Regional Alternative School

Today, RAS Staff wore green for Youth HOPE Month to raise awareness for youth experiencing housing instability. We want all students and families to know that they are supported and cared for by all RAS Staff 💚

Creativity in Full Color at RAS!

Our art studio has been buzzing with energy, focus, and incredible talent this semester!

We’ve had the privilege of welcoming Mr. Wilkins, our wonderful student teacher from Illinois State University, who has been leading our students through an inspiring exploration of painting techniques, color theory, and personal expression.

Stepping up to a blank canvas can be intimidating, but our RAS artists have risen to the challenge with open minds and tremendous dedication. Under Mr. Wilkins’ guidance, students are experimenting with brushwork, mixing bold palettes, and finding unique ways to tell their own stories through paint. The focus and pride evident in the studio each day have been nothing short of inspiring.

A huge thank-you to Mr. Wilkins for bringing his passion, patience, and Redbird spirit into our classroom, and kudos to our students for continuing to show what makes the RAS community so special.

Empower Hour: Real Skills for Real Life

At RAS, learning doesn’t just happen behind a desk—it happens with our hands.

In our new Empower Hour, students work in small groups to tackle practical, everyday challenges that build real-world confidence. From mastering workshop fundamentals like safely using a hammer and a power drill, to everyday essentials like cooking a great omelette or fixing a flat bicycle tire, our students are discovering just how capable they are.

Each project gives them the space to problem-solve, support their peers, and walk away with tangible skills they can use for the rest of their lives.

Stay tuned to see what our students build, fix, and create next!

We have a very special partnership with our neighbors at First Christian Church. Our staff and students volunteer to help stock their Helping Shelf. FCC's Reach-Out Committee provides staff with special treats during our conferences (our love language is food!). We value their friendship! ❤️

RAS will be hosting Student-Led Conferences tonight and tomorrow morning! There is NO SCHOOL on Friday, 10/9 and Monday, 10/12!

Please excuse our tardiness with this post, but are we actually AHEAD of schedule since the new school year hasn't even started? ❇️🙌📚The 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣ Spring Semester at RAS was one for the books!📚🙌❇️ ❇️ 98 new students enrolled this semester + 236 enrollments from the fall = 334 students had the opportunity to be successful at RAS this year ❇️ 65 high school graduates + 23 fall graduates = 88 total graduates ❇️ 30+ preservice teachers assisted in our classrooms ❇️ 1 ISU ELA/STEM student teacher ❇️ 1 ISU BSW intern ❇️ 3 IWU Psychology interns ❇️ 4 IWU Nursing students ❇️ 13 VR trade skills activities with 45 student participants (machinist, welding, farm laborer, carpenter, robotics technician) ❇️ 4 Guest Speakers from MTI, Lincoln Tech, Navy, & YWCA ❇️ 10 members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council presented on their participation in historically Black fraternities and sororities ❇️ 30 students participated in youth mental health activities with Project Oz ❇️ 1 Senior Trip to Heartland CC ❇️ 2 digital field trips to the Milwaukee Zoo with Mrs. LaCroix ❇️ 6 8th graders attended the BCA Career Expo ❇️ 5 trips with 20 RAS students to FCC for the Helping Shelf Pantry ❇️ 9 trips to MFB ❇️ 10+ weeks of food deliveries by EIF ❇️ 2,200+ people served by our school market ❇️ Numerous donated items for our classrooms, hygiene closet, and coat and clothes closet ❇️ 1 ROE 17 podcast with a former RAS student ❇️ 1 volunteer translator for Student Led Conferences ❇️ $5,500 in grants through Corn Belt Energy and the John M Scott Health Care Trust ❇️ 7 times local agencies, partnerships, and individuals brought in snacks for staff ❇️ 1 all-staff tour to view the progress of our new facility ❇️ 4 student custodians learning valuable job skills through 1 irreplaceable partnership with CareerLink ❇️ 15 weeks of visits from outside counselors (Project Oz, CHS, Court Services) ❇️ 19 students earned Career Safe Employability Skills certifications ❇️ 2 students earned for Certified Manufacturing Associate (CMfgA) from Tooling U-SME certifications ❇️ 2 days of professional learning opportunities for staff at ICEARY ❇️ 21 caring staff members and 2 support animals who showed up to love, serve, & care for our students and families

🗣️🗣️🗣️

🥳🎓🎯✅👏8️⃣4️⃣👏✅🎯🎓🥳 🗡️They slayed... 🥘They cooked... 💪They crushed... 🔥They were fire... 🔐They locked in... 💰They secured the bag... 🍽️They ate and left no crumbs... ⭐️RAS⭐️ was able to help 🎓8️⃣4️⃣🎓 students earn their high school diploma through their home schools during the 2025-26 school year❗️ That, folks, is a RECORD. We may have had to ⛽️gas them up⛽️ but 👏THEY👏did👏it👏 Many congratulations to our graduates and their families!

💜💛🍭🍫🍬Step into our Week of Pure Appreciation!🍬🍫🍭💛💜 We take this week to celebrate ALL of our amazing staff members at RAS. We all serve the role as educators to each student who walks in our building, whether it's through content, social and emotional support, food, or just plain life lessons. Thank you, Action Wellness and Dr. Katie, for spoiling staff with chair massages! As Willy Wonka said, "A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men." Enjoy our nonsense! 💛🍫Day 1: The Golden Ticket Launch 🍫💛

Digital Field Trip Part 2 was a wild success! From African ecosystems to the Open Aviary, DLL Students dove into conservation topics like population control & habit fragmentation at Milwaukee County Zoo-- perfect timing on Earth Day! 🌍🦒🦜 Thank you, Mrs. LaCroix-DLL Instructor, for providing this opportunity for students and staff!

See you all on Tuesday!

💰💡⚡️🦺Congratulations, Mrs. Jenkins, for being a recipient of the Corn Belt Energy Education Grant! RAS will use these funds to cover the cost of OSHA certifications for our students who are close to graduating. This certification is a HUGE résumé boost and allows our students to have an advantage when applying for jobs after graduation. Thank you, Corn Belt Energy, for your continued support and generosity! 🦺⚡️💡💰

Yesterday, our students at RAS had a fantastic opportunity to sit down with Megan from Midwest Technical Institute (MTI) in East Peoria. Finding the right path after graduation is all about knowing your options. Megan shared some great insights into MTI’s hands-on programs. A huge thank you for visiting us and showing our students how they can turn their passions into a professional career.

RAS staff members from our Bloomington and Livingston County campuses are participating and presenting at this year's ICEARY Conference in Normal. Never stop learning!

🚨RAS students will work remotely March 5th & 6th!🚨

🫶🏿🫶🏾🫶🏽🫶🏼🫶🏻March is National Social Work Month. RAS would be LOST without this amazing team! The theme this year is Uplift.Defend.Transform. and these five individuals do that every.single.day. Collectively, our Social Work Team sees each student, each day in a variety of ways that help meet individual needs. From counseling to providing basic needs to helping our students and families access outside community agencies, they do it all! 👏🏻👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾👏🏿

Yesterday, RAS middle school students enjoyed a valuable opportunity to engage with local businesses and skilled trades at the Bloomington Career Academy 8th Grade Career Expo.

Throughout the event, students explored various career pathways, engaged in meaningful dialogue with industry representatives, and participated in dynamic, hands-on demonstrations. Events like these are essential for bridging the gap between the classroom and the workforce, allowing students to visualize their future potential.

Learning can happen anywhere, and today, it happened at Milwaukee County Zoo with Mrs. LaCroix and our DLL students! We explored great apes and monkeys, amphibians, fish, reptiles, sea lions, and elephants. We met zookeepers and learned about conservation, habitat loss, animal identification, breeding programs, geography, sign language, poetry from a Navajo member, and how even reading food labels can help protect wildlife. Students also got a behind-the-scenes look at so many cool careers like zookeeper, veterinarian, architect, chef, animal care, landscaping services, and more, while seeing how zoos are designed so animals often have more space than humans. We talked vet care, zoo trading, fun animal facts, and what it really takes to care for animals every day. Final fun fact: elephants are like us and have a preferred side, and the tusk they use most is always shorter, so next time you see one, check their tusks to see if they’re a lefty or a righty! 🐘

It has been a great two days connecting and reconnecting with students and their families. Student-led conferences allow our students to self-reflect, lead the discussion about their learning, and take ownership of their choices and overall academic engagement. We appreciate the time and support our families gave to us to continue to foster the partnership between home and school! 🏠🔁🏫 A future educator from ISU, Mr. Tamayo, volunteered his time and interpreter skills to help us communicate more effectively with families. We were happy to welcome him back into the building! 🙌🗣️ As always, our friends and First Christian Church made sure the staff was well-fed to help us get through the longer days! ❤️