Encouraging
Knighthood

Freshman Academy

At Kenowa Hills, we strive to ensure our students adjust successfully as they move from one of our school buildings to the next. As our 8th graders transition into high school, we understand the pressure to succeed increases. Academic stakes are higher, athletics become more competitive, and our Knights are not only managing school work but many times part-time jobs and beginning to think about life after graduation.

To support our students, we launched the Kenowa Hills Freshman Academy at the start of the 2022-23 school year. The mission of the Freshman Academy is to provide a safe, supportive, structured, and academically challenging environment to help students transition from middle school to high school, allowing them a space to mature into accountable, independent learners.

Our 9th grade students are placed in a small learning community where they can adjust to the challenges of high school with the support of a dedicated group of teachers. This school year our Freshman Academy includes 10 teachers representing the four core content areas (English, Math, Science, and Social Studies), as well as the Spanish, and Health and Physical Education departments. These Freshman Academy teachers eagerly and intentionally support students in their academic and extracurricular activities as a member of this smaller, more personal learning environment.

All 9th grade core content classes are near one another within the high school, creating the sense of a “freshman campus.” This helps establish a smaller, close-knit learning community that encourages positive academic and social development. It also nurtures meaningful relationships between students and staff, and between the students themselves.

The Kenowa Hills Freshman Academy is designed to offer students high levels of academic, behavioral, and social guidance and support. This assistance will help ensure that our 9th grade students finish their freshman year with the confidence, skills, and knowledge to succeed while at Kenowa Hills High School and beyond.

DID YOU KNOW?

• The Freshman Academy supports the transition to high school for all students by increasing the success rate of each and every incoming freshman.
• Ten teachers, with the support of four counselors, collectively focus on meeting the academic, social, and behavioral needs of all Freshman Academy students.
• Freshman Academy staff partner with AdventurePoint staff in Walker to provide specialized learning experiences. Our students and staff attend AdventurePoint outdoor day camps to make connections with each other while developing skills in listening, team building, and leadership.
• Students will have the opportunity to learn outside the school by attending local events like the opera and professional athletic contests.
• AdventurePoint staff come to the high school to help students continue the development of skills learned during outdoor day camp experiences.
• Freshman Academy learning experiences support student growth in all five domains of the District’s Profile of a Graduate.