Support Programs for High School Students: Caring for the Whole Person
Did you know St. Agnes Academy offers several different support programs for high school students? Learn about the student support services we offer.
Students and educators alike have been faced with unprecedented challenges over the last several years. In the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, educational institutions have had to invest in new and creative solutions to keep their students healthy, safe, and engaged.
In today’s rapidly changing world, easily accessible mental health resources and other forms of support programs for high school students are becoming absolute must-haves.
At St. Agnes Academy, we take great pride in our ability to ensure that our students have access to a wide range of support services that can help them thrive both personally and academically. Specifically, our Student Support teams specialize in helping students meet their goals while focusing on their overall health and well-being.
Let’s discuss some of the resources available to St. Agnes students and explore how these high-level support services can help set up students and their families for long-term health, happiness, and success.
Support Programs for High School Students at St. Agnes
It might be tempting to assume that schools are responsible only for the academic success of their students. But we believe that educating young people is about more than grades, test scores, and statistics.
At St. Agnes, we consider a student’s health and wellness major factors in their ability to achieve their highest academic potential. That’s why we invest so heavily in our support programs for students.
During their time on our campus, students can work to achieve their academic and personal goals with assistance from three distinct support centers:
Each of these teams plays a major role in fostering the healthy development of St. Agnes students. Students are encouraged to take advantage of any and all support services they may need to feel happier, healthier, and more in control during their high school years.
The Wellness Center
We recognize that today’s student population is faced with unique challenges. According to the CDC, in 2021, roughly 29% of high school students reported struggling with poor mental health, and these figures were even higher among certain minority groups.
It is crucial that today’s educational institutions recognize the significance of these statistics and give ample consideration to how best to support students’ mental health during their school years.
- The St. Agnes Academy Wellness Center kicks off programming for Freshman students with a one-semester Freshman Seminar. This program offers students valuable resources and information to help ease the transition into high school and set them up for success in the years to come.
The Freshman Seminar aims to provide students with tools to help them navigate their relationships, manage their stress, set achievable academic goals, and develop effective study habits. Students are assigned a dedicated counselor during the Freshman Seminar and will retain that counselor throughout the entirety of their first year.
- In subsequent years, St. Agnes students have access to a wide range of additional wellness resources. The Wellness Center regularly offers workshops, events, and preventative programming designed to educate students about various health and wellness topics that may be relevant to them throughout their teen years and beyond.
The Wellness Center also offers parent-centered programming to give caregivers the tools they need to support their students’ development at home.
- The Center offers fun, engaging programming like Self-Care Fairs, Wellness Workshops, and even Care Dog visits to help destigmatize common mental health concerns and provide students with easy, non-judgemental access to the tools and support they need.
The Center also plays a role in helping first-year students set and achieve their early academic goals by collaborating with teachers and other faculty members and helping students select and register for their academic courses.
The Student Success Center
We aim to create an inclusive learning environment for students of all backgrounds and abilities. The Student Success Center is an invaluable resource for students with specific learning needs and provides support and accommodations for community members with physical and intellectual disabilities.
The highly trained specialists in the Student Success Center work alongside teachers and counselors to align academic support with coursework and student goals. They also ensure that all learning materials and communications are accessible to all students.
St. Agnes provides students with documented learning differences access to the following resources for tests and assessments:
- Extended time on assessments
- Testing in the testing center (smaller and quieter environment free from classroom distractions)
- Preferential seating
- Note Partner
- No Scantrons for exams and tests
The Student Success Center also helps students request and access the tools they need for standardized tests like the ACT. The Student Success team can help parents and students determine which accommodations are right for them on the path to college.
The College Counseling Program
The college admissions process can be particularly overwhelming for many students and their caregivers. That’s why we offer a robust college counseling program with various resources and tools for students and their parents.
The College Counseling team at St. Agnes Academy has a collective 80 years in higher education academic advising, college admissions, and college admissions counseling. The team is well-equipped to support students throughout all phases of their college admissions journeys.
- Students begin working with college counselors during the Spring semester of their sophomore year. At this time, counselors will advise students about their course requirements and class schedules to ensure they are on track to complete all necessary graduation requirements and meet their academic benchmarks.
- During Junior year, students engage in more in-depth college counseling programming. They will work one-on-one with a college counselor to discuss their interests and goals for higher education.
College counselors may also advise students about certain high school courses or extracurricular programming that might help them achieve higher levels of success in their future college courses.
The College Counseling team seeks to empower students and their families with the resources and support they need to feel more confident during the college admissions process and the impending transition from high school to college.
- The College Counseling Center can also provide students with information about pre-college summer programs for which they may qualify and help students craft more impactful college applications for these kinds of activities.
Throughout every step of the process, the St. Agnes team invests heavily in the education of parents and caregivers through workshops and Family Nights. This way, all members of a student’s support team can work in tandem to hit application deadlines and ensure future success.
Additional Programming from St. Agnes Academy
St. Agnes offers additional support programs for students interested in a wide variety of fields and areas of study.
- Our Middle School Summer Program is open to students in 6th-8th grade looking to supplement their academic curriculum with enriching activities in focus areas like math, science, arts, humanities, and physical education. This program offers something for every student, whether they are a math wiz, Taylor Swift fan, or fitness fanatic.
- We offer a summer program for high school students and certain middle schoolers who are interested in artificial intelligence and its impact on the world.
The Inspirit A.I. Summer Program gives students an opportunity to build upon their individual research and explorations by offering them access to 31.5 hours of hands-on learning with AI practitioners and graduate students from Stanford and MIT.
- In addition to these enrichment programs, St. Agnes students are expected to complete 100 hours of meaningful service as an independent project between their Junior and Senior years.
This servant leadership project teaches students valuable lessons about Catholic Social Teaching principles and seamlessly incorporates the information with upper-level theology courses.
Learn More About Our Comprehensive Support
St. Agnes Academy is dedicated to equipping its students with the tools they need to be successful in every aspect of life.
Our support staff makes mental health services, disability resources, and college counseling programs accessible to community members. We help students of various backgrounds and abilities develop the necessary skills to achieve their goals without sacrificing their well-being.
We are proud to offer a robust assortment of support services to students and their families and constantly work to ensure that our resources are relevant, beneficial, and accessible to everyone.
If you are interested in learning more about the student support services and programs offered at St. Agnes, we would like to discuss the unique strengths of our various support programs for high school students.
Reach out today to speak with a member of the Student Support team, and let’s get your daughter set up for success.
