IDEAS Academy

            Thirty students spent a warm May 1 in Milwaukee as part of the IDEAS Academy’s college readiness program.

Sophomores Davina Boykin, and Isaiah Wilder have taken the responsibility to put together IDEAS Academy's MORP 2013. Morp has been traditionally "prom", but more schools have transitioned from regular prom, to the new theme based or non-traditional prom. Morp will be held on either May 18th or 25th. The location and time have not yet been determined. The Morp committee put together a survey so students can vote on the Morp theme. This year’s theme will be announced at Town Hall this Wednesday. Ticket prices are tentatively set at $4 each, but that could change. The students are excited to have a school dance, because it’s always fun. Morp doesn't have the same things as a regular prom would. At Morp any person can run for Morp king or queen, and music is selected by the students. The dance is planned by IDEAS students, and other friends that may want to go to MORP. Staff makes sure that MORP is safe for the students, and some chaperone. MORP 2013 is going to be fun for all who attend!

Congratulations Jacob, IDEAS Academy Senior

Lots of the students from the IDEAS academy enjoy taking the movement classes. The dance classes are not judgmental, and you don’t need a dance background to take the classes. Students often take dance classes year after year. The dance classes range from ballet, to modern, African, and dance composition. Ballet is usually offered first trimester, while African and Modern are second trimester, and dance composition is third trimester.

IDEAS Academy Improv class presented a cover of The Black Keys song "Tighten Up".

The IDEAS Academy had a goal of 100% college acceptance for every graduating 2013 senior. IDEAS Academy prepares their students for college in a variety of ways, including advisory activities, touring colleges, etc. Advisories are divided by lower and upper class men and is 25 minutes long every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and 55 minutes on Wednesdays. Every advisory is different for the decided grade levels. The freshman and sophomores work on things like their personal pathways, resumes, goal settings, volunteering, and finding jobs while in high school. The juniors and seniors work on planning for the ACT and SAT tests, learning about and signing up for scholarships, and enrolling into colleges.

Sam Priem and Autumn Willard presented their projects titled, “How will I be Treated Today?” at IDEAS Academy Exhibitions of Learning at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center on January 10.

The IDEAS academy has a goal of 100% college acceptance for every senior. Wednesday, November 7,2012 freshmen from IDEAS Academy along with a few upper classmen visited the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus to learn more about college. The majority of freshmen on this trip had visited at least one college before. Before we got to the UWM Campus I asked several freshmen about their opinion on college and if they planned on going. The students thought college was a good thing and you could get more knowledge for a good career. The students had good opinions about college, even some of the students who had no plans on going, freshman Christopher S. said he believes that just because he doesn't have plans on going to college doesn't mean other people shouldn't because it betters people's future. As freshmen lots of students have a fear of not being able to afford college, not fitting in, and are scared of the big changes. During the trip at the beginning none of the freshmen really asked questions, but as the trip went on they came out of their comfort zones and spoke up. They asked questions about picking roommates, class sizes, and picking classes. The freshmen were a little startled and scared about the thought of college. They enjoyed seeing the campus and learning more about college, but they had some worries. Some students were worried about not fitting in, how big the class sizes would be, and the prices they would have to pay to go to college. All very scary topics for any freshmen to think about. On the way back to Sheboygan I talked to freshman Chelsea S. She along with several other students said they didn't really want to go to college because they couldn't really pay for it, and they were scared of the prices. The thought of paying for college alone is very scary, and I told Chelsea that there's always ways to pay for college. You could take out loans, and apply for grants or scholarships. IDEAS is a very great school, and it stresses college to each and every student every week during advisory. Not only does IDEAS have a concern for the students while they're attending IDEAS academy, but they also believe that it's their responsibility to prepare their students for the world, and getting 100% college acceptance for each and every student!

As part of IDEAS Academy’s 100% College Acceptance initiative juniors at IDEAS Academy had the opportunity to take the ACT Plan test last week. The ACT Plan helps students and parents navigate preparations for college and beyond by measuring each student’s current academic development. This important information allows students to make informed choices to ensure they are well prepared for college or other post-secondary goals. IDEAS Academy offers the ACT Plan to all students at no cost to the student. Sophomores will have the opportunity to take the test this spring.

IDEAS Academy students attended a Community Cinema Presentation of Solar Mamas at the John Michael Kohler Art Center on Wednesday.