FCPS Academy classes - please share opinions and experiences, more inside

[Anonymous]

DS is considering signing up for an Academy class 11th grade. In doing so, he will have to drop band or his foreign language. Is it worth it to get involved in an Academy class? How valuable are they? Are they considered better than regular FCPS electives? I can't find any information online about the experience students have had and the FCPS website isn't very detailed.

[Anonymous]

Keep in mind that he might actually need to use all three electives unless the academy is housed in his base school. Most programs require you to build in travel time, which eats that last elective. Because of that, my child is holding off on doing the animal science program until senior year, because she's got to finish her foreign language during her junior year. They do a lousy job of explaining that requirement to the kids when they present the academy options.

[Anonymous]

While many sound interesting, I wonder if it's worth the trade off of losing electives at your base school.

For instance, giving up the tradition of band in order to explore veterinary science or culinary arts.

[Anonymous]

Also, is it worth giving up an advanced degree in order to fit an academy class into your schedule?

Many students would need to drop their third year of a foreign language to fit an academy class into their schedules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, is it worth giving up an advanced degree in order to fit an academy class into your schedule?

Many students would need to drop their third year of a foreign language to fit an academy class into their schedules.

This is not true. If you take 1 or two classes in the summer (PE, Personal Finance) you should be fine. Lots of kids do it. I know kids that are doing it now.

As for giving up other electives, like the tradition of band referred above, not everyone is interested in that stuff. The academies offer things for kids with interests that traditionally fall outside classroom teaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While many sound interesting, I wonder if it's worth the trade off of losing electives at your base school.

For instance, giving up the tradition of band in order to explore veterinary science or culinary arts.

I'm the pp who mentioned my child waiting until senior year to do the animal science academy. For my daughter, there was no hesitation about "giving up" other options at her base school because the academy seemed designed especially for her in terms of what she's passionate about and wants to do with her days, both right now and in the future. It was a blow to find out she had to wait an additional year in order to finish her language (summers aren't on the table for her or else we would have definitely chosen to do an online program to free up the space). I think that's the real gift of the academy model, that it speaks to kids who are looking for something other than the usual high school menu of options. That's why it's frustrating that they haven't come up with a better way to participate than to try to shoehorn it into the regular day, which makes things like losing an elective to transportation a barrier.

[Anonymous]

My DD and DS have loved their academy classes. However the Academy was tied to their base school so they didn't need transportation. There is an option to take a year long on line class to get Academy classes to work in the schedule. My DS didn't do that but several of his friends did.

[Anonymous]

My DS took the law enforcement classes at FCHS academy - total waste of time, but he enjoyed having a class where they generally watched movies and tv all day!

On the other hand, my friend's DS had a terrific experience with cosmetology and culinary arts.

So, like with everything, seems to depend on the specific program and teacher.

[Anonymous]

Is it worth the disruption to his day?
Is he an outliner, in some way, at his present school?

Acedemy classes serve an important purpose, as an alternative to the base school but it is a disruption.