Francis Howell Union: the district’s best kept secret

Francis Lunatto, Live Stream Editor

Francis Howell Union High School is the district’s alternative high school housed in the former Francis Howell Senior High School’s “C” building adjacent to the modern FHHS.

There are many reasons why students from each of the three comprehensive high schools within the district may want to be enrolled, and space is extremely limited. Students fill out an application at their high school and are interviewed before enrollment is approved.

Francis Howell Union runs on a block schedule, consisting of two hours of direct instruction courses and two hours of students completing courses at their own pace on the A+ LS software.

There are many programs offered to students at FHU who are experiencing challenges in their lives outside of school, such as a backpack program through Harvester Christian Church which provides food to students with low income to take home to their families every Friday, as well as a parent program which works with current and expecting teen parents to help them raise a healthy child. FHU also offers a great special education program to help students with IEP’s.

Missouri Options and Pre-Missouri Options are programs utilized to help students who are at risk of dropping out or not graduating on time. Students must take American Government, Personal Finance, and Health, as well as pass all of their end-of-course exams before taking the HiSET exam (previously known as the GED).

For those who are interested in FHHS/FHU History:
After the Francis Howell Senior High School’s deconstruction in 2011, Francis Howell Union was relocated from the downstairs portion of the “B” building to the remaining “C” building. Legend has it that tunnels remain underneath the C building from when the area was an army base.