This school year has brought the addition of the Freshman Academy, about which many teachers seem to have positive feedback. The Freshman Academy gives freshman the attention necessary to have a successful transition from middle school to high school. The academy has four teams within it, which allows the teachers to coordinate their plans. Ms. Levin (a freshman English teacher) really enjoys the setting and feels that she knows the students better than before. The teachers are also better able to give students the help they need.

The Academy hasn’t been easy to initiate, as there have been many obstacles and limitations. For the teachers, time has been the most restricting aspect of the Academy. They try to get together and coordinate lesson plans, but this takes extra time. It’s difficult for the teachers to plan each week and match each lesson for English, history, science, etc. The class scheduling issue early in the year was another obstacle for the academy teachers, but they were able to overcome this predicament.

With the addition of the Academy also came the new mandatory elective (for freshman only) called Success in High School. The title of the course may soon change to “Freshman Seminar” to give the course the weight it deserves. The course is designed to give students organization, research, and note taking skills. Currently, the freshmen are working on a Middle Eastern Project which involves doing research in the library, interviewing, and creating a podcast. They are also teaming up with technology coordinator Mr. Barron to create the podcast.

It seems as if the teachers are enjoying the Academy, but the true test is the students’ response. The freshmen gave the academy mixed reviews, but most agreed that it seems to be getting better. One student, Alix Cangialosi, said of the academy, “[In the past] I haven’t been able to study well, but I’ve finally found a study skill which is really helping me.” Ms. Levin feels that the Academy has made the students’ transition from middle school to high school easier. She also thinks that the students feel especially comfortable asking questions and problems because they have her for class so often.

The program has been created to give students basic building blocks and a foundation for high school. They have been taught how to use Noodle Tools for research so they know how to use this resource all through high school. This will help teachers in future years skip directions on how to research and use programs like Moodle, Noodle Tools or Destiny, to name a few.

From a teacher’s perspective, Ms. Levin feels that this class “makes the students more confident and successful.” She is able to create stronger relationships with the students by getting to know them better. Overall, it sounds like the Freshman Academy is a program in the process of becoming a huge success. For me personally, freshman year was difficult and it is nice to see the staff getting involved and helping make middle to high school a smoother transition.