Broadalbin-Perth High School students will have access to a new pathway to graduation in 2022-23 with the creation of the Patriot Academy, a plan of study that incorporates hands-on learning with classroom experience to help students gain the skills they need to succeed in the world.
“The Patriot Academy is a co-learning community with the mission to redefine and reimagine education for the 21st century,” said high school principal Mark Brooks who helped create the program. “The world has changed drastically, and it’s important that education follows suit.”
Patriot Academy is one of several “pathways” students can choose as they chart their way through high school. Other pathways include: accelerated (honors); traditional diploma with individual career paths built-in; CTE/PTECH; and, work-based learning.
The Academy is designed to inspire, equip and connect learners while developing each student’s unique talents, passion and purpose. Through the academy, students’ learning shifts from a content-based focus to a skills-based focus built around project-based learning.
“The goal of Patriot Academy is to create an inspiring and exploratory learning environment where every student has the opportunity to discover their passions or foster ones they might already have by working in an interdisciplinary project-based learning setting,” said Brooks.
In the Patriot Academy, students will take courses in subjects such as robotics, computer programming, visual arts, engineering and computer-aided design (CAD), as well as sustainable energy and coding. English language arts and business courses are intertwined to provide real-world connections to the content and standards at hand. The Academy also provides students with core skills essential to future success, such as communication, creativity, critical thinking and collaboration.
Patriot Academy is designed for students who struggle to feel connected in a traditional classroom setting, and who are willing to take a risk in trying something new. Students engage in learning both independently and as a team.
“Patriot Academy offers students an opportunity to challenge themselves in new ways,” said Brooks. “Along the way, we expect students may discover a passion they didn’t even know existed.”
Why Patriot Academy might be for your student:
- Do they want to be engaged?
- Are they struggling to feel connected in a traditional classroom setting?
- Are they willing to take a risk to try something new?
- Do they want to find a passion they didn’t know existed?
- Work independently toward a goal? Accomplish something as a team?
- Fail, but learn and then not just succeed but conquer?
If you answered yes to any of these questions then Patriot Academy might just be for your student!
