Saturday School occurs generally twice a month and about forty to eighty students attend. It gives students the opportunity to remove absences and get additional assistance on the content in their classes, as well as possible extra credit in some classes. Although the program was implemented last school year, staff and students are concerned that it has not reached its full potential.
“Students, over the four hours, could get assistance in a variety of areas,” said Principal Mark Sims who finds Saturday School tremendously helpful.
“We brought food and ate a lot too and got extra credit,” said Junior Sisi Fischer who attended Saturday School last year. “I didn’t like the academy, but I would attend again if my teachers offered extra credit. That’s the only reason I would go because I didn’t learn anything.”
Science teacher Nick Williams has participated in Saturday School in the past, and he finds it helpful. He did not offer his students extra credit but he signed off on community service hours. Depending on the day, ten to twenty students come to his classroom for Saturday School.
“Students get a chance to get individual help with things they need assistance on, or to work on a cool project that they’re passionate about,” Williams said.
“We’ve used Saturday school to have students set up and arrange the Makers’ Space and to have students work on projects in the Makers’ Space.” Sophomore Shauna McCloskey also attended last year. She believes it can only help if you are absent frequently.
“I was a part of the weight lifting class at Saturday school and I thought it was a waste of time because I didn’t learn anything that will help me in my classes,” McCloskey said. Though some students did not find these days helpful, Sims finds them beneficial because they generate money for the school. He hopes to start brainstorming ways to increase involvement for Saturday School because he would like to keep the program in place.
“I would hope to see at least 80 to 150 students every time we run it,” Sims said. “I believe we are short of that; however, it has been an odd year with so much going on that has impacted how the school community has responded to Saturday School.”
