San Marcos Record, San Marcos, TX

Local News

February 15, 2012

SMHS academy structure showing benefits

By David Short Staff Reporter

San Marcos — After only one semester, San Marcos High School is already seeing benefits to the new academy structure.  And one of those, school officials say, is that it will pay off for the entire community in the long run.

“Our first semester attendance report is in and we are up a full percentage point over the last five years,” Michelle Darling, principal of SMHS, said.

With many schools having to combat attendance problems and dropout rates, the academy concept could be a new trend in keeping students engaged and graduating, she said.

“We’ve found that the academy concept is giving students a sense of belonging, which is a basic human need.  Students are telling us that they feel there’s a purpose to come to school.  And we are seeing very few students changing academies,” Darling said.

Under the new structure, there are five academies at the high school.  Freshman are all in the 9th Grade Academy, which is further divided into smaller groups.  After the freshman year, students choose to enter one of four other academies:  Applied Sciences, Arts and Communications, Health and Human Services or Hospitality, Business and Law.

Darling says the two largest are the Arts and Communications Academy and the Health and Human Services Academy.  

“Under each of the academies are several career paths, and we hope to expand those in the future.  For example, we don’t have a travel and tourism area yet and living here in San Marcos, it’s a major industry,” Darling said.

With the opening next fall of the new CTE building, Darling said it will house agriculture classes which will include a greenhouse for students to use. The building trades and culinary classes will also have new facilities in the building.

Darling said another benefit the academies have brought is more participation by students in field trips like the one in which those interested in nursing toured Central Texas Medical Center.  Others have gone to various Austin Community College campuses and Texas State University, where they’ve been able to see first hand the educational opportunities and trade courses available once they graduate from SMHS.

Overall, Darling is pleased with the progress of the various academies.

“Some of the accomplishments aren’t as visible to others but the small indicators show we are on the right track,” Darling said.

   

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