Accepting ninth-graders for the first time helps bring the facility near capacity and closer to a full service high school.
By PAULETTE LASH RITCHIE, Times Staff Writer
Published August 24, 2006
[Times photo: Stephen J. Coddington]
Students eat their lunch Monday at the Academy of Environmental Science in Crystal River. The academy is near capacity this year after admitting ninth-graders. Because of a lack of cafeteria space, stuents often congregate outdoors during lunch on the school's dock that juts into the Salt River.
CRYSTAL RIVER - The dining room is just not big enough, so Academy of Environmental Science students spill outside to picnic tables. Some eat their lunches on the dock that juts into the Salt River. It's warm, peaceful, relaxing. A pelican may be watching.
All this is not a problem, though, just an indication of how much the academy's student body has grown this year. For the first time since its inception in 1999, the school has opened its doors to ninth-graders. There is a waiting list.
Unlike sophomores, juniors and seniors, who take classes at the academy for one term and return to their home schools for the other term, the freshmen stay the entire year. This is because of the separation of freshman at their home schools into the new freshmen academies. The three high schools that feed the academy have different schedules for their freshmen, so to accommodate all interested students, the academy just keeps them.
"We've got them. They're here all year. We're happy," said academy director-teacher Ben Stofcheck.
During this term, the academy's freshmen are taking physical science, algebra I, reading and multimedia. During the spring term,they will take world geography, English and some as-of-yet undetermined electives.
There are five teachers: Stofcheck, Earnie Olsen, Jonas Majersky, Kristen Milford and part-time art teacher Laurie Canfield. New courses offered this year include algebra II, physical science, genetics and art.
While the addition of ninth grade helped raise the school's enrollment, it is also a step toward the academy becoming a complete service high school, Stofcheck said. Another reason to consider admitting freshmen was interest from parents.
The 26 freshmen put the academy at capacity for that grade level. Right now there are 18 sophomores, 16 freshmen and 13 seniors. Next term there will only be room for 10th- and 12th-graders. The juniors are at capacity for spring.
The surge of students may have been spurred by advertising. Bright House Networks offered the academy a $12,500 grant for free airtime. The school also was promoted through local television station WYKE-Ch. 47 (channel 16 on cable).
The academy offers core classes but emphasizes science. It has a fleet of canoes that take students out to test water for chemistry, study ecology or other lessons, limited only by the imaginations of the teachers. The Marine Science Station is across the street.
The students take numerous field trips. The academy has a bus and students go to places that include the Citrus County landfill, the Florida Aquarium, the Crystal River Archeological State Park and behind the scenes at Sea World. The students also participate in local environmental projects including the coastal cleanup and Save Our Waters.
Besides the freshmen, there are two out-of-county students at the academy this year. One is a ninth-grader from Hernando County and the other a senior from Marion County.
With the academy nearly full and a waiting list at the freshman level, Stofcheck is looking at a lively year. "It's the most we've ever had out here," he said.
