Touring the halls of the Memorial Options Center, 22800 Fox Ave., in Euclid, the reason for the name of the center becomes apparent. Field crops, a farm-in-a-box growing lettuce and the sounds of hungry goats waiting for lunch are some of the first signs that this is not a typical school. Jason Coleman, the principal of Memorial Options Center, said that students who access the programs at the center can take specialized programs like at the Panther Academy, but at the same time, they can access tutors and other intervention specialists. One option for seventh- and eighth-graders, the Thrive program, Coleman said, has become especially popular with students. He said that students enrolled in the program tend to stay at the Memorial Options Center when given the chance. Field crops are seen outside of the Memorial Options Center. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald.) According to the Memorial Options’ website, Thrive “combines teacher-led digital coursework and career-focused collaborative project-based hands-on learning in a small class environment.” Students in the past have built cabinets for classrooms, processed composite and collaborated with other students in Landscape Design to install a pollinator garden on Babbitt Road. The goal of the program is to teach students how to work together and give them a chance to step outside of the traditional classroom setting. Saws and other woodworking equipment are seen in the Memorial Options Center. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald.) He said that students who might thrive in the Thrive program are usually identified at their home middle school and are typically students who are struggling academically or behaviorally. He said currently, the program is limited to 24 students per grade — with a total of 48 able to be in the program at one time. “That’s just driven really by our staffing and the space we have here. We would love to expand it and offer it to more kids,” Coleman said of the program’s limited availability. “Students are really identified at their middle school, through their administrator, their counselor, it could be the parent reaches out for a program like this. “We follow the normal school schedule and school calendar, and this becomes their middle school,” Coleman continued. “Far and away a majority of our seventh-graders choose to stay here in eighth grade. We’ve had just great success with improving academics, attendance and behavior; so this is just something that both the students and parents really enjoy.” A cabinet, put together by Thrive students, is seen in one of the classrooms of the Memorial Options Center. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald.) Similar to the higher grade level technical courses that offer job training with in-the-field experience, students enrolled in Thrive learn the soft skills that are needed before entering the workforce, in addition to some of the hard skills like wood working and landscaping. The focus isn’t totally on work, as Coleman points out that students often stumble upon a passion for a hobby they might not have known they had. He said many students want to use the facilities during the off hours to do personal crafts. “We find that the majority of our students have had very little exposure to programming like this,” Coleman said standing over a table saw. “Most of the kids have not had an opportunity to use a skil saw or a lathe or a chop-saw and so they are able to. “We have kids who want to come in during their lunch periods and work on projects. We have kids who, when we are getting into the holiday season, where they would like to make something for a family member or a teacher. “It’s sparking kids’ interests and exposing them to things they had not had a previous exposure to,” he added. One of the classrooms used in the Thrive program is shown. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald.) He said he wanted more people to know 798what the Thrive program could do for a struggling student. He said beyond the classroom, having a student be a part of the system within the center can help give that student a sense of community, and with that, accountability. “I think there is still a lot more that we could do to kind of publicize our program and make parents aware of it, because we know the middle school may not always be the right fit for all kids,” Coleman said. “We are able to have much smaller class sizes, we have between 10 and 12 students in most of our classes… “And again, with that experiential hands-on learning and that focus on teamwork and collaboration and community that we are all together on this and everybody has a role and responsibility. It’s about building that sense of accountability and teamwork.” Information on the different programs available at the Memorial Options Center can be found at euclidschools.org/o/eoc/page/thrive.