Union Alternative School
Welcome to the Union Alternative School!
The Union Alternative Education Program was created to better meet the needs of Union students who have been unsuccessful in the regular education program. Students from seventh through 12th grades are enrolled in the program housed at 5656 S. 129 E. Ave.
These are NOT a punishment programs. Instead, they are intended to lead students toward success in the mainstream of education through the use of innovative teaching techniques, greater access to counseling services, more individualized course study, flexible scheduling, lower student/teacher ratios (15:1 or less), and a more supportive classroom atmosphere.
General Information
Union Alternative School
5656 S. 129th E. Ave.
Tulsa, OK
74134-6711
Phone: 357-4327
Fax: 357-7094
Summer Hours - Click here to see when the school office is open for the summer. Below are the normal hours when school is in session during the school year.
Office Hours: 7:15 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Middle School Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
High School Hours: 8:25 a.m. to 2:25 p.m.
Principal Richard Storm
Resources
Goals
The goals of the programs include: 
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A reduced drop-out rate;
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An increase in the number of academic credits earned;
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A decrease in the number of classes failed;
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A reduction in absences;
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An increase in grade point averages;
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An improvement in criterion-referenced test scores;
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A reduction in behavioral problems; and,
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The approval of the program by patrons.
Experienced Teachers
The teachers who have been employed for this program are all highly experienced alternative educators who truly care about the students and always remain accessible for them. They are flexible and open-minded and recognize each student’s abilities. Everyone in the program works together to maintain a friendly, constructive atmosphere based on mutual respect. Courses are offered in language arts, math, social studies, science, life skills, and other electives. All teachers are fully certified.
Application Information
/ Alternative Education / Middle School / Middle School Spanish /
Application forms may be acquired from a counselor at any of Union’s secondary schools or at the Alternative school site office. The intake process for the program is intended to be both thorough and simple. Because a maximum of 112 students can be enrolled for the high school program and 90 students for the middle school program, it is important that the students admitted are truly in need of the services and are likely to benefit from the programs.
Applicants may be referred by a school professional, a parent/guardian, or by themselves. Once the application is received, the student’s academic records are reviewed, and interviews are conducted. The student, his or her parents or guardians, school personnel, and other sources are interviewed. The results of these interviews are discussed among the program’s staff. Those students deemed most appropriate for the program are enrolled, while others remain on the waiting list.
Before students are accepted into the program, they must be willing to sign a contract which states their willingness to comply with the school’s rules and to be successful in the program. Students who fail to comply with this contract may be involuntarily returned to regular education classes or sent to the Intervention Program.
Block Scheduling
Block scheduling is a major component of the alternative program. All high school students attend a single class for four class periods daily in a 4-week period. At the end of this 4-week session, students earn ½ credit. Then, the students rotate to another class for the next 4-week period. Middle school students will also be taught in a similar block schedule, along with a homeroom period and an enhance period daily. This type of scheduling encourages teaching creativity, provides greater flexibility, allows greater opportunity for individualization of assignments, and fosters the creation of a more supportive classroom atmosphere for students.
Electives
During the other two class periods of each school day, high school students may attend elective classes in the regular education setting at UHS or UIHS; or, they may participate in a work/study program; or, they may perform school or community service projects; or, they may attend classes at Tulsa Technology; or, they may receive tutorial or enrichment assignments; or, they may be chosen to attend an abbreviated school day. Some students make up credits by attending a full six-hour school day and then participating in the work/study program after school. Alternative education students may also attend night school or summer school classes. Elective classes including life skills are also offered at the Alternative site. Middle school students will attend all classes at the alternative site.
Parents
Parents are encouraged, but not required, to play an active role in the students’ education. Teachers attempt to telephone parents regularly to discuss successes as well as problems. Input from parents is always encouraged. Parenting information and classes are provided by the Alternative program staff.
Counseling
Counseling plays an important role in the alternative program, and all students are expected to participate actively in a broad range of counseling opportunities.
History of the School
Union Alternative High School started in 1995-96 with three teachers and 45 students as a school-within-the-school program at Union Intermediate High School. A high need for services caused the school to be expanded to 4 teachers and 60 students for the second semester of that year. In 1997, a separate facility was built to house the program, which expanded to serve 112 students with 7 teachers, a full-time principal, and a full-time counselor.
During the past 10 years, the program has consistently been designated as an exemplary alternative education program by the Oklahoma Technical Assistance Center. It has received awards from the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence and from the National Dropout Prevention Network. It has received recognition from the United States Department of Education; it has hosted groups of educators from all over the nation and from England and Taiwan when they have wanted to learn about effective practices in alternative education, and it has been cited as a national model of effective alternative education by educational writers of national renown such as Franklin Schargel, Tony Thacker and Robert Barr.
For the 2007-08 school year, two adjacent buildings have undergone a $1.8 million remodeling to become the new home for the high school program, and the current building has been renovated to house a new alternative middle school for 6 teachers and 90 students.
Principal Biography
Richard Storm is a native Oklahoman who graduated from Collinsville High School in 1967. Following a four-year enlistment in the U.S. Air Force, during which he achieved the rank of sergeant, he attended Northeastern State University on the GI Bill and received his Bachelor of Arts in Education in 1974.
Storm then began a 23-year long career as an English and journalism teacher at Caruthersville (Mo.) High School and Cleveland (Okla.) High School before joining the staff at Union Middle School, where he taught from 1977 to 1991. During this time, he earned a Master of Education degree and school administration certificate from NSU. Having developed an interest in alternative education, he then took a position as Academic Supervisor at Street School in Tulsa for four years before returning to Union to start the Union Alternative Program in 1995. He has served as the principal of Union Alternative School since that school was built in 1997. With his leadership, Union Alternative School won the Oklahoma Medal for Excellence in Alternative Education in 2003 and the Crystal Star Award from the National Dropout Prevention Network in 2005.
Storm was the recipient of the Class Act Teacher Award for Excellence in 1993, and he received the Janice Updike Walker Award from the Oklahoma Alternative Education Association in 2004 in recognition of his longtime achievement as a leader in the state’s alternative education movement.
Storm has two daughters, Marsha and Heather, who graduated from Union High School, and he is the stepfather of five. His greatest pleasures in life are spending time with his wife and twenty-one grandchildren, and rooting for the New York Yankees. Three of his grandchildren, Tempest Cartwright, Kali Cartwright, and Berkley Brown, attend Union’s 8th Grade Center, Intermediate High School, and High School. He is also an active member of the Memorial Drive Church of Christ.
Helpline - Student Assistance Programs
A crisis helpline is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day, to any patron of the district who wants to report a crisis situation or to ask for information. Leave a message and your call will be returned promptly.
461-HELP - Union Safe Line
You may also call
1-877-SAFE-CALL, ext OK!
(1-877-723-3225, ext 651)
SAFE-CALL is a toll-free confidential hotline for students, parents, teachers, neighbors and anyone concerned about the safety of their local school.
Call us when you know of any activity threatening your school.