As every other year, the new school term brings new changes to the nest, this time affecting the 537 students of the freshman class. A new program, the Freshman Success Academy was recently put in place for the 2024-2025 school year.
The freshman academy was created in hopes of increasing freshman attendance, grades, and behavior. Led by ninth-grade resource support teacher Ben Uphoff, guidance counselor Kathleen Scibetta, and assistant principal Jenniffer Pierson, 28 freshman teachers are working together to make this program a reality. “The Freshmen Success Academy is a team that we have put together here to just help ensure that the ninth graders have a smooth transition from eighth grade into ninth grade,” said Uphoff. “And just make sure that they are completely comfortable in this new environment to help ensure their success in ninth grade.”
Part of the academy includes creating freshman data tracking sheets that will allow students to set goals for grades, attendance, and behavior, in an effort to improve accountability.
Despite the academy meeting only twice this year, they have meetings planned for every 3rd Wednesday of the month, and staff that are part of the Success Academy will track students’ progress while meeting regularly.
Part of the program is incorporating periodic rewards. “So we’re still kind of starting brainstorming some of those ideas,” said Scibetta. “And we’re going to be kind of seeking some student input as well, especially for celebrations that they’re interested in, but some of the things we talked about in our first meeting might be like an ice cream social sort of thing.”
Teachers in the academy will be meeting with students who showed signs of academic or behavioral struggles in middle school as well as those consistently getting referrals. Students with chronic absences, tardies, or early sign-outs will also be monitored. Meanwhile, grades will be reviewed throughout the year, before interims, quarters, and semesters.
“We’re going to be working together as an academy to be able to put some interventions in place to make sure that those students kind of get back on track to what they need to be doing,” said Pierson.
The Freshman Academy is a pilot program and Cape Coral High School is one of the first schools in Lee County to put it in place. However, there are suggestions to expand the program to different grade levels beyond 9th grade.
“It is something that the 10th-grade teachers have asked for,” said Pierson. “And so I think that we’re looking maybe Mr. Jackson is also looking at like pulling a group of three 10th grade teachers together and kind of mirroring, some of the things that we’re going to be doing with their Freshman Academy.”
Scibetta agreed saying, “One of the things we did talk about in the first freshman Success Academy meeting was, well, if this works so well, for freshmen, why wouldn’t? Why would we stop just after freshmen?”
Although freshman orientation is not a part of the Freshman Success Academy it was one more event set forth for freshman success, the first time in years that it has been hosted.
“It was a great opportunity for them to just be themselves, to kind of get to see the school without having all 2000 plus students here, and just to orient themselves with some of the kids they know, and give them an opportunity to see this school beforehand,” said Jackson.
Ultimately, this program seeks the collaboration of new students, staff, and parents to help freshmen students achieve more.
“No, I think our always our biggest concern is just getting parents involved,” said Jackson. “And that’s part of this, we’re very open communication. It’s just making sure that the parents are involved and they know what’s going on. That’s but no other obstacles. It’s gonna be a fun year. Teachers are all on board.”
