Learning Never Stops: A Spotlight On The Summer School Team

Visions’ graduation ceremonies are the mark for many of the end of the school year. It often means summer break for both students and teachers, and a respite from the hard work of the academic year.

For some students, their educational journeys to graduation may look a little different from the traditional path. To help support those students who have failed a class, need to catch up on credits, or make it to the graduation finish line, Visions offers a Summer School program. Sixteen dedicated and passionate teachers from all academies, as well as a counselor, come together to provide students with the additional guidance needed to get back on track for their diploma.

“One of the reasons I wanted to take on the summer school program this year was because I empathized with the students who had been in either middle school or high school during the pandemic. I wanted to help them see that we/they can overcome obstacles and have a brighter future,” says Josh Imler, Independent Study Academy Vice Principal who took on the role of Summer School Principal.

With over 1,000 kids in this year’s program, meeting each student’s specific needs was no easy feat. It took countless hours of communicating with the students and their families, reviewing classes and transcripts, and motivating them to complete their work. Despite the odds, our summer school students truly stepped up, and we’re proud to say that we graduated 66 students from the Summer School program this year.

“Graduating high school…is LIFE CHANGING. So, any opportunity we can provide seniors/super seniors to earn back their deficient credits is vital,” says Dr. Mike Granchukoff, Independent Study Academy teacher. “I am so proud of our summer school students for following through and making the most of this opportunity! The successes in summer school this year have been record-breaking!”

1% Better

Our Summer School team served three categories of students this year – newly enrolled students who had failed a class at a previous school, continuing students who had failed a class at Visions, and, new this year, continuing students who needed additional support in math, which is a big factor for students to graduate.

“I had five…potential summer grads who would not [have] be[en] able to graduate without the addition of offering math this summer,” says Meghan McFadyen, Independent Study Academy teacher. “[It’s] amazing that these students now have the opportunity to complete high school over the summer with the addition of IM1A and IM1B being taught by our awesome summer math teachers.”

Although summer school is available for high school students in all academies, in our Independent Study Academy specifically, there is a huge need to recover credits. So many students come to Visions credit deficient, needing to get back on track to graduate with their cohort. The Summer School team was able to meet that need for nearly 1,300 students, recouping 7,000 credits (just short of 1,500 classes) during this year’s program.

“This is my third summer as a Credentialed Teacher in the Summer School program,” says Megan Sedillo, Independent Study Academy teacher. “I love that our school offers such a comprehensive program in the summer to help seniors graduate on time and to help credit deficient students make up for lost time.”

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Each and every one of our Summer School team members committed themselves to providing a program that kept students on track for their graduation goals, offering support from the very first day of orientation to the summer graduation ceremony on August 15th.

From Independent Study Academy teacher Chris Fischer helping our students learn to use Visions’ systems, to University Prep Early College Academy teachers Krista Magennis and Hilary Ducharme supporting our students through their math classes, to Independent Study Academy teacher Barbara Platt guiding students to the graduation finish line, teamwork truly does make the dream work.

“Everyone on the Summer School team has been super supportive, creative and helpful. My colleagues…rose to each challenge with grace and intelligence,” says Alison Sampson, Independent Study Academy teacher.

“Josh has been amazing as the Summer School admin, offering unwavering support and excellent communication with teachers. As the Summer School counselor, Kiely has been incredibly responsive in confirming and adding classes for students eager to take more courses during the summer,” says Mindi Rold, Independent Study Academy teacher. “Their prompt responses and clear communication have enabled us to serve our students quickly and more effectively. It was an amazing group, all dedicated to helping students meet their goals.”