Academic Program
Walsh Academy provides specialized academic, therapeutic and Career Technical Education (CTE) opportunities for adolescents experiencing intellectual, emotional, and/or behavioral challenges that can potentially limit their life success. Students are served in uniquely designed classrooms to maximize effectiveness across the continuum of age and disability type. The Walsh Academy is fully approved by the Illinois State Board of Education.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
Integrated into the core curriculum at Walsh Academy is the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum. Social workers/counselors are key members of the classroom instructional team working with students to utilize coping strategies, manage emotions and complete assignments. The team recognizes that stress of deficits in math or reading can lead to emotional crisis. Students are taught how to manage these frustrations whether working on math or in stressful family/life situations. Learning is not only about academics, but also about life.
Career Technical Education (CTE)
Walsh Academy’s mission for its Career Technical Education (CTE) program is to provide structured and supported employment opportunities through an experiential learning process emphasizing the inherent reciprocity within academic study and job skills training. Work experience, along with a stipend, is provided in various employment areas touching on each career cluster, and career-centered instruction is delivered within a classroom setting or on the job, depending on the needs of the student.
The Walsh Academy has two main approaches to its Career Technical Education (CTE) training program. The first is the CTE extension program. This program serves students who are 15 and older and who require support in developing entry level work skills. These are students who are not yet able to obtain competitive employment in their community and who require training in technical and soft skills. This program is an extension of the regular school day and students receive credit towards graduation and a stipend for participating.
Students in this program work with job coaches in a variety of job sites including but not limited to gardening/horticulture, janitorial work, animal training/grooming, bicycle repair/maintenance, furniture repair, basic wood working, graphic design, publishing, and podcasting. In addition to skills particular to the job sites listed, they receive training in soft skills and transferrable skills like creating and keeping an inventory, communicating with a boss, requesting time off from work, etc. Students also monitor and work towards their own CTE goals and are given support in completing appropriate assessments and research for their personal CTE aspirations.
The second approach is the transition classroom. This classroom is for students, typically 18 and older, who have met high school graduation requirements but who are not yet ready to enter the workforce. Academics in this class focus on life skills and real-world application, and job sites are utilized throughout the day, as well as jobs within the classroom, to prepare students for the professional world. Students track their wages for time worked in a variety of job sites from kitchen work/food prep and cafeteria clean-up to bicycle repair/maintenance, furniture repair, wheelchair ramp builds and installs, landscaping/yardwork and snow removal.
Students are also supported in registering with DRS, whether through their home district or local office, and in researching the job market in their home community. As students’ progress toward employability, the team works with them to make the final transition from secondary education to adulthood and independence to whatever degree is appropriate for each student.
Adventure Education
The Walsh Academy student-centered motto of “it’s all about you” can be seen on display every day in every classroom throughout the school, but perhaps none so dramatic as in the Adventure and/or Experiential Education activities. As a proponent of the “the more you do, the more you are” school of thought, Walsh Academy students are provided the opportunity to participate in a wide range of hands-on experiences. From high-ropes courses, team initiative courses, team building and problem-solving activities to fishing and even boating, students are sequentially challenged to test their physical and emotional limits in a safe, trust- building environment. Post activity, staff-led processing sessions are then conducted to help students reflect on their role in the activities and examine where and how much growth has occurred. These types of activities and experiences have provided a fun, safe way for students to find out new things about themselves, and the values of teamwork and cooperation. The lessons learned can be seen long after the activity is completed.
Integrated Technology
Every classroom has a Mimio Connect system which pairs a computer with a projector to create an interactive educational experience. Students can complete work and interactive assignments on the white board with this innovative tool. The Walsh Academy also utilizes new Chromebooks for student individual use. In addition to the Chromebooks, there are computer labs for class projects and assessment; one lab includes 3D printing technology, vinyl cutters and media computers.
CAAEL
Walsh Academy is a proud member of the Chicagoland Area Alternative Education League. CAAEL, a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization, exists to create interscholastic activities missing from alternative education schools. Since 1976, CAAEL has been empowering students and educators in alternative schools by integrating athletic and academic programs into the school day, programs that foster personal growth and responsibility.
CAAEL participants attend approximately 60 alternative schools from 85 public school districts spanning 9 Illinois counties.
CAAEL truly is a celebration of what students attending alternative schools are capable of as it improves school attendance, enhances academic performance, and supports Illinois Social-Emotional Learning Standards.
To learn more about CAAEL, please visit CAAEL.ORG.
Over 80% of Walsh Academy students participate in CAAEL activities throughout the school year including flag football, volleyball, basketball, badminton, softball, bowling, chess, spelling bees, academic bowls, and art competitions. CAAEL’s mission to provide opportunities valuing good sportsmanship and fair play is a true positive alternative for Walsh Academy students and perfectly complements the Jen philosophy of respectful reciprocity. Walsh Academy students shine in CAAEL participation, receiving multiple CAAEL Spirit Awards, emblematic of exemplary sportsmanship throughout each athletic season. CAAEL participation has shown to be an integral part of the school lives of Walsh Academy students, as they strive to achieve eligibility for each week’s game.
