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Academy at the Lakes’ co-curricular program provides students with activities outside the classroom that complement and extend both the Academy’s curriculum and mission. These activities allow students to learn and grow by becoming leaders, by taking responsibility for themselves, by performing community service, and by sharing real life experiences with their peers while being guided by caring and competent members of the faculty.
Middle Division Retreat
At the beginning of each year, 6th-8th grade students attend an overnight retreat at a local retreat center. Students spend two days and one night in a variety of activities designed to “break the ice” and to build bonds between students, both within and across grades, and with members of the faculty.
Extended Trips
Each year, Middle Division students travel together on multi-day, overnight trips. These trips relate to students’ course of study, expose them to the life skills involved in travel, and give them the opportunity to bond with their peers in an out-of-school setting. 5th grade students traditionally travel to St. Augustine, Florida, in the spring for two days and one night of exploring our state’s early history. 6th, 7th, and 8th graders are away for three to four days in the fall. Traditionally, 6th graders travel to Sea Camp in the Florida Keys, 7th graders to the historic triangle of Virginia (Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown), and 8th graders to the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia for an adventure program in a safe, supportive environment.
Community Service
Middle Division students go out into the larger community to perform service on a regular basis during each school year. These Service Days have been exciting opportunities for our students to learn about a wider range of life and to contribute in very tangible ways to people in our area. During the year, they will help elderly homeowners, the homeless and the hungry, as well as learn about and participate in efforts to take care for our environment. The organizations we students work with include: America’s Second Harvest, Metropolitan Ministries, S.H.A.R.E., Eldernet, and Crystal Springs Preserve. The Academy is very proud of its students and the ethic of service they develop through the middle years with us. Academy at the Lakes is one of few schools that regularly schedules community service during school hours. We feel that it is important to the growth and development of well-rounded, well-informed, and participating citizens.
National Junior Honor Society
Academy inducts students as members of the National Junior Honor Society during the third quarter of the year. In order to be eligible, students must maintain a 3.4 grade point average in their core subjects during the first semester. Eligible students are then recommended for membership by the Middle Division faculty upon meeting NJHS’ character requirements in five areas: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, Character, and Citizenship. During the course of the school year, Academy’s NJHS chapter, run by the members, devotes itself to a variety of community service activities.
Middle Division Student Council
At the end of each year, Middle Division students elect officers for the coming year’s Middle Division Student Council. Students then elect Class Representatives during the Retreat at the beginning of the school year. The Middle Division Student Council, run by the students and guided by a faculty advisor, plans a variety of events and community service activities to enhance the students’ school experience.
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