Student Activities

Options for Youth offers a variety of extracurricular activities that are open to all students. It is our goal to provide students with a well-rounded educational experience and we encourage students to get more involved. In addition, Options for Youth partners with other non-profit entities to provide college preparation and outdoor experiences. 

Activities may vary by charter and learning center.

Student Council
This is where students get to know one another through various community service projects and other teambuilding events.

Sports
Our charters offer a wide variety of sports activities in which students share team spirit and compete within their charter or with other schools.

San Juan (Bowling, Soccer, Volleyball)
San Gabriel (Basketball, Softball, Kickball)
Victor Valley (Softball, Basketball, Soccer, Bowling)
Upland (Volleyball, Softball, Basketball, Soccer)

Field Trips
Field trips are available to students and have included places such as the Ronald Reagan Library, the Manzanar Exhibit, Catalina Island, Aquarium of the Pacific, the play Wicked, and an Experiential Learning 3-Day Camp.

Rocky Mountain Pathways Ranch

The mission at Rocky Mountain Pathways Ranch is to provide a dynamic, challenging, open and safe environment for our students.  Rocky Mountain Pathways Ranch is a guest ranch located in
Allenspark, Colorado, the gateway to the Rocky Mountains.  Students not only focus on a fun expeirence, they also work on character development, creativity, problem-solvihng and initiative taking.

Activities at the ranch are educational and diverse.  Students participate in horseback riding, learning equine safety and how to care for horses and other animals.  Through educational walks and hikes, students learn survival skills and about the surrounding ecosystem.  They develop a keen appreciation for the natural world and its resources through direct experience in the filed.  In both group and individual activities, they explore the history of the Rocky Mountains from Ntive Americans to mining to ranch life.  Students come to experience this special place and take home with them the memories of an adventure of a lifetime.  Click here for video of camp, or here to read the camp Blog.

Community Service
In order to graduate, students are required to do 10 hours of community service.  Click here for community service opportunities.

Prom
Each year Junior and Senior students may purchase tickets to participate in Prom. Proms have been held at various venues such as the Queen Mary in Long Beach and aboard a yacht in Newport Beach.

Graduation
The goal is for each and every student to graduate high school. Students may choose to return to their traditional District Schools for graduation or to graduate at the Options for Youth ceremonies which are held in May/June and, in some Charters, in December/January as well.

Career Day
This is the day set aside for students to speak with business people, school representatives, and community leaders to find out what options are available to them after graduation.

Clubs/Other
San Gabriel (Chess Club)
Victor Valley (Chess and Board Game Club)
Burbank (Open Mic Club)
Inland Empire (Band - Instruments and Voice, Dance Team, Drama Club, and Fantasy Role Playing Game Club)

who we are

HISTORY 

As teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District during the 1980's, John and Joan Hall saw countless students struggling to fit in and do well in a traditional high school setting.  Committed to providing them with an alternative educational environment, in 1987 the Halls established Options for Youth (OFY) public charter schools as a contracted service.  When Charter School Law was passed in 1993, Options For Youth opened the first charter school in California located in Victor Valley.  Today, Options for Youth has 31 non-traditional learning environments state-wide that are similar to school libraries or study halls and provide a safe, friendly atmosphere for learning.  Students work one-on-one with assigned teachers or in small groups.

GUIDED INDEPENDENT STUDY PROGRAM

Guided independent study is a proven approach to learning often compared to the college model because students complete most of their schoolwork outside the traditional classroom setting.  This approach requires students to be responsible, self-reliant, self-disciplined and accountable to their teachers and themselves.   Our program offers flexibility and independence while simultaneously ensuring regular one-on-one contact with OFY's Highly Qualified instructors who teach, monitor progress, assign homework, and administer weekly tests and quizzes.  OFY students are required to pass all necessary state coursework and exams.

ACCREDITATIONS AND STANDARDS

All OFY learning centers are accredited by the Western Association of Schools and  Colleges (WASC) and our curriculum meets California state standards and offers University of California and NCAA approved courses.

OFY Hermosa Beach WASC Self Study, Spring 2013