owyhee avalanche

Elevate announces driver’s ed. for Marsing

Elevate Academy is now offering driver’s education for Homedale and Marsing students with a Marsing-specific class starting in January.
Elevate Academy is located in Caldwell, and the driver’s ed. staff includes director Lisa Velasquez and administrative assistant Pam Howard, both of whom were involved when the Caldwell School District offered the education to Marsing’s prospective drivers. Howard said many of the same instructors from the Caldwell program have moved to the Elevate program.
“We all certified teachers as instructors,” she said.
Elevate has four new cars for the program, too. The program is accredited through the Idaho State Department of Education. Private driving schools are regulated by the Idaho Transportation Department.
Session 1 for students from all areas has already begun.
Session 2 for all students will run from Sept. 25 to Nov. 13. There are 36 openings in the class, which will be held from 5:30 p.m., to 7 p.m., each Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at Elevate Academy.
The mandatory parent/student meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at Elevate Academy.
After class completion, the tentative permit award event is 6 p.m., on Monday, Nov. 13.
The Marsing-specific session — also with 36 openings — will be held from 5:30 p.m., to 7 p.m., on Mondays, and from 7:30 a.m., to 9:30 a.m., on Fridays between Jan. 22 and March 15.
The mandatory parent/student meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., on Jan. 17, and permits will be awarded (tentatively) at 6 p.m., on March 15.
The Marsing session and pre-session meeting will be held at Marsing High School.
The fee for any of the sessions is $225, which must be paid at the mandatory meeting.
Elevate and Marsing students may qualify for fast forward funding, and should check with their counselors.
Program officials stress that flexibility in setting up driver’s training instruction after the classroom time is appreciated because driver’s training instructors set their own schedules.
Prospective students must obtain a learner’s permit from the Division of Motor Vehicles before they register with the Elevate program.
Online registration, which is on a first-come basis, is available by clicking on the Drivers Ed tab on www.elevate2c.org. You can also get information and reach the program on the Elevate Academy Driver Education Facebook page.
The process to obtain the learner’s permit from DMV includes:
• Tell the DMV clerk to send the permit to the Elevate Academy Caldwell program.
• If the student’s last name is different from that of the parent/guardian, appropriate records should be made available to provide proof of relationship. Step-parents cannot be liability signers unless court adoption papers are provided.
• A “Verification of Compliance” form, obtained from the school office, must be submitted.
• An original, state-certified birth certificate issued from the state where the student was born. Copies aren’t accepted. Students must be 14½ years old on or before the day they purchase a permit.
• Photo identification for both student and parent. Acceptable forms: Student activity card, yearbook, military card, etc.)
• Social Security number
• $26.50 permit fee
• DMV issues a driver’s permit “receipt” with a student driver’s license number, which is required to register online. Bring the receipt to the mandatory meeting, too.