Thirty Coppell ISD students are embarking on their future, and at the same time, a part of Victory Place’s history: they are the largest graduating class under the management of current Principal Jeff Minn.

“We typically see a larger group graduate on the third nine weeks and a lot of it has to do with the way the year typically falls,” Minn said. “We have learners who may not start with us but determine based on other needs to apply to Turning Point.”

Turning Point is a non-traditional school setting and program at Victory Place providing opportunities for learners who may need an alternative pathway to earning high school credit towards a high school diploma.

Classes are equivalent to on-level classes at CHS in regards to GPA and allow students to learn at their own pace. Students can graduate every nine weeks but are still Coppell High School and New Tech High @ Coppell graduates and attend the typical end-of-year graduation ceremony.

Coppell ISD students choose to attend Turning Point for reasons ranging from extenuating family circumstances to achieving specific goals such as joining the military. All are required to have a solid future plan in order to be admitted to the program. An application asking thorough questions about plans after graduation and such to both the parents and students needs to be filled out and submitted in order to apply for the program.

Trevor Stange, a recent graduate from Turning Point, is one of the 30 graduates and will attend Kansas State University to play football. Stange, an offensive lineman, committed on May 25 and signed his letter of intent Dec.19.

“With Kansas State football, they have me moving out early June, so I didn’t want to go from high school exams to starting my first college class just a few days later, so I went to Turning Point so I could have a break between them,” Stange said.

For graduate Kayla Wendel, after attending two years of high school, she found Turning Point was better for her.

“The high school [CHS] is overflowing with people and the environment truly just wasn’t for me,” Wendel said. “People made things kind of hard for me, and I was kind of stuck in a dark place when I was at the high school. I didn’t enjoy really any aspects of it coming from the learning style, the people and the activities. I just was tired of the whole high school idea in general.”

Wendel finished 11 credits in three months.

Since graduating, Wendel is working as a waitress at Mason & Dixie and is planning on attending Santa Barbara City College and then transferring to UC Santa Barbara to study Music Production.

“Since I’ve graduated, I am focusing my undivided attention on the idea of bettering myself and preparing for the next chapter of my life,” Wendel said. “Without Turning Point, I honestly would still be stuck in a hole.”

Although classes are online-based, faculty members play a big role. Educators pull and design additional supporting lessons in their content area in addition to teaching students about life principles, resilience, job preparation, interviewing skills and speaking skills.

“The staff cared about each and every student, regardless of who they were or what has happened to them,” Wendel said. “They had everyone’s best interest at heart.”