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August Academy: Enculturation to UPCS
All incoming 7th graders to UPCS are strongly urged to attend a three-week academic orientation session called August Academy (typically 100% do). Students take English, math, and science classes with the faculty who will be their teachers during the year. They begin to internalize the culture of the school and learn to meet the school’s high expectations. Teachers begin to assess students and are able to tailor the curriculum for the upcoming year to the particular needs of the incoming students.
Although students all live in the same neighborhood, they come from over a dozen feeder elementary schools. The August Academy gives students an opportunity to get to know each other in a comfortable setting before the school year officially begins.
Engaging, Interdisciplinary Project: In the August Academy, teachers jointly plan an interdisciplinary project based around the book the students read in English class. For example, one year students read Seedfolks by Paul Fleischmann, a story about neighbors who come together to form a community garden. In math, they studied area and perimeter to design their own community garden, and they studied plant biology and visited a local community garden in science.
The books selected for the August Academy are at approximately a 5th grade reading level, but include content that is engaging for middle school students. Teachers are also deliberate in selecting a book and project the students will finish within the three weeks. For many students, August Academy is the first time they have ever finished a book, offering them a confidence boost as they enter the school year.
In their Own Words | "Going to the August Academy made starting high school a little less scary." - Seventh grade student
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Effects of the August Academy: An Extra Month of School: August Academy has the net effect of extending school by one month for seventh graders. Teachers and students have the opportunity to get to know each other in a relaxed environment before other students arrive at the school. During this time, students begin to catch up academically, and the orientation process ensures that teachers and students “hit the ground running” on the first day of school.
 Afternoons on a College Campus: In the afternoons, students walk to the Clark campus where they participate in recreational and enrichment activities led by Clark students and staffed by UPCS upperclassmen. This enables the incoming class to become familiar and comfortable on the college campus and establishes a tiered system of mentorship between UPCS seventh graders and high school students, and between Clark undergraduates and all UPCS students.
Building a Pipeline: Programming for Future UPCS Students: The August Academy aims to make a broad educational impact in neighborhood around the school. Additional programming serves 3rd through 6th graders from the neighborhood. They participate in recreational activities at Clark in the morning and attend courses at UPCS in the afternoon. By spending time on the Clark campus, these elementary school students develop identities as future college students, motivating them to achieve in school. Students in the program get the benefit of additional instruction minimizing the “summer slide.” High school-age students from UPCS staff the program, serving as positive role models from the neighborhood for their younger peers.
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