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"BEAVER ISLAND, Mich. — This school isn't a place you end up by accident.
A small propeller plane flight or a two-hour ferry ride into the northern reaches of Lake Michigan gets you as far as St. James, the northern hub of Beaver Island. But it takes another half hour by car, down bumpy gravel roads, to get to the south tip of the island and the small cluster of classroom buildings and log cabins, shadowed by the historic lighthouse for which this secluded alternative high school is named.
"What the hell have I gotten myself into?" That's exactly what 18-year-old Katie Daugherty thought as she arrived at the Beaver Island Lighthouse School last September.
When he arrived, the school had more of a lock-down atmosphere. That caused conflict between the students and Finch's tiny staff, which includes four teachers who live in the cabins with the students."
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Lester Roloff Redux
Finch decided to compromise on some things: He gave the students a bit of free time after meals, and told them that while they had to stay on campus, they didn't have to ask to go to the bathroom or to their cabins.
"It's my belief that if we treat them like derelicts, they're going to act like derelicts," says Finch, who immediately noted a shift in student behavior. "It didn't make things perfect, but it eased tension a lot."
08:48 PM on 01/23/2011
Beaver Island is part of Charlevoix County, which is located on the western shore of the lower Peninsula of Michigan, north of Traverse City. Although Beaver Island is somewhat desolate in the winter, it is a lively part of this resort area in the spring, summer, and fall. It also has a fascinating history as the site of a Mormon settlement in the 1840s. When Mormons left New York, one group following James Jesse Strang settled on Beaver Island. Strang eventually proclaimed himself king and was assassinated by some of his followers, unhappy with conditions on the island, the introduction of polygamy, and other actions. The island is worth a visit on the Beaver Islander, shown in the picture accompanying this article, which sails out of Charlevoix.
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