Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here. While most high school students equate four years with the traditional amount of time spent in high school, at Tenor High School, students are done in three. But there is more to the story – students spend their fourth year taking classes at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC), getting a head start on a four- or two-year degree or certificate, or preparing for their careers after high school. That is the magic of Tenor High School, one of the powerful charter schools under the umbrella of Seeds of Health, Inc., Wisconsin’s only K4-12 charter school agency in the state of Wisconsin. Seeds of Health Executive Director Marcia Spector explains the secret behind Tenor High School: “The mission of Tenor High School has always, and will always, remain the same: to prepare Milwaukee students for successful entry to post-secondary education and career opportunities through the dual completion of a high school diploma and a Milwaukee Area Technical College program certificate or technical diploma, and/or credits in a post-secondary degree program.” Do you have feedback on Milwaukee NNS's reporting? Take our survey to let us know how we're doing! 3 + 1 = Success Under Tenor’s unique 3 + 1 model, students graduate with dual certification – a high school diploma and a Milwaukee Area Technical College program certificate or technical diploma, and/or credits in a post-secondary degree program. Tenor students complete all their high school requirements in three years and attend MATC their fourth year. Spector explains, “It’s the only 3 + 1 school in the state of Wisconsin. Nobody else has a program like this dual certification school. Tenor students take three years of high school classes and then go to MATC their 4th. Upon graduation, students can leave with their certificate in an area of trade, continue their studies at MATC and earn an associate degree, or take the credits earned at MATC to a 4-year university.” Whichever path students choose, they are on the road to be successful and workforce ready. The Magic Behind the Tenor Model According to Tenor High School Principal Tyson Tlachac, “Since Tenor’s beginning, more than 500 students have participated in the ‘3 +1′ program, experiencing their 4th year at MATC. That has led to students continuing at MATC to receive a certificate, associate degree, or entering a 4-year degree program.” The Class of 2021 is a testament to the fact that Tenor Students (even when faced with a global pandemic) have the resources available to help guide them to future success and are closely supported and advised by Tenor guidance counselors Carol Pook and Charmin McGlaston. Pook and McGlaston work closely with Tenor seniors to help them determine their post high school plans – whether continuing with their education or entering the workforce, and also help students find and secure scholarships and other means of financial support. Numerous Tenor students receive scholarships and aid each year thanks to these efforts by Tenor counselors. The students also work hard, taking a variety of courses at MATC that can be applied towards a two or four-year degree. One student, Lizeth Galindo, has taken several MATC courses and earned a Nursing Assistant diploma. Lizeth will attend Alverno College with $20,000 a year in scholarships to help her. Another 2021 graduate, Liliana Negron, will continue her education funded by an impressive number of scholarships, totaling $224,000 per year. Many Tenor students work hard both academically and in part-time jobs to achieve their dreams of attending college. Tenor senior Luis Landeros is an example of this as he has spent his weekends, days off and summers working construction with his dad and will be taking 35 college credits and a GPA of 3.829 to the University of Chicago this fall. Luis also attended a virtual pre-college summer program at Harvard in 2020 and will begin college with $72,229 worth of assistance. Like many Tenor students, success runs in Luis’ family – his older sister is a 2019 Tenor graduate studying dietetics at Mount Mary, while his younger brother is a Tenor student. Nanya Khoungmuang has earned the Wisconsin Academic Excellence Award which gives her $2,250 per year to attend MATC, Nayele Garcia – Velazquez heads to MATC with a $1500 scholarship, and Aneila Capetillo earned an MATC General Scholarship. A generous scholarship offered by Dennis and Deborah Conta helps MATC bound students cover costs of their education.