WINFIELD, W.Va. -- Winfield High School teachers Allison Allbrighton and Jon Himmelgarn will be the featured presenters at the 2009 Blue Ribbon Schools Blueprint for Excellence National Conference in December.

They will be presenting their school's model of a successful middle to high school transition program.

All Putnam County high schools began work on creating successful freshman transitions in 2005 and instituted programs last year, said Penny Fisher, director of secondary schools.

The district chose to focus on the freshman year because -- nationally -- one-third of all freshmen high school students do not finish high school.

To help with the transition, Putnam County Schools partnered with Mike Hall, a recognized expert in establishing successful transition programs. Hall, a retired high school principal and Deputy Superintendent of the Georgia Department of Education, co-authored "High School 101," a 21st Century curriculum that is used in over 900 schools nationwide. He has worked in more than twenty states to help districts create successful transition programs.

Hall's model for school transition programs will be the featured session at the 2009 Blue Ribbon Schools conference, and he has asked the Winfield High School teachers to be part of the presentation. They will present their views of how the transition program has affected the school, including scheduling, using data to alter instruction, and other significant differences in student success.