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Mentors aid ‘scholars’ at Hudson’s Bluehawk Academy

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HUDSON—What is new about the Bluehawk Academy, which the Hudson City School District (HCSD) launched February 1, is the mentoring program. It will connect all the program’s students with “a positive adult… to cheer them on when they are successful and to be a support when they make mistakes,” Willette Jones, president of the HCSD Board of Education, said.

The statement came in a response to a series of questions in mid-February to Austin Crosier, HCSD’s communication specialist. The mentors will include local businesses, business leaders, artisans, teachers, and professionals “who make a positive difference in the community,” said a February 3 press release from the the district. (In this article all quotes will be from written answers to those questions, unless otherwise stated.)

The Bluehawk Academy, like its predecessors, is for students who could benefit from a non-traditional secondary education. HCSD Superintendent Lisamarie Spindler’s experience as a school administrator includes three similar academies in the state. She said that with the Bluehawk Academy, “I’m consolidating the best aspects of all three. In addition, from 2014 to 2020, Columbia County youths could get non-traditional high school education at the Columbia Greene Partnership Academy (referred to as The Bridge or the Warren Street Academy), which was in Hudson. The Bluehawk Academy, like the Bridge, is starting out with students who have successfully completed fewer courses than expected for their age.

“The Bluehawk Academy is similar to the Bridge program in that its students have the opportunity to do some of their academic work and credit recovery online,” said Ms. Jones. The Bridge, which also held some in-person classes, aimed to get its students high school diplomas. The Bluehawk program is designed to prepare students for the “real world” and will be centered on generating employability, work ethics and developing life skills and techniques “to be successful in life after high school, Dr. Spindler said in the press release.

She said that in the three “similar” academies she has previously led, “the average graduation rate, depending on the year and cohort, was between 85 and 100%.”

To earn a high school diploma, a student must still receive 22 credits and take the required regents tests. But the program is “individualized for each student” and flexible enough to allow for the students’ “personal and academic needs to be prioritized simultaneously,” said Michelle Donnelley, one of the three professionals assigned to monitor the Bluehawk Academy.

The Bridge, located off-campus on Warren Street, accepted high school students from other districts and counties, as well as the HCSD. But at the Bluehawk Academy, Megan Amendola, another Bluehawk Academy monitor said, “the majority of student learning and education takes place on [the HCSD] campus.

The Bluehawk Academy will accept students as young as 7th grade; it currently has only HCSD students. It might take students from other districts in the future, depending on how it develops, Dr. Spindler said.

“We want to be an [innovative]… leader within our county,” said HCSD School Board Vice-President Mark DePace.

The Bluehawk Academy is designed to emphasize the strengths and interest of the students, “providing new pathways for [them] to shine in fields they are attracted to and are more fitting for their skill sets,” Dr. Spindler said.

The Bluehawk Academy currently has 31 students, 13 from junior high, and 18 from high school, 15 boys and 16 girls. Its staff consists of Ms. Amendola, a career guidance counselor; Ms. Donnelley, with a background in social work; and Larry Walker, a professional focused in restorative justice. They each work a full work day at the Bluehawk Academy, Ms. Donnelley said.

But as the program develops a schedule, those three professionals may have “more opportunity” to serve more HCSD students outside the academy as well, Dr. Spindler said March 7, via the public relations firm Focus Media.

The average school day starts with a morning meeting, then academics, goal setting, field trips, interactive activities, or team building exercises, said Dr. Spindler.

Those interested in mentoring a Bluehawk student must apply. The HCSD picks mentors who will “strengthen the skills and pursue the interests of ‘scholars,’” as academy students are referred to. Mentors can come from outside or within the HCSD.

Dr. Spindler said participants include “some current teachers.” Students will have the chance to study and work in include business, local government, youth recreation marketing, music, theater, technology and creative writing, says the press release.

Another alternative to traditional high school for Columbia County is Questar III BOCES. It offers a variety of career preparation, project-based, and college-in-high school programs for students from all school districts.

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