The Scholars' Academy

Scholars' Academy serves one of the most diverse student populations in New York State. The Scholars' Academy High School student body is 19% Asian, 22% Black, 22% Hispanic, and 37% White. The Scholars' Academy Middle School is 22% Asian, 15% Black, 16% Hispanic, and 45% White. More than 10% of Scholars' Academy students have special needs and the school is over 46% of students with free and reduced lunch status. Scholars' Academy students benefit academically, as well as socially and emotionally. During instruction, all Scholars are actively engaged in teams called triads on learning tasks through a "Scale-Up" research-based model of cooperative learning used by many top universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). From grade 6 through grade 12, students at the Scholars' Academy leverage technology and cooperatively engage in learning tasks and performance based assessments which enhance their academic performance to better prepare for college and careers of the 21st Century. Technology tools such as ipads, Chromebooks, MacBooks and iMacs are used in every class. Students have access to screencasts, lesson plan tasks, and online tools in school and from home. The instructional programs at Scholars' Academy have generated incredible results. In middle school, mathematics and ELA performance is at 93% and 90% respectively, while out performing comparison school populations by 6% in mathematics and 3% in ELA. In high school, 100% of students graduated in 4 years. 100% of students completed college courses. 99% of high schoolers earned College Ready status. Students earned between 20-30 college credits through college partner, St. Francis College. Students also earned Advanced Placement Course credits in courses such as: AP English Language, AP Calculus, AP English Literature, AP U.S. History, A.P. Physics, and AP Art, etc. Each year, students, teachers, and parents complete surveys that delineate the degree of satisfaction with the school's work utilizing the Framework for Highly Effective Schools. With regard to Rigorous Instruction, 90% of those surveyed responded positively. With regard to Collaborative Teachers, 92% of survey responses were positive. With regard to a Supportive Environment, 85% of surveys were positive. With regard to Effective School Leadership, 94% of survey responses were positive. With regard to both Strong Family Ties and Trust Framework Categories, 92% of survey results were positive. Scholars' Academy has many sports teams in both middle and high school such as boys and girls basketball, high school swimming, high school bowling, high school golf, high school archery, middle and high school girls volleyball, middle school track and field, high school track and high school girls soccer, high school girls softball and boys baseball, and middle school lacrosse. There are many electives enjoyed by students during the school day such as: Lego robotics, chess, yearbook, mathletes, urban art, band, yoga, journalism, chorus, sports marketing, livestreaming, book making, debate, and guitar, code academy, Magic Box Video Production, crochet, gardening, stock market game, brain games, coding, debate, and stop motion video, etc. The students of Scholars' Academy also benefit from strong family-community ties. Scholars' Academy has partnerships with community-based organizations such as: Millennium Development, Rockaway Waterfront Alliance, and Rockaway Rotary Club; Higher Education Institutions such as: Queens College School of Education and St. Francis College; and Cultural/Arts Organizations such as: Broadway Jr. and the Magic Box Corporation. The primary career and college readiness partner of the Scholars' Academy is Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. Each year, Broadridge Executives provide career awareness trainings, on site shadowing opportunities, mentoring, college essay support, scholarships, and employment coaching, thereby helping Scholars' in pursuit of college and career readiness. Locally, Scholars' seniors also have the opportunity to apply for internships in community based workplaces. A Brief History of the Scholars' Academy The Scholars' Academy, located on the Rockaway Peninsula, was created by a District 27 School Board Resolution on March 1, 2004 to create an academically accelerated and demographically integrated haven of learning for gifted children. The Scholars' Academy was charged with the mission of attracting high performing students from opting for other competitive entry, or highly sought after, public, charter, or private schools. To accomplish this goal, The Scholars' Academy, currently a 6-12th grade school, replaced middle school (27Q180). The Scholars' Academy was initially founded as a middle school, however the school's immediate success prompted parents to lobby for the expansion of the school to include high school grades in 2007. Since 2007, the Scholars' Academy expanded to over 1,380 students. To accommodate the growing high school due to the incredible graduation rate, college enrollment rate, and scholarships earned, the number of middle school classes were decreased from the original 9 per grade to 6 homerooms per grade. The Scholars' Academy was severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy on October 28th, 2012. The school suffered millions of dollars in damage and the middle school and high school were separated and relocated at two different schools in East New York, Brooklyn until January 11th, 2013. The staff, students, and parents rallied to keep the spirits of one another aloft as they dealt with more than ½ - ¾ of the student population and staff being rendered homeless or displaced for months. The school is currently near complete renovation since the storm and school life has returned to normalcy, while the larger Rockaway Community is more prosperous and popular than before the storm. The founding principal is Brian O'Connell who led the Scholars' Academy since its inception in 2004 until March or 2020. His successor as Principal is Michele Smyth, who is supported by three assistant principals: Toni Marie Viera, Dannielle Colleran, and Sean Brandeis. The Objectives of the Scholars' Academy