school
Where: 9330 Base Line Road, No. 205, Rancho Cucamonga
When: Semester starts Sept. 7
Info: 909-527-3894, www.onhcares.com
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