Clarke Central High School Freshman Academy staff pose in front of the school on August 4, 2017. The Freshman Academy team has worked to build a strong community of freshmen despite the restrictions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. “The teachers who are on the the Freshman Academy hall right now are working very hard to take care of the social-emotional needs of students, especially through all of the chaos that is happening in our world,” said Freshman Academy leader Shana Biggs. Photo courtesy of Shana Biggs
The Clarke Central High School Freshman Academy is taking action to ensure that the freshmen class successfully integrates into the high school environment despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“(These freshmen) don’t know the ins and outs of being a high schooler and they’re having to do it via Zoom. It’s a huge challenge, and just getting to know students has been rough,” Freshman Academy leader Shana Biggs said. “At this point in the school year, I typically know more about my students but (this year) some of them could walk past me on the street and I wouldn’t recognize them and that honestly breaks my heart.”
“At this point in the school year, I typically know more about my students but (this year) some of them could walk past me on the street and I wouldn’t recognize them and that honestly breaks my heart.”
— Shana Biggs,
Freshman Academy leader
Despite the circumstances of virtual learning, CCHS freshman Naomi Weidemann is hopeful about building connections.
“I don’t know as many people, especially since I didn’t go to Clarke Middle (School) or anything,” Weidemann said. “(Community building) is a little harder but can definitely happen.”
To foster connections between students and encourage academic engagement, the Freshman Academy has created a program, the House of the Gladiator.
“It’s a Harry Potter-style house system where students are put into teams and they compete with each other to win the house championship at the end of the year,” Biggs said. “They can earn points for academics, so if you get All-A Honor Roll or that kind of stuff. They can earn points every week if they are in class on time or communicate with their teacher so they are considered present.”
Biggs plans for the program to span across grade levels in the future.
“We’re hoping the program will grow through this cohort, so each year we’ll add the new freshman class into the same houses,” Biggs said. “This group of freshmen will be the house leaders for their entire four years. So we’re really excited about that.”
