Springboard was begun in fall of 2004. The program was designed to meet the needs of students aged 16 or over who have earned few Carnegie credits and are at risk for dropping out of school. Springboard offers students the opportunity to not only obtain their GED but also prepare them for higher education or entry into the work-force.

The students' day is divided into two parts. They spend half their day in a classroom environment with limited enrollment offering academic preparation aimed at successful GED test completion. The second half of the day is spent in a work study placement with businesses in the Hamburg area where the young people work for a few hours each afternoon in a job internship. They receive hands-on training as well as opportunities to learn job oriented skills to help them obtain and maintain employment. Students rotate through four work sites each year as the school's quarter changes. Much time, effort and communication is invested in working with the students and their job site mentors who offer their support and care to the student's progress.

The following Hamburg area businesses have been very supportive in working with our students in the past: Pasta Pronto; Music Exchange; Expressions Floral & Gift Shoppe; Artcraft Expressway Printing; Comfort Zone Café; Bark-Barber; Karstedt's Auto; Wee-Folk Child Care Centre; Tony's Bayview Drive In; Creative Photography and Root Five Waterfront Restaurant. Additional work sites will be added as the specific needs of future students dictate. The businesses and agencies providing work sites for our students during the current academic year are the following:

• Blasdell Pizza
• Pasta Pronto
• Comfort Zone Cafe in the Vilage of Hamburg
• Comfort Zone Cafe in McKinley Mall
• Eric Commmunity College