What's Happening in Cary, NC…

When Crossroads Flex School opens later this year, it will be, as its name implies, offering classes on a flexible basis.

The high school, located in Cary, offers innovations in learning by allowing students to set their own schedules. Drew Cook, the senior director of high school programs in Wake County, said the program reflects the constantly changing needs of students today.

The director of marketing for the county's magnet schools, Tamani Anderson Powell, said the flexible schedules are for any student who needs leeway in when and how they attend classes. She mentioned factors like training for special sports events, working in a family business, or raising a family as examples of situations where students cannot attend classes if they are scheduled at a set time daily. Students will choose from a combination of face-to-face instruction and online classes.

However, educators warn that this type of institution does not work for everybody. In order to succeed in this setting, students need to be motivated and driven, but 100 students are expected to enroll at Crossroads for its first classes. Classes will be scheduled at night and early in the morning, to help meet the needs of students.

School officials might work with a postcard printer on a card to mail to residents, informing them of the school’s offering.