Ballston Spa Central School District and College to Open "Spa Academy"
June 10, 2021
New “School within a School” Model Tailored to Students’ Needs; Designed for Students to Excel Outside of Traditional Setting
Ballston Spa Central School District and Hudson Valley Community College are teaming up once again to launch a new and innovative high school model called the Spa Academy. Opening in the fall, the Academy is a “school within a school” model tailored to students’ individual needs and designed to allow high school students to complete a portion of their studies in a college environment and earn college credit at the same time.
Beginning this fall, 45 students will be able to complete a portion of their studies at the college’s TEC-SMART extension center in Malta, with classes offered from 11 a.m.to 3 p.m. each day in both in-person and remote formats.
The goal of the Spa Academy is to provide students with a non-traditional educational environment which maximizes their personal strengths while focusing on their individual needs. Students will have the opportunity to earn a high school Regents diploma and enroll in credit-bearing college courses simultaneously, with the potential to continue in a two-year degree program at Hudson Valley upon completion of their high school studies.
To enroll in the Spa Academy, students will be recommended by school counselors at Ballston Spa High School and complete an application and screening process, with formal reviews every five weeks to ensure their needs are being met and they are progressing successfully toward completion of their graduation requirements.
Earlier today, Hudson Valley Community College President Roger Ramsammy and Vice President for Academic Affairs Judy DiLorenzo joined Ballston Spa Central School District Superintendent Kenneth Slentz and Ballston Spa High School Principal Gianleo Duca to announce the partnership and new academy.
“We are so proud and incredibly fortunate to be able to offer this unique educational opportunity to our students. The families in our school community deserve tailored, thoughtful programs that are individualized, appealing to students and that work to bring them success. I think we are on a great path to providing this exciting new avenue for our kids,” said Dr. Gianleo Duca, Principal, Ballston Spa High School.
“The Ballston Spa Central School District has partnered with Hudson Valley to strengthen the K-12 education pipeline to college and develop innovative models to help students earn high school diplomas and college credit. I’m so proud to see us collaborate again and provide the support and environment necessary for high schoolers to be most successful,” said Dr. Roger Ramsammy, President of Hudson Valley Community College.
This is not the first time that the college has teamed up with Ballston Spa Central School District to provide innovative opportunities for high school students at TEC-SMART. The facility is also home to the Clean Technologies Early College High School, a partnership created in 2011 to strengthen pathways to higher education in renewable energy, entrepreneurship, computer science and semiconductor manufacturing for high school students throughout the Capital Region.
A NYS P-TECH program, the school provides students with a distinct opportunity to earn an associate degree while preparing to transition into key industry sectors within our economic region. More than 200 students from 20 school districts throughout the Capital Region are enrolled.