WINFIELD -- A successful Putnam County Schools' program will be upheld to other schools as a model during the 2009 Blue Ribbon Schools Blueprint for Excellence National Conference in Florida in December.

Winfield High School teachers Allison Allbrighton and Jon Himmelgarn have been asked to present information about their school's 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, according to Director of Secondary Schools Penny Fisher. The district chose to focus on the freshman year because nationally, one-third of all freshmen high school students do not finish high school.

"We believe that, by providing a safety net for ninth-graders, we can help students through a difficult transition year and put them on the way to a successful high school career," Fisher said in a press release.

Putnam County Schools partnered with Dr. 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-wrote "High School 101," a 21st-Century curriculum that is used in more than 900 schools nationwide, according to the press release. He has worked in more than 20 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 Allbrighton and Jon Himmelgarn 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.

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