This year, Charleston Collegiate School is implementing a new Honors Program into the core academic curriculum. Your child is selected by the end of the first marking period to participate in the program. However, if a student is not selected, he or she may apply to be considered. The program differs in each of the school divisions:

• In the Lower School, the Honors Program involves supplemental academic challenges within the classroom, often led by a content specialist from the Middle or Upper School.

• In the Middle School, students selected to participate in the Honors Program will be placed in an upper level Math course and receive supplemental academic challenges in his or her other core academic classes. A Middle School student must maintain an 85 average to remain in the program and receive the Honors credit distinction.

• In the Upper School, the program is set up by academic discipline; there is an Honors or Advanced Placement (AP) level class offered in each of the core academic subjects. An Upper School student may opt to take an Honors or AP class, but that student will not be considered a Charleston Collegiate ‘Honors Student' unless at least two of his or her core academic subjects are Honors or AP level courses. An Upper School student must maintain an 85 average in an Honors class and an 80 average in AP class to remain in the class and to receive the Honors credit distinction. Also in the Upper School, those students who are in the Honors Program will have their grades weighted for class rank and for in-state college and scholarship applications. Excelling in the Honors Program also looks great on college applications!

The value of participating in this program is exponential. At all grade levels, the Honors Program promotes the idea of student empowerment. Student empowerment means that students are actively invested in their education and therefore contribute to their own learning process and the learning community at large. Therefore, through more demanding instruction in the classroom, a primary goal of the program is to inspire and instill in students the desire to take responsibility for their education and success. The CCS Honors Program provides an avenue for students to be challenged at higher levels so that they become life-long learners invested in discovering, creating, and sharing knowledge.

This is an exciting new program, and we are looking forward to its success this year and its expansion in the years to come. If you have questions about the program, please contact your division head:

Lower School: Esta Farmer, ext. 228 [E-mail]

Middle School: Gretchen Batalis, ext. 226 [E-mail]

Upper School: Liz Boyd, ext. 229 [E-mail]