On the first day of school three years ago, teacher Germaine Wagner thought she'd never get ahead of her students.

"I had this knot in my stomach," Wagner said. "It was like two steps forward, one step back, 'am I getting anywhere?'"

It was an unusual feeling for an educator with 15 years of experience.

But Wagner wasn't at Pineview Elementary, where she was familiar with how everything worked. She was at Frontier Middle School, a new, somewhat controversial program.

Frontier opened its doors in the fall of 2005. It boasted a high-access program with a sincere focus on developing relationships and engaging students, where students were given laptops and shared governance.

Core classes were out; literacy blocks were in.

The building layout split students into small learning communities, or "houses."

Social studies and English weren't separate classes. Teacher integrated education standards into comprehensive activities.

The school bucked a century-old education system that dictated using pencils, paper and textbooks to learn. And the Casper community hesitated to embrace Frontier's nontraditional philosophies.

"You blaze that trail, half the community thinks your nuts," said co-principal Verba Echols. "You have to be bravest. You have to believe education can be different."

Fast forward three years. Parents are still uneasy about Frontier's curriculum. Enrollment has yet to reach the building's 600-student capacity.

But Echols, co-principal Danna Anderson and Frontier's teachers say they have succeeded in personalizing education for their students and helping move Natrona County learning into the 21st century.

"When you start brand new, you have to establish a culture," Anderson said. "And we have."

Thanks to Frontier's success in using technology in the classroom, other schools are phasing in programs that put laptops into the hands of their students and teachers.

Kelly Walsh, Natrona County, Centennial, CY and Dean Morgan schools are the latest to jump on the technology bandwagon with Frontier.

Instead of having a stomach knot, Wagner now walks into school excited about the unexpected things the day will bring. She still remembers how hard the first year was, as everyone threw their previous teaching experiences out the window and learned right along with their students.

"We were rough on ourselves," Wagner said.

Frontier seems to overflow with students who are excited to learn. Echols and Anderson know every student by name. Teachers freely offer compliments and positive encouragement.

"I like the teachers here," said eighth-grader Danielle Caraveau. "The principals are great. I just like the school. I wanted to come here ever since it opened."

Echols said enrollment has stayed low because parents are still learning to trust Frontier and its style of learning.

Perhaps the school moved too fast.

No letter grades? Integrated classes?

Even the simple things, like not having lockers, were hard for parents to adjust to.

So Frontier adjusted. Assessments are still based solely on state standards, but students also get grades. Staff members work hard to clearly communicate the school's programs to parents and the community.

"It's hard to come up with that magic quota," Echols said. "When everything is new, it just builds in a little bit of doubt, and with doubt, comes worry and concern."

"Opening up something new, especially with brand new idea, is way harder than any of us dreamed," Anderson said. "We've just come a long way."

Reach education reporter Jasa Santos at (307) 266-0593 or at Jasa.Santos@trib.com.