READY, SET, PREPARED

READY, SET, READY, SET, PREPARED! PREPARED!

In the mission statement of Wesleyan School, we clearly state the purpose of our school’s existence. What is our main responsibility and commitment to families? “To be a Christian school of academic excellence.”

The mission statement then provides three ways the school will accomplish this purpose. The first of those specific objectives is “by providing each student a diverse college preparatory education guided by Christian principles and beliefs.”

College preparation is increasingly on the minds of parents earlier and earlier in their child’s education. So, what does “college preparation” mean at Wesleyan School, and how do we fulfill this part of our mission?

At Wesleyan, that process can be broken into two categories: preparation for life and support in the college selection process. Both play an important part in giving our students a strong foundation for life beyond their years on Wesleyan’s campus.

Wesleyan begins to teach and reinforce the skills of preparation and responsibility during a student’s earliest years in our community.

PREPARATION FOR LIFE Learning the skills needed to build and maintain healthy relationships, effectively manage tasks, meet deadlines, and successfully navigate an increasingly challenging academic workload each school year are important steps to being prepared for life as an adult. Wesleyan begins to teach and reinforce these skills during a student’s earliest years in our community.

In the lower school, the administration and faculty focus on independence and responsibility as skills that support personal and academic success.

“We expect students to become increasingly responsible for their own items and assignments as they go through lower school,” says Jason Erb, lower school principal. “Things like carrying their own backpack and materials and managing their own homework are ways students learn how to be responsible for themselves. This is a key life skill that can equip students for success in many areas during middle and high school and for the rest of their lives.”

A legendary Wesleyan rule still persists in lower school: parents are not allowed to bring in homework or projects their child left at home. “This can be a hard one for parents and students alike,” says Erb. “However, we believe that the earlier we help students learn accountability, the sooner they learn to manage failure, become resilient, and develop perseverance.”

The middle school continues helping students cultivate the skills to manage school and life well. “In fifth through eighth grades, both academic and social opportunities begin to increase,” says Joseph Antonio, middle school principal. “As the pace of school starts to pick up from year to year and students’ social and extracurricular lives expand, part of our job at Wesleyan is to help them intentionally develop the skills necessary to manage those increasing responsibilities.”

”Part of our job at Wesleyan is to help students intentionally develop the skills necessary to manage their increasing responsibilities.”

JOSEPH ANTONIO, MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

With the support of the academic resource team, middle school students and faculty have worked extensively to understand executive functioning skills and how they impact day-to-day life. “These are the skills needed to get things done,” says Karyn Vickery, director of academic support. “Whether it be managing classwork, notetaking, and assignments or understanding how to create a study schedule for a test so that the student can also play in their softball game after school and attend a party with a friend over the weekend, executive functioning skills are what we rely on to manage all that life can throw at us. Learning about these skills early in life, as well as areas where we have natural talents and opportunities for growth, helps equip students with the tools they need to not only manage life in middle and high school but also college and their future lives as adults.”

As the academic, extracurricular, and social opportunities expand even further in the later middle school years and into high school, Wesleyan’s grade chair program supports students as they develop skills for life both in and out of the classroom. Male and female grade chairs are assigned at each grade in middle and high school, and these faculty members serve as the main touchpoint for both students and parents. Their role is to help students not only navigate academic demands but to also partner with families to guide students through their social, emotional, and spiritual growth.

In high school, academic offerings include over forty honors and AP classes and a wide range of both core and elective classes. Students are given the opportunity to spread their wings academically and are challenged across all disciplines. Small class sizes combined with relational faculty who are excellent in their content areas create a warm environment where students further refine their skills as active learners and successful managers of their coursework.

COLLEGE ADVISING High school students begin formal college advising in ninth grade. The college search process can be overwhelming and intimidating. Wesleyan’s office of college advising, along with the grade chairs, support students and parents as they work through their college selection.

“Our goal is to help students and parents be well-prepared for their college search and ultimate selection,” says Ken Connor, director of college advising. “This begins in ninth grade when students work with their grade chair to create their four-year plan which includes the courses they hope to take. Grade chairs partner with students and faculty members to develop an intentional plan for the student’s coursework in high school.”

As students move further into high school, the college advising team reminds them to explore a variety of extracurricular activities and to consider summer opportunities like internships, service programs, or jobs. Preparation for the PreACT, PSAT, ACT, and SAT are also an important part of the college advising process.

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“We provide families with a timeline to guide them on when to start visiting college campuses, timing of standardized tests like the ACT and SAT, and opportunities to participate in events such as the Atlanta Invitational Case Studies Program or our own college tour where we take Wesleyan students on a road trip to visit other campuses throughout the country,” Connor goes on to say.

The college search and selection process picks up pace during students’ junior and senior years, ending with the big decision on where to spend the next four years after graduating from Wesleyan.

Wesleyan School believes that our commitment to “providing students a diverse college preparatory education guided by Christian principles and beliefs,” is best accomplished by preparing students for life and supporting them in the college selection process. This begins in a student’s earliest years at Wesleyan, and our hope is that it impacts their life well beyond graduation. ■

“Our goal is to help students and parents be well-prepared for their college search and ultimate selection.”

KEN CONNOR, DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE ADVISING

LEARN MORE

At Wesleyan, we believe that college preparation has the opportunity to begin long before a student starts high school. Learn more by watching a recent video from our division principals.