Prescott High School Career and Technical Education Director Jennifer Woods will use the AZEdNews Classroom Grant for opportunities for students in Freshman Academy.

UPDATE: Grants awarded EACH week in May! Apply now!

Starting this school year, Prescott High School ninth-graders took part in Freshman Academy, a semester-long course designed to help students develop skills for success in high school, introduce them to the many programs the school offers, and explore their academic and career interests through the Naviance program, Woods said.

“Skills that students will practice in this course are those that teachers and parents frequently tell us they wish all 9th graders knew,” Woods said.

“The goal of Freshman Academy is to have them learn about themselves as learners and individuals so they can effectively plan the rest of their high school pathway and set them up for for success for post high school whether it is career or college,” Woods said.

Video by Heidi Otero/ASBA: Jennifer Woods wins fifth AZEdNews Classroom Grant

“We have some incredible opportunities for our kids and these funds are going to help broaden all of those experiences,” Woods said. “We have a reality story that the kids go through with community partners so we’re going to make sure we use those funds for all of that and to make it an incredible experience for all our kids.”

“We’re so excited! Thank you!” Woods said.

In addition to the $200 AZEdNews Classroom Grant, Woods receives a free membership to Treasures4Teachers and a $20 gift card to their stores. Treasures 4 Teachers, which just signed on to sponsor AZEdNews Classroom Grants for teachers, provides donated school supplies and other items for low-cost or for free to teacher members, and it has locations in Tempe and Phoenix.

Freshman Academy students assess their learning styles, personalities as well as their strengths and weaknesses as they consider their life plans, Woods said.

“Students will be figuring out who they are as learners and then transferring that knowledge with potential careers that match their abilities and interests,” Woods said.

Students then use that information to find a pathway that best suits them, Woods said.

Student achievement in Freshman Academy is monitored in multiple ways, Woods said.

Students use a Student Data Tracking sheet to monitor their own grades in each of their classes, Applied Digital Skills through Google, Career and Technical Education tracks which courses students sign up for, and students use a program called Naviance to help them plan for their future, Woods said.

Naviance is a web based program that will be used and updated by the students during their high school years, Woods said.

“Our district wanted a course that would help students acclimate to all the high school has to offer, but also provide students the knowledge of what comes next after high school,” Woods said.

Click here to apply now for the AZEdNews classroom grant!