Principal Travonna Hunter and Chad Carr, executive vice president of ACCEL School Network, spoke with the Springfield News-Sun on Wednesday about the new school that will offer competitive sports and physical conditioning along with academics.
“We are really excited about partnering with the parents and really giving the community an opportunity for a different experience in education,” Hunter said. “(To) provide the intervention or the enrichment that students need to really prepare them to run their own race and make sure all of our friends hit the finish line strong and ready for the next grade level.”
Hunter said they are under an academic plan called the Blitz model where kids get “maximized academics” as well as the opportunity of team sports, electives and recess. She said the curriculum and schedule allow students to get an hour of whole group instruction, reading and math, and an hour of small group instruction.
“We’re putting students first, we’re going to train kids so that they can be resilient, respectful and on the road to continuous improvement. We talk about our data with students, with teachers, and we make sure that we reflect on where we are so that as we move forward, we strive to make greater steps and get better every day,” she said.
Carr said the goal of the academy is to provide kids with the chance to develop themselves academically and athletically without sacrificing all of their afternoons and evenings to practice.
Students get an hour of teams sports, but each grade level is different, Carr said. For example, grades K-2 will have a different sport each week to learn, as well seasonal sports such as soccer in the fall and basketball in the winter.
“Instead of parents having to run them all over the town when school gets out, we’re handling that practice during our physical education time,” he said.
Braxton Miller, Ohio State Buckeye football standout and Springfield native, is supporting and “charging” the new school, where he will be “hands on” in attendance a few times a week.
“This was a dream of mine to come back to home, open a sports academy and be able to provide to the local community, local parents and the kids that want to be successful in sports and academics,” he said during opening day. “You work for yourself, be independent, that’s very important so we are going to start you guys off at the youngest age to be that type of people.”
Carr met Miller earlier this year, when Miller told him about his vision to help kids be strong academically and athletically.
“He told us what he really wanted, and then ACCEL Schools came through and made it happen... He wants to be here so the kids are excited to come to school, (and know) with education and proper training you can be successful,” he said.
The school day runs from 7:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Students will receive daily instruction in English/language arts, math, science, social studies and sports, as well as art, music, technology and social-emotional learning. Throughout the year, students, teachers, administrators and parents will track academic performance based on regular assessments, scrimmages and academic competition.
In addition to fitness, intramural practice and game theory, students will play card and board games to learn aspects of sportsmanship, collaboration and leadership. By fourth grade, students will have the opportunity to participate in competitive intramural and league sports, and middle school students will have the opportunity for seasonal or year-round team sports.
The academy is open to anyone on a first-come, first-served basis, with doors open all year long for those who are interested in attending.
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