Chalmette High School has opened its long-awaited 9th-Grade Academy to students. The complex, across from the main campus, boasts of a 3-story classroom building, a new gymnasium, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a wrestling arena, and a fitness center. The Academy is home to approximately 380 freshmen.
The facility was built around research-based practices that recommend 9th-Grade Academies as a way to stem the drop-out tide that seems to hit 9th-graders across the nation. "Our district wanted to make sure that every student had the opportunity to be successful in high school, and our teachers worked last year to design a program that would assist students in their classwork and transition to high school," said CHS principal Wayne Warner. "The 9th-Grade Academy concept is what research tells us is most effective."
The program divides students into 3 cohorts of about 126 students which are served by the same 6-8 teachers. "Each cohort has all of their classes on the same floor, with the same teachers. The students only leave their floor to attend PE. The result is that teachers and students get to really know each other and work well together to ensure student success." Warner said.
"Should a student have academic or social difficulties, he now has a team of teachers on his side," said Charlotte Mayne, Assistant Principal and 9th-Grade Academy site administrator. "Team members meet almost daily to discuss student progress and make decisions about how best to meet the needs of any student who may be on the verge of falling through the cracks. Failure is not an option for our students, and we are on top of their progress each and every day."
The school provides tutoring to students during lunch and after school. In addition, students who choose not to complete assignments or who may choose to complete them without a best effort are required to attend tutoring sessions until work is completed.
The program was designed by faculty members at Chalmette who spent the entire second half of last year researching best education practices, visiting 9th-Grade Academies already in operation, and talking with national consultants on improving student achievement. "I think we have put together all of the best suggestions and will avoid many of the start-up pitfalls of a new program because of our extensive study of the concept," Mayne said. "I am very excited that we are able to bring this program to our students and give them the best possible head start into high school."
The Chalmette High School Lacoste Campus complex will also house the school's Cultural Arts facility. That building, scheduled for completion in November 2010, will feature a dance studio, music and choral studios, a performance theater, and a 9th-grade library emphasizing cultural arts. The facility will also house a branch of the public library.
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