Academics at Sorenson’s Ranch

Sorenson’s Ranch School is a fully accredited high school found in a pristine valley in the Fishlake National Forest. Students can complete their high school graduation requirements and receive a high school diploma. Sorenson’s Ranch School prepares students to go directly into the workforce, go on to college, or finish a vocational training. Sorenson’s Ranch School accommodates students who struggle, average students, or accelerated students. Sorenson’s has recently added new CTE classes including Business Management, Sports & Entertainment Marketing, Photography and Customer Service. Other elective classes include Child Development, Adults Roles and Responsibilities, and Keyboarding for middle school students. Students can actually be prepared for entrance into the workforce or for entrance into college. Some online college courses may be available for students. Students are given chances for career exploration in the CTE courses. . We can help students form realistic and reachable career, personal, and educational goals. This does not imply that the goals are not challenging. The most motivating goals are those that are within our reach if we use some effort. Only someone who knows a student well and cares about his or her well-being will be able to help that student form reachable goals. Students do not attain reachable goals on their own. Like any of us, students are more likely to move ahead when they know that there is a path to get there. We here at Sorenson’s Ranch School help with the path Sorenson’s supports an independent study format. Students are able to finish their high school courses independently and at their own pace. Students may work at a slower pace if they are IEP students or move at a faster pace. We provide teens with a lot of guidance in a more restrictive environment to help them successfully navigate the adolescent years. We provide surroundings that abolish many of the distractions and triggers that accompany a public school education. We have a low student to teacher ratio and students are able to know what is expected of them. They are better able to predict their own consequences if they break the rules. In addition, the more one-on-one time your teen gets with trusted and experienced instructors and counselors, the more likely he is to get his individual needs met and become a disciplined and mature individual. One of the limitations of our educational structure is that relationships with teachers, especially in secondary school, may be caring, but they are not easy to sustain. Yet at-risk youth need relationships that are both caring and stable. They need to build a sense of trust and have the time to communicate the difficulty, obstructions, and positive aspects of their lives in and out of school. ​All Utah High School graduation requirements are met here at Sorenson’s and students graduate with a regular high school diploma. Sorenson’s Ranch School is a mastery school. Students are required to reach mastery or 80 percent before passing classes. Teachers work with students on an individual and personal basis. Sorenson’s Ranch has small class sizes with low teacher to student ratio. Students are expected to be respectful to teachers and staff at all times. They are taught discipline and respect to teachers, staff, and fellow students. Students are required to listen and follow instructions. Students will learn behavior management in the classroom. Principal, teachers and school staff develop a personal education plan for each student. Students are monitored closely by teachers and are able to learn at their own pace in a safe, secure environment. Credits are made up if students are behind in credits for graduation. At Sorenson’s Ranch we recognize the difficulty of trying a new path and both prepare students for obstacles and support them when they run into problems. This can be highly challenging, as some of the students' flawed actions may violate school rules or perhaps even legal boundaries. We handle such cases individually and with sensitive judgment. We incorporate engaging settings in the school that permit students to experience a sense of belonging and pride.

Sorenson's Ranch School Teacher Highlight

My name is Steve Nielson. I am the science and math teacher here at Sorensons Ranch School. I have been teaching at Sorenson’s for 20 years now and have a lot of much-needed experience with our type of student. Patience becomes a key word regarding reaching children at Sorensons. I believe in tolerance (to a point) and building rapport in order to help students reach their potential academically. We walk a fine line at Sorenson’s with regard to our patience as teachers. Most of our students have not been successful in public school environments because of discipline problems. We have to balance the need for patience and tolerance with the need for respect for other students’ learning opportunities and the necessity for hard work.
I believe that peer tutoring is a key in helping me reach students in the classroom. It has been working for me as of late, and I believe that many times the brighter students can be used as an asset with academically challenged students. Using this type of teaching technique allows me to spend more one-on-one teaching time with the middle of the class students and the accelerated students. I find that when I teach to the middle and higher performing students, the rest of the class will rise to the level of expectation. This simply has proven itself time and time again in my teaching experience.
I also believe that touching each students life in my classroom is very important. Just a simple statement such as, “Do you need my help?” or,”How is it going today?” can make a big difference in the teaching process. Students simply perform better in this type of environment. Success begets success, and true teachers make sure success is felt daily.