Opelousas Junior High students get chance to reengage with learning at hands-on Star Academy

Classes at the Star Academy Program in St. Landry Parish operate a little differently than junior high classes.

They're longer, more hands-on and the teacher acts as a facilitator rather than a lecturer. Students work in pairs through a project-based curriculum in their core classes — math, science, social studies and English-language arts.

“We’re actually engaging in it and learning from doing, so it’s hands-on,” said eighth grader Mabree Kautz. “Regular class, you go to school, you sit in a chair, and you get told what to do.

“Here, you get the headphones, the big computer, a friendly teacher and a rolling chair. It gives us more freedom and it makes us want to do more.”

The Star Academy opened this year at Opelousas Junior High for seventh and eighth graders who were identified as at-risk students by school administrators. The students who attend the Star Academy operate on a different schedule than their peers and their classes are in a separate wing on campus.

The Star Academy started more than 15 years ago in South Carolina and now operates about 100 academies in 17 states. Students work through a lesson with another student, accessing materials on a computer and also incorporating a project and potential career path with each module.

Janara Owens, who has always wanted to be a detective, loves math problems because the modules often include solving a mystery. In one instance, students had to calculate how quickly a pot of coffee was losing heat to determine what time a crime happened.

Those interactive learning portions are what keep the eighth grader engaged, she said. To understand how the hands-on portion works, students have to learn from the proceeding lessons.

“Even though that can be boring, you should work your way through it and you will have more understanding about it,” she said. “That will make you more interested, which will make it better and give you more courage as you complete modules.”

Eighth grader Von’tasia Pitre feels that she’s learning something new every day, and she has the independence to figure it out with limited interference.

“You can do it yourself,” the 13-year-old said. “You don’t have somebody just telling you how to do it.”

The Star Academy works to get students who may have fallen behind or struggle in a traditional classroom setting interested in learning again, said account executive Keith Brown.

“This is a way for them not only to be reenergized and reacclimated to their academic careers but also for them to see a path to learning,” he said. “Academically, we didn’t forget them. They can come back and reengage. We give them a challenge to reengage themselves and be excited about their academic careers again.”

Teachers receive training to work with the Star Academy curriculum, which asks them to act more as a facilitator than a lecturer, Brown said. It offers a more personalized experience between students and teachers.

“Our classrooms are student-driven. They are moving at their own pace. As they are working, the teachers move around the classroom to help them with their projects,” he said. “Now the teacher is, the same as the students, learning the challenge and what (the students’) different learning styles are.”

Von’tasia, who was recognized as Opelousas Junior High’s student of the year, said her seventh grade school year was fun. But being in the Star Academy caters to the way she likes to learn — working in a hands-on environment.

“It’s a great opportunity to learn more things,” Von’tasia said. “It’s different than just sitting in a classroom. It’s not boring.”

“You get to learn more things than just sitting in a desk and listening to a teacher talk all day” she added.