Concordia recognizes academic ‘high flyers’ with Honors Academy

Sept. 17, 2014

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — For 80 years, Concordia Lutheran High School has prided itself on providing strong academics to all students. This year, those students are being highlighted through a new honors program.

Concordia has launched an Honors Academy to promote exceptional academics, leadership and community service among students.

“This is a mechanism to give these students motivation to really see what they are made of,” said Luanne Erdos, director of the Honors Academy. “Students have so many gifts and talents. This is a way to help young people recognize those characteristics, channel them and showcase them to the glory of God.”

Students apply for the program and are selected based on receiving Pass Plus in English, math and social studies on their seventh-grade ISTEP tests. Students then submit a creative response before interviewing with the selection committee. Only incoming freshmen are accepted into the program. For the first year, however, current ninth graders can qualify through the Aspire ACT test in October.

Thirty students were invited to apply for the inaugural year. Eleven were accepted into the program.

“The Honors Academy at CLHS seeks to equip students through the pillars of academic discovery, leadership development, in-depth community service, creative process and academic recognition,” said Principal Mychal Thom. “We've developed this program to allow students to challenge themselves in areas that we feel are pertinent to their success in a 21st century world.”

Over the course of their four years at Concordia, students will be required to take Advanced Placement and dual-enrollment courses; attend lectures and training for leadership awareness, cultural growth and community networking; and complete community service hours each year, ranging from 15 hours as a freshman to 35 hours as a senior.

All the while, students will be expected to maintain academic excellence with high grades and then demonstrate their work through a senior research project.

“We see these students as being academic high flyers and leaders who are well-prepared for the college admissions process,” Erdos said.

Upon graduation, these students will receive distinctive recognition and a special notation on their high school transcript.

“We are excited to work with the students that currently comprise the Academy as well as those that will be a part of it in the future,” Thom said.

To learn more about the Honors Academy, contact Luanne Erdos at [email protected] or 260-203-4575.

Concordia Lutheran High School, located at 1601 St. Joe River Drive in Fort Wayne, Ind., was founded in 1935 as a private, co-educational Lutheran high school open to students of all faiths and backgrounds. With Christ at the center, Concordia continues to pursue educational excellence that equips individuals for lifelong learning and service as disciples of Jesus Christ. Learn more at www.clhscadets.com.

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