Balancing our Academic Program

We continue building community spirit and school pride through our sports incentives program and school clubs. Maintaining good grades allows students to participate in cross country, soccer, girls’ volleyball, girls’ basketball, boys’ basketball and cheerleading. Elementary and middle school students must be eligible academically on a weekly basis in order to participate in the above-mentioned programs. We have elections for students wanting to participate in the Student Council Association. We have formed a Yearbook Club and future plans include Art, Technology and Debate Clubs.

We also have many field trips that enrich and complement our curriculum: 

• Kindergarten: Kindergartners learn more about animals during their visit to the Upland Hills Farm.
• First Grade Elementary: First graders visit to the Cranbrook Science Center.
• Fourth Grade Elementary: Michigan history is a major theme in the fourth grade curriculum. For this reason, our students take a 2-day trip to Mackinac Island. They visit Colonial Michilimackinac, Historic Mill Creek, and Fort Mackinac. They also tour the island by bicycle.
• Fifth Grade Elementary: Fifth graders take their social studies curriculum a step further when they visit Greenfield Village near Detroit, Michigan. They experience 300 years of history as the sights and sounds by visiting historic Main Street, working farms, Liberty Craftworks and Railroad Junction.
• Sixth Grade Middle School: In the 2007-2008 school year, our sixth graders were able to go to Northern Michigan University (the organization that sponsors our school's charter) and spend 3 days and 2 nights experiencing college life. They were able to pick classes 2 weeks before they departed and experience each class that was chosen like a regular college student. They also had the opportunity to visit the Henry Ford Museum.
• Seventh Grade Middle School: Seventh graders have the opportunity to visit the Detroit Science Center.
• Eight Grade Middle School: Eighth graders have the opportunity to go to Cedar Point in addition to periodic field trips throughout the school year, such as an annual trip to the Holocaust Museum. In addition, a historical 4-day trip to Washington DC, Philadelphia and Gettysburg is available to 8th graders who choose to participate at an additional cost.