NAUGATUCK — More than a year after school officials opened the doors to the Genesis Academy they are hoping to expand the alternative program.
The Genesis Academy, which officially opened in September 2015, is an alternative education program for Naugatuck High School students who are at risk academically, behaviorally or due to poor attendance. The academy, which is located at the former Naugatuck Visiting Nurses Association building at 600 Rubber Ave., follows the same calendar as the high school, and students are held to the same standards as those who attend NHS.
Naugatuck High School Principal Jan Saam said there are 20 students in grades nine through 11 at the academy this year. The students attend the program for the first six periods, or until about 12 p.m., then go to the high school for periods seven and eight, she said.
Saam said officials have noticed positive trends, including higher attendance and better relationship building with teachers, among the students at the Genesis Academy.
“Overall we are seeing students earning more credits than on the main campus,” Saam said. “Attendance has also greatly improved. This is huge because you can’t be successful in school if you are not there.”
Since the program has had a positive impact on students, the district is looking into the possibility of expanding it.
“I would certainly like to service more than 20 students. I want it to be a ninth through 12th-grade program,” Saam said.
Part of the goal of the program is to prepare students to return to the main high school. In order to do so, they must be academically, socially and emotionally prepared to return, Saam said. For some students, she said, that could take one, two, or even three years at the academy. Other students may not ever be prepared to return to the main campus, she said.
“That is why I want students to have the capacity to receive a high school diploma through Genesis Academy,” Saam said. “This is going to mean more services and more courses offered through the program.”
Saam said expanding the program would include more space, more teachers, and more “wrap-around services,” such as counseling and mental health services.
In addition, students would be able to earn credits for “real-world experience,” such as job training, and have more cultural opportunities, such as attending plays and museums, Saam said.
“I think we need to move to the mindset of anywhere, anytime learning, not just traditional classroom learning,” Saam said.
Officials are seeking grant funding to help with a potential expansion. The Board of Education this month approved a letter of intent to apply for the Connecticut Opportunity Project grant.
The Connecticut Opportunity Project, which is funded by Barbara Dalio and the Dalio Foundation, describes itself as “a collaborative effort to unleash the untapped potential of youth who are disengaged or disconnected from high school in Connecticut,” according to the organization’s website.
The grant is competitive and will only be awarded to 12 out 100 school districts that apply.
“So we only have about a one in 10 chance of receiving that grant,” Superintendent of Schools Sharon Locke said.
Whether the Genesis Academy expands doesn’t hinge on getting the Connecticut Opportunity Project grant. The district is constantly applying for any applicable grant it finds, and this is just the latest one, Locke said.
As the district works out the details of a potential expansion plan, Saam said the academy will continue to focus on ensuring the students reach their highest level of success.
“If they had seven to nine years of not experiencing success, it is not going to happen overnight. Success breeds success. Small increments of ‘yes, you can do this and we will show you how to be successful’ help them move in that direction,” Saam said.
