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Students at Sophia Academy spent the last eight months working on a service project as part of the Philly Service Awards program. We received financing from the organization to carry out the service project and for classroom supplies. At the end of the year, we competed against 75 other high schools in the Philadelphia area for a money award. The Philly Service Awards program gave 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes in three categories. At the awards ceremony on May 2, Sophia Academy students were both shocked and thrilled to hear our school announced as the 2nd place winner in the “Safer Philadelphia” category. This award comes with a great trophy and $5000. A student committee will work together to decide how to spend a portion of that prize money.

What was our service project? Cleaning the bandstand in the local park, ridding it of vegetation overgrowth, moss, trash, and more; offering free yard clean-ups in the neighborhood; visiting our local elementary school to have them help us create artwork about the community; turning their artwork and ours into a mosaic to be installed in the park near the bandstand; and purchasing a doggy waste system to be installed near the band stand.

One of the distinctives of Sophia Academy is our use of the month of January to study in depth a subject of our choice. Often hands-on, these electives vary from year to year. This year’s J-Term offerings are three: Around the World Culinary Adventures, Chess, and Theater Arts. The chefs are proud of the incredible, tasty food they have produced, from a Moroccan Tagine to Korean Beef Bowls to French sauces. They have gone the extra mile by making even their pasta and wraps from scratch. Meanwhile, cries of excitement have been emanating from Theater Arts as students and teachers have written their own script as a team, turned white sheets into beautiful backdrops for the set, and are busily heading toward opening day–well, production day. The quietest class is, of course, chess, where even newcomers have learned the logic and strategy of chess while old hands strengthen their skills and all develop their competitive edge.

Sometimes the challenges are fun–as when Sophia students have to figure out how to get ten people walking 45 to 50 feet on a cable one foot above the ground with no way to hold on (yes, they did it!). Sometime the challenges are hard work–such as trying to figure out if they are looking at a compound, a homogenous mixture, or some other thing with a name they’ve learned for the first time one day before. In all the challenges, though, Sophia students are growing cognitively, emotionally, and even socially.

Social Emotional Learning is popular in 2023, and Sophia Academy joins many other schools around the country making sure that we include SEL training into our school day. We want our students to be comfortable in their own skin, confident in their abilities, and eager to take on new challenges.

Sophia Academy seniors have joined the incoming class at Esperanza College for one class per semester. Dual Enrollment has many benefits for our students: becoming familiar with college expectations and processes, thus taking the “fear factor” out of college matriculation; completing high school requirements while earning college credit at the same time; having Sophia teachers help with everything from time management, to understanding syllabi, to writing.

Each student reacts differently. Some throw themselves into the college course and want to take more. Others drag their feet and say “I’m going to trade school.” But the great thing about classes at Esperanza is that even trade school classes like College Algebra (needed for many trades) can be completed early.

Jose uses study hall time to review his Psychology notes from his college course.

Sophia Biology students planted garden seeds indoors while the weather was still wintry outdoors and then transplanted the seedlings into their Roots Garden plot in early April, way before other people were even thinking about planting. To their delight, they harvested their first small vegetables before the month was over. As the vegetables grow, students will eat some of them, take some home, and donate the rest to the food pantry at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

Students who love to operate from the right side of their brain were able to elect J-term courses as varied as Game Design, Culinary–which focused on the chemistry of baking, and Woodworking.

Some students in Game Design spent most of their time on the art of crafting a game board, while others had more fun inventing the logic of their game rules.

Students in culinary learned the difference between various kinds of fat and how a cookie would be very different if baked with butter vs. shortening. They tried out three entirely different pie crusts, and voted the crust made with vodka as their #1 choice. A highlight of the course was visiting Patrice With the Treats, a local bakery, where they learned to decorate by making flowers or piping shells.

Woodworking students learned to use saws, drills, dremels, and wood burners, and added the skills of sanding and patience.

Students who feel more comfortable working with left-brain activities had the choice of Empires, the Stock Market Game, and Black History Month.

Once J-Term ended, Sophia students returned to their regular curriculum which includes everything from their college prep courses to targeted interventions in reading, math, and executive function.

A common practice at American Thanksgiving tables is to express our thankfulness to God and to each other. Sophia Academy wishes you a very Happy Thanksgiving and takes this opportunity to tell you what we are thankful for:

Our students–bright, funny, hard-working, creative. Need we say more?

Our teachers–dedicated, passionate, creative, and all the things we said about the students.

Our donors–faithful in giving, interested in what we do.

Our grant0rs–three foundations awarded us grants for our Awakening Genius program this September: Hamilton Family Charitable Trust, Wawa Foundation, and Nora Roberts Foundation.

Our God–provider, sustainer, guide, and the one who gives us strength to carry on.

Enjoy the pictures below from our student-planned and student-prepared Thanksgiving feast.

Whether working with oils for the first time, creating design with poured paint, or turning our favorite Marvel character into watercolor, Sophia students are using their creativity. Ms. Alimonda, our art teacher, works with each student’s interest and ability to move them forward in producing quality art.

Sophia Academy celebrates the image of God in each student as part of our Awakening Genius model. Part of that image in the ability to create rather than copy. Students are taught skill by skill, with Ms. Alimonda emphasizing the methods of achieving what he or she is hoping to produce.

We value the ability to use both sides of our brain each day. Art classes are an important component enabling students with learning differences to achieve academically. Each year students also create music using Garage Band. They learn artisan crafts such as chair caning and wood-working. In all these ways, we are building creativity and cognitive growth while preparing students for their futures.