Academics
Holding our students to a higher expectation.
Academics Overview
Changing Lives - A teacher's perspective
“We see incredible academic transformation here at WJA, but there is no magic and there are no miracles. The school’s success results from the hard work these young men put in every day. We set high standards for our students. We expect excellence from them— in classroom discussion, in written work, and on exams. We do not accept excuses.
Through our small class size, extended day, evening study hall and individual attention, we help each young man to reach those standards. We teach our students math and critical thinking and the history of the Civil War, but we also teach them to believe in themselves. Our goal is to prepare them to succeed in a highly competitive world. When they leave WJA, we expect each student to be able to express himself verbally and in writing, and to be able to analyze what he has read and to solve complex problems. Our students often surprise themselves with what they can achieve, but they do not surprise us.
I teach 6th grade Social Studies and 8th grade Reading classes. Many of our 6th graders are challenged by two or three pages of text in their history books. By the 8th grade, the same group of young men can absolutely crush To Kill a Mockingbird – and they are confident as they do it. As a teacher, it is a very rewarding experience, and it shows that our program is working.”
- Mr. Scheibel, reading/social studies teacher and baseball coach