Freshman Academy debuts to help meet student needs

October 19, 2009 • Hannah Goldstein  
Filed under News

Freshman Riley Harrold walks down the hall with her books in hand, chatting with a few friends before C Block.  Their discussion ends right as they turn a corner, and there’s a slight silence before her friends strike up another conversation.

“What class do you have next, Riley?” one of them casually asks.  In response, Harrold gestures to the room immediately to their right and says, “Freshman Academy.”

Harrold is a freshman enrolled in the new freshman-only class, which replaces last year’s computer applications.

Freshman Academy has a syllabus similar to computer applications, but also teaches important skills such as organization, taking notes and public speaking. It helps students prepare for the demands of high school.

The class is worth half a credit, is taken in a rotating block for one semester, and is taught by Kelley Parsons and Jerry Hackenbruck.

Computer applications once was a mandatory class, whereas Freshman Academy is highly recommended, but not required.

Many freshmen, skeptical about the course, wanted the half-credit for a more advanced class and asked for their parents’ permission to opt out of taking it.

The other 80-85 percent of the freshman body are currently taking the “modified and improved version of computer apps,” according to Hackenbruck.

Many students in freshman academy view the class as beneficial to those who are disorganized or struggle with computers.

“It’s a waste of time sometimes because I already know how to do most of what we’re learning,” said Harrold, “but I guess I can see it helping the students who aren’t doing as well in class.”

Not all students think freshman academy is pointless.

Caroline Nyberg had only good things to say about the class.

“I like freshman academy a lot,” Nyberg said. “I think that it’s really going to get us ready for high school.”

When the district announced that the computer applications class was no longer going to be mandatory, Hackenbruck and the other computer applications teacher came together and created Freshman Academy.

“We thought that the class was a necessary and an important part of a freshman’s education.  So when we heard that it was not going to be required for the incoming freshman class, we teamed up and added on to the computer applications class syllabus to create the new freshman academy class,” said Hackenbruck.

In addition to creating the class, they also applied for funding from the school to provide all freshmen with their own homework planner to enforce organization.

“Freshman Academy is an excellent addition to Summit’s curriculum to ensure a higher level of success for its students,” said counselor Debbie McKeown. “It offers important learning techniques, and teaches skills that are helpful for the rest of a school career.”