Wilkes-Barre Area High School athletes will have a chance to take sports-related courses, meet with a nutritionist and have up to 90 minutes of in-school physical training per day.
The school district plans to launch the Athletic Academy in the fall, adding a fourth track that students can enroll in within the building. The high school also offers academies in performing arts, business and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
District leaders say the programs represent a transformation of the high school experience. The school in Plains Twp., which opened in 2021 after consolidating the district’s three high schools, has about 2,000 students.
“By having these different academies, these kids want to be here,” said Corry Hanson, athletic director. “When a kid wants to be at school, it's a whole different animal.”
How the academies work
Wilkes-Barre’s academies are set up like magnet schools — specialized, tuition-free public schools that operate within district systems. Unlike a standalone magnet school, these programs exist within the high school.
“It really gives the students an opportunity to test the waters. That's what high school is all about,” said Colleen Robatin, 12th grade principal.
Students can realize what they’re interested in, along with fields they may not want to pursue, she said.
“They're not going to end up wasting money once they hit college … We're giving them every opportunity that we can here,” Robatin said. “So it's very exciting.”
The district has found that students’ overall GPA increases, including in core academic classes, when they’re in an academy. There are also no discipline issues, officials said, because being disruptive can mean being forced to leave the program.
“We're trying to create a different type of environment where if students want to be here … and we give them opportunities that they're excited about, then everything else just becomes better,” Superintendent Brian Costello said. “Their attendance becomes better. Their academics become better.”
There is minimal extra cost, since the district would still need the same number of teachers if the students were in a traditional schedule, he said.
The new athletic academy
The athletic academy will run on a trimester system, instead of traditional quarters, to correspond with sports seasons.
Classes will include sports broadcasting, statistics in sports, kinesiology and sports management. They will meet with a nutritionist to learn how to fuel their bodies and have daily physical training. If they’re in their sports season, the students will have 60 minutes of in-school training daily. If out of season, they will have 90 minutes. Training could include weights, swimming, pilates or yoga.
Thirty students in ninth through 12th grades can participate in the fall, with the number growing in subsequent years. Students must have a minimum 2.5 GPA, with no attendance or behavioral issues, and go through an application process.
“It's really all about the academics and about pointing them in a direction that they may want to go,” said Michael Grebeck, a principal at the high school.
