Pinnacle Canyon Academy, comprising of an elementary school, middle school as well as a high school, opened its doors for the 2016-2017 school year on Monday. For students this year, however, several changes will prove this year to be a different time than in school years past.
One of the largest changes to which students will be subject this year is the changing of junior high and high school schedules to an A/B bell schedule, offering students a set of classes one day and a different another.
Another change for the student body will be the availability of several new classes for them to take part in. This year, students aged from kindergarten to 12th grade will have time and the opportunity to learn lessons in art, music, drama and dance.
“A lot of schools are deemphasizing art, we’re actually emphasizing,” Pinnacle Canyon Academy founder Roberta Hardy stated. Hardy asserted how although maintaining excellence in core subjects is importance, she also wants to offer her students a chance to explore the arts.
Continuing this year will be tutoring after school for students until six p.m. every night as well as various clubs for different age groups and interests. Basketball skills, science, web design, filming, weight lifting, music, dance as well as a book club and gaming guild, among others, are offered to students.
With students being able to stay at the school late with so many activities, the school is also happy to announce that all students in the facility at 5:30 p.m. can also eat dinner.
“That’s a huge change for our school,” Hardy continued. With the option of dinner added to students, the school is happy to offer all three main meals to students.
Thursday evenings will continue to be designated as “homework nights” an opportunities for students and parents to come and enjoy a meal with students being able to work on their homework and parents to take part in a series of parenting classes or to use the availability of therapists who serve families in providing help with drug and alcohol abuse.
New technology will also be used this year for math and English classes and every elementary class will have access to computers throughout the year.
Hardy also gave a long list of new hires to the schools, including a number of new teachers as well as a new boys’ basketball and girls’ basketball coach. She remains hopeful that the school’s baseball team, which has represented the school at the state tourney for every year since 2013, will do it again, as well as that the other teams will similarly represent the school well.
“I think the number one thing is being organized,” Hardy said when asked what students could do to ensure a good school year. The high school’s principal/founder also called for parent involvement in helping their students succeed as well as the assurance that the school itself is ready and willing to help in that job as well.