Mia Smyth-Nash
Freshmen
Marshall Campus

Mia Smyth-Nash is a freshman at Renaissance Arts Academy on the Marshall Campus, one of the new high schools that opened in 2003 as a college preparatory arts focused small school. Mia grew up in Portland in a household with three older brothers. "They pick on me a little," said Mia with a smile. "But I hold my own." She attended Lane Middle School in SE Portland where she admittedly struggled with her school work, didn't care for her teachers and felt disconnected from school. "I didn't like school very much," said Mia. "I had a really hard time getting Algebra." In fact, Mia was failing Algebra and not doing well in other courses.

Mia was attracted to Renaissance Arts Academy because of its arts focus. "I like creative writing and other arts," said Mia. "And the school has been good for me in other ways."

"Other ways" includes the comprehensive math classes which students are required to take for 3-4 years, and the more personalized approach to teaching the small schools model provides for teachers and students. "I'm actually enjoying my Algebra class with Mr. Merrill," said Mia. "And I just got an A+ in the class. That's very cool, and I really, really like the Intensives." "Intensives" are special classes that meet for several days in a row to help students needing additional academic support or to reward students who are doing well with enrichment programs.

At a recent intensive class, students needing help with their reading skills focused on reading comprehension exercises and collectively did an excellent job of pushing their grades up from Fs to Ds and Cs, and even a few Bs! On average, 75% of the participating students earned at least a passing grade, and, of those 42% earned a "C" or better. As one teacher commented, "Their comprehension shot up and so did their test results. It was great to see."

Students whose academic work is already strong can take advantage of several different enrichment intensives. Recently, students participated in Cartooning, Theatre, Photography, Woodworking, Rock Climbing and even Snow Shoe Walking.

The academic and enrichment classes provide students with unique learning opportunities they would probably not get at a traditional large high school. "Intensives provide important support for students who need some extra help, said Fredric Locke, administrator for Renaissance Arts Academy. "And the enrichment classes serve as a reward and incentive for all students."

Providing intensive courses puts extra work on the staff at Renaissance Arts Academy. There is a good deal of additional preparation work, scheduling and coordination involved for each course. "Teachers are willing to tackle the extra work," said Locke. "Because they see immediate improvement for students who need a little extra help and because the enrichment programs represent exciting new ways for teachers to connect with kids."

Mia is happy to be at Renaissance Arts Academy and feeling connected to her teachers and school. She recently participated in a theatre intensive class with fellow students, and proudly stated, "I directed the play. It was about the Harlem Renaissance and it was really fun, but it was a huge amount of work!" She paused for a second, smiled, and said, "Next time I think I'll try the snow shoes."