BEVERLY — Everyone thought Tasha Belisle was going to drop out of school.

In September, she started her senior year at Beverly High School, but in the first quarter fell behind in math, English, history and physics. It was just too much to catch up on, so she eventually stopped going to classes and got a job at Bath & Body Works during the day.

"They thought I was going to drop out, but I didn't want to," she said. In December, she was one of 10 kids in a similar situation who were chosen to be part of the new STAY Program, which stands for "Successfully Transitioning At-risk Youth."

The school launched the program to curb a dropout rate that was steadily rising, and administrators are crediting it with cutting the number of dropouts in half.

"This is a program to get me back together and graduate this year," Belisle said.

She's kept her job during the day and shows up after school from 2:45 to 6:30 p.m. for an intensive program designed to fast-track her to where she needs to be.

"It's down and dirty," Assistant Principal Erin Brown said. "You come in and get your work done."

Through a computer program called NovaNET, which is aligned with state education requirements, Belisle takes a series of pre-tests, learns the material and takes another post-test to make sure she understands it. A variety of teachers are on board to help out, but it's also very independent and tailored to each student.

"You can skip everything you already know and start with what you don't know," Belisle said. "Everyone thinks it's easier, and they like it better than school. It's less drama. Some people get caught up in drama and don't do their work in school."

The students in the program range in age from freshmen to seniors and come from many different situations, Brown said.

"Everyone has their own story on why they're there," she said.

It's one of the only programs on the North Shore designed to combat dropout rates, Principal Sean Gallagher said.

"Drop-out rates for us were an area we concentrated on," Gallagher said. "Last year, we were looking at getting a handle on it."

Basically, it was because the dropout rate kept going up. Beverly High School was right in line with the state average and in some cases above. In the 2006-2007 school year, the rate reached 4.4 percent, or 58 students.

Back on track

Special Education Director Deb O'Connor, with support from the district, received a state special education grant to study why kids stop going to school and develop a program to stop them from slipping through the cracks.

"We started looking at students that were off track to graduation," Gallagher said. "They'd fail a subject or two and fall behind. It's almost like a catch-up game, and some students fall so far behind, it's like there's no hope. For them, it's easier to drop out and go for a GED."

The high school started a pilot program last spring, which continued into the summer, and the number of dropouts went from 58 students the year before to 25.

"We cut it in half in approximately a six- to 10-month period," Gallagher said. "I really believe it's going to help us."

All of the 10 students in the program are on track to graduate with their class.

Belisle is planning to go on to hair and cosmetology school, but for those who aren't sure what they want to do, Brown said she plans to work with North Shore Community College on career development and planning. She's also received a lot of help from Michelle Lipinski, director of Northshore Recovery High School, through the Northshore Education Consortium.

Obviously, there are more than 10 students at Beverly High who are on the verge of dropping out. But the program is starting small, and teachers and administrators chose a handful of students they thought would really benefit. Brown said she plans to add more each year and build it up.

The kids, she said, are really getting excited about learning again.

"They feel good about being chosen and that we care enough and don't want to see them drop out," she said. "Some kids that really struggled before are feeling very successful."

BHS Dropout rates

YearNumber of studentsPercent of students

2004-2005453.3

2005-2006453.5

2006-2007584.4

2007-2008252.1