Scholars' Academy
Coordinates: 40°35′03″N 73°49′31″W / 40.5842°N 73.82535°W
| The Scholars' Academy | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 320 Beach 104th St, Rockaway Park, NY 11694 | |
| Information | |
| Established | September 2005 |
| Principal | Brian O'Connell |
| Grades | 6 to 12 |
| Color(s) | Navy blue, light blue and khaki pants |
| Slogan | Technology today, Smarter tomorrow |
| Team name | Seawolves |
| Newspaper | The Seaside Chronicle |
| Website | http://www.scholarsnyc.com/ |
 | |
Scholars' Academy is a uniformed preparatory school consisting of a middle school (grades 6-8) and a high school (grades 9-12) for gifted and talented children located in Rockaway Park.
From a pilot program, Scholars' Academy has evolved into a co-ed grade 6-12 middle/high school. There are eight classes in each grade of the middle school with a student-to-teacher ratio of 34:1. Students take the Living Environment and Integrated Algebra Regents in 8th grade, and 7th graders take the 8th grade Standardized Science Exam. The high school has four classes in each grade, with an average 30:1 student-to-teacher ratio. After the 11th grade, students typically only take 1-2 more regents exams as in the 11th and 12th grade, between 1/2 and 3/4 of students' classes are Advanced Placement or Dual Enrollment classes (dual enrollment provided by St. Francis College).
Admission to Scholars' Academy involves filling out an application by the prospective student and their family to be sent to Scholars' by their guidance counselor. Applicants either get an early acceptance or offered an interview if they have an IEP.[1] After being accepted into the school, students must maintain an 85% or higher cumulative average. This school is one of the most racially diverse schools in America.
Extracurricular Activities
In the middle school, students are given the opportunity to choose an elective. These electives are piano, music technology, computer programming, guitar, drawing, publishing, dance, sports, fitness, drama, multicultural dance, video streaming, children's literature, Robotics, art and coding.[2] High-school students are also given a choice of an elective such as drawing, guitar, the music of Mexico, and robotics.
Some clubs at the school include the gay-straight alliance club, film production club, chemistry club, biology club, math team, and student government. The school also has a school newspaper that started in the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year called The Seaside Chronicle for anyone to join and write for.
Sports
Most sports available at the Scholars' Academy are PSAL sports such as basketball, swimming, cross country, and bowling. The school also has an archery team. In 2010-2011 HS Girls Volleyball Team won the Volleyball Public School Athletic League Championship the second year they were in the competition.
Hurricane Sandy
Scholars' Academy was one of the city's hardest hit schools by Superstorm Sandy. The first floor was virtually demolished. Not only was it filled up by seawater from both Jamaica Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, but it was also filled with toxic sewage from the sewage treatment plant located directly across the street. Students, most of which were relocated themselves, were relocated to two schools in Brownsville, Brooklyn. After the seawater was drained and the sewage was removed, several feet of sand remained. The theater and all of the first-floor classrooms were completely destroyed, and the gymnasium took an unbelievable amount of damage. After several donations from individuals, disaster recovery teams and companies, the school was able to be repaired. After three and a half months of relocation, the students were permitted to return to the Scholars' Academy building..