ADDITIONAL COURSES FIRST YEAR FOUNDATIONS
(0.5 credit)
Level: Grade 9, required
The intention of First Year Foundations is to provide just that, the basis or groundwork for success at Wilbraham & Monson Academy. In doing so, we will work to develop our sense of community, focusing throughout on our core values: Live clean. Work hard. Speak true. Play fair. We will begin by identifying the personal qualities that set us apart from others, as well as those shared traits that have brought us all to our school. In this way, we will build our 9th grade community, establishing a strong sense of belonging through activities centered around teambuilding, mindfulness and gratitude. Developing a comprehensive understanding of how our school works, from technology to infrastructure, will ensure future successes. Additionally, students will examine the development of the teenage brain and the role of executive functioning, alongside study skills and strategies that will be incorporated into multiple learning opportunities throughout the WMA experience. Learners will become well-versed in all student supports across campus, from the academy's nursing staff to the counseling office to the writing center and math tutors, and the value and use of office hours built into the school day. In alignment with our health curriculum, students will endeavor into the topics of relationships, gender roles and expectations, understanding of boundaries and consent, and intercourse and contraception. Also, in cooperation with our health program, students will further develop their understanding of drugs and addiction. Each of these topics is cyclical, as academy students receive
COLLEGE COUNSELING SEMINARS
health education throughout middle school and high school, and we recognize the importance of continuing conversations and opening dialogue, in an effort to establish trust and teach the science behind such critical topics. Finally, we will reflect on our experience together, crafting letters to our future selves, organized around our topics of study, to be returned to us during our senior year. We are sure to marvel at our expectations and experiences!
SOPHOMORE HEALTH SEMINAR
No Credit
Level: Grade 10, required
Sophomores will engage in the health and wellness curriculum through seminar-style lectures by guest speakers. The seminars will cover three topics: mental health, substance use and abuse and sexual health. Guest speakers who are experts in the field will engage with and educate our students. This is not a scheduled class. HEALTH 11
(.25 credit)
Grade 11, required
This course is designed to enhance personal health and wellness through the discussion of mental health, positive psychology, sexual education and personal identity. The focus of this course is the development of identity, personal values and a goal-oriented mindset. Students will meet once per week over the course of one trimester. Students are graded on in-class assignments.
(required, no credit)
This series of courses has been developed by the College Counseling Office to aid our students in researching and selecting the colleges or universities that will best meet their needs and to assist them in the process of application. These seminars are required at each grade level and students earn no credit. Classes are scheduled to fit with the students’ other classes and meet with a frequency determined by College Counseling. SOPHOMORE SEMINAR Sophomore Seminar classes are offered by the College Counselors during the spring trimester. These classes will focus on a variety of topics including the importance of self-reflection in the college process; strategies for developing a strong personal statement; and an introduction to SCOIR, WMA’s college counseling software. This course has been designed to help our students find educational opportunities – primarily programs of study in postsecondary institutions – that are consistent with their occupational interests. All sophomores are administered the Self-Directed Search Assessment. JUNIOR SEMINAR These classes meet during the winter trimester. Students meet in a small group setting with a College Counselor and are provided an in-depth exploration of the college admission process. Students will learn how
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to research and identify colleges that are a good “match,” how to navigate SCOIR and a college website, how to complete the Common Application, brainstorm essay topics and work on the development of an effective personal statement. Students will create a Common Application account as part of the class. SENIOR SEMINAR By the fall of senior year, our focus turns to one-on-one meetings with our students. A number of required classes are offered to review the Common Application, to instruct students how to “link” their Common Application and Naviance accounts (a necessary step for the submission of their online applications), to understand the various application options (Early Decision, Early Action and Priority) and to address other important topics. Seniors will also have the opportunity to meet with college admission officers who visit our campus each fall.
