The International Academy of Macomb: The Best Decision I Ever Made
According to a recent U.S. News article (http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/national-rankings), the IAM located in Clinton Township, MI was ranked second best high school in Michigan and number 12 overall nationally.
I was a member of the 2014 graduating class at the IAM, which was the third class in the school's history to graduate. Although new, my parents and I trusted that this school would be the best choice to help me be successful.
Before attending the school, students must take a qualifying exam similar to an SAT along with completing an essay. Prospective students must also submit their grades from their middle school and have letters of recommendation in order to be considered. Of the qualifying students, many are also rejected due to space. Every district in Macomb County has a limited number of seats allocated and selection is competitive. My school district at the time only had four spots for the six qualifying students. I was lucky enough to have my name drawn from the lottery (think of the Hunger Games, except this is real and you actually want your name drawn).
Let me be clear: I was not the best student in high school. I did tend to slack off at times or spend more time on social media when I should have been studying. As a result, I graduated 111/116 in my class. That being said, I was graduating with the top students from every school. I would take being number 111 at IAM over being number one at any other high school any day.
I have had a lot of parents ask me, "Is it worth it?" (And every time I want to respond with lyrics from Missy Elliot's 2002 hit "Work It"). I tell them the same thing every time: stick with it. It pays off.
Everyone at the IAM wants you to succeed. When I earned my D+ in 10th grade Algebra II, my teachers were concerned. Phone calls and emails were sent to my parents and the counselor sat with my teacher and I to make a plan to get me back on track. I was offered extra test time, extra homework, and extra help after school. I was also placed on academic probation for one semester until I received a higher grade. There were other students that didn't pull their grades up and were removed from the school. I lost friends because if you didn't have higher than a C in your classes, you were kicked out after one semester of probation and help. Many people have claimed that this is harsh, but in college most universities will do the same thing. Students were given the resources to help themselves but had to put in the work or they would fail.
This was only a small problem for a very small number of people. The IAM was different because the students WANTED to be there. We had no bells or hall monitors. The teachers didn't take attendance often. Late arrivals weren't counted usually. This was because IAM students are held to a higher standard and they hold themselves to higher standards. They knew their education was important and they went to class without being forced because they wanted to learn. We could chew gum in class because everyone knew we respected our school's property enough to not stick it under the desk. We were like mini adults because we were treated as such.
Teachers are limited in number but so are class sizes. With only 120 kids per grade on average, most students have class sizes of around 20-25. The classes were more intimate and allowed for closer discussion. We were taught to keep an open mind and that it was okay to disagree with other opinions, as long as it was respectful. I was close with many of my teachers and was not afraid to ask them for help when needed.
My art teacher especially was helpful and we still keep in contact today. She is the reason I found my love for art and continue to pursue it as a minor. She was always pushing me to get better and create more. I could always ask for her help and our art classes always had group critiques. Instead of saying "I like your painting", we were pushed to go deeper and say "The texture of your painting works well with the color choices you made and it enhances the overall aesthetic". Our class was very tight and we always would help eachother out. I remember on the last day of class, we all painted our handprints in a creative way on the back wall and had a little party that we all organized together. I am confident that the bonds made in all of my classes will carry throughout the rest of my life.
I recently just finished my second year of college at Central Michigan University. During senior year when I visited campus, I knew it was my first choice in higher education. I was fortunate enough to know how to write a great essay from my IAM classes, have teachers that I knew on a personal level write excellent recommendations, and a list of extracurriculars and service hours that went on for pages. I was accepted almost immediately and found out about a month later that I had received five scholarships: three based on academic integrity, one for promoting diversity, and one for art. It was such a great letter for my parents and I to receive.
Having most of my school being paid for was a huge reward itself for all of my hard work, but there were many more benefits from my IAM education. First, the amount of credits I received from CMU was astounding. Based on my exam scores, I had been awarded credit for a total of 24 credit hours before even setting foot on campus. I was also easily able to test out of subjects such as math, English, economics, chemistry, and European history. My degree at CMU also required four levels of a foreign language. Since IAM had such a strong language program and I was required to take Spanish and Spanish Culture for four years, I was able to test into my third level of Spanish. As an incentive, CMU also gave me credit for the two earlier classes I had tested out of. My Spanish class was very easy and review from my 10th grade classes at IAM. I was able to be successful at college level Spanish very easily.
The IAM is a public school where the only cost for freshman is the $125 laptop fee. Students are given a brand new Dell Latitude laptop to use and keep for their four years and can keep for free upon graduating. During senior year, students must also pay $800 for their examination fees. Students and parents have plenty of time to save up this money because it is discussed at the yearly parent meetings. If students are economically disadvantaged, there are also fee waivers. If students do well on the exams, the $800 more than pays for itself because students will not have to pay for college classes they receive automatic credit for.
If you add up all of the credits I received from my tests, the total is slightly over 60. That is a little more than two years of school. At $300 per credit hour, my tests had saved me over $18,000 of tuition and put me so much further ahead of other students my age. Because I wasn't stuck taking English 101 with my freshman peers, I was able to explore classes towards my major more without worrying if I would graduate on time. I found my love of Advertising my first semester at CMU and decided that I wanted to work in that industry for the rest of my life. I was able to take two Advertising classes my first semester.
Because of how prepared I was for hard work from four years at the IAM, my academic transition was so much easier than some of my friends that had attended traditional high schools. While other students were crying over three page papers, I was already done with mine. I knew how to study effectively, therefore I was less stressed during midterms and exams. This left me more time to become more involved on campus. During my two years at CMU, I was president of two clubs and a member of thirteen total. I was highly involved in volunteering as well. IAM strongly emphasized balance and community. Organizations such as Relay for Life and mobile food drives became a part of my ordinary college life. I made so many connections while being able to help others. IAM required 150 "Community, Action, and Service" hours, which were easy to achieve during high school and even easier to continue in college.
After two amazing years at CMU, I'm ready for bigger and more challenging things. I was accepted to the University of Michigan's LSA program, where I will be continuing my studies in the fall. I will also be part of the honors program there and have received a very considerable scholarship due to my strong leadership, involvement, and high academics. My 3.8 CMU GPA and high involvement would not have been possible if I had not been given the tools and strategies to succeed from the IAM. IAM taught me how to push myself to be the best I can be. Along with the overwhelming support from my loving parents, I continue to not only thrive, but grow as well.
My IB tests came back with higher scores than I had anticipated. I had only needed a total of 24 points to earn my anticipated diploma. I had received a 5 (out of a perfect score of 7) in Higher Level (HL) English, Standard Level (SL) Spanish, SL Math Studies, HL Biology and HL Art. I had also received a four in SL History and the letter grade "C" on my Extended Essay. My Theory of Knowledge essay received the letter grade "B". My total score was a 30 for all exams and I was awarded my diploma.
From my experience, the exams were not as hard as I had expected. I believe this is because the teachers over-prepared us so well, especially during senior year. They train us to receive higher marks, not just pass. We would set whole days aside to take practice exams, learn the language of the exams, pay attention to formatting, and deconstruct directions to see EXACTLY what the question was asking. On top of this, seniors are done with school in late April, whereas other students finish Mid-June. The school gives students time to study for exams in May, come back to ask questions, or for teachers to host optional review sessions. I know that not everyone received their diplomas, but the Class of 2015 had 92% of all students earn their diplomas and I think that is a tremendous accomplishment.
Students knew how exams were graded. Yes, the questions were subjective and could have had multiple responses, but there was more than one answer for many problems. There were very concrete answers, such as on math exams or short response questions based on paragraphs on Spanish exams, but essays and other media all had rubrics. Everything had a rubric that was very clear on what was expected from students. These were passed out several times and helped students know what was wanted. The rubrics also broke down scores on exams. For example, students scoring 80-100 points would receive a 7. Students knew that if they got 80 or more points, they would still get a 7.
Grading wasn't much of an issue either. Several people must read and grade each exam and project differently to ensure equality. Teachers were moderated and points were adjusted usually slightly up or down in order to average out grading and make sure that students were graded fairly.
Block scheduling was very advantageous. It not only prepared me for college schedules, but having four classes instead of seven or eight every day was a relief. Classes were also an hour and a half long, allowing us to start bigger projects or accomplish more during the class period. Having each class every other day also gave me extra time to study or do homework.
There were no "filler" classes at the IAM. I hear people from traditional schools talk about how they took swimming, family planning, cooking, etc. I had core classes and they were all challenging. I learned a lot in a short amount of time and colleges looked at my transcripts more seriously. A 3.5 of math and science is taken much more seriously than a 3.7 of all electives. IAM students had art, music, study time, other languages, other sciences, or theater as elective choices. Students could be as involved as much as they wanted to. During the first two years, most students have two electives or other Michigan required classes like P.E or health. During junior year, students must take the same math (based on level), history, English, and continue their foreign language (German, Spanish, or French). They will become fluent in this language as well. Students get the choice of a sixth subject (extra science, econ, art, band, etc) and their choice of science (physics, biology, environmental, or chemistry). I could still pick what I wanted while being given only a few choices. I think this makes it easier for students as well.
The sense of community at the IAM is one of the things I liked best. I still talk to many of my classmates every day. My two best friends from my graduating class will be with me the rest of our lives. Despite being hours apart, everyone still keeps in touch and talks to each other. My one best friend is currently at Michigan Tech studying Mechanical Engineering and my other best friend is a Statistics and French major at the University of Michigan. Both of their families are like my other families. Their moms will even comment "good work!" when I post things on Facebook and I know I can talk to them any time.
Other students from our class are studying abroad in France, at MIT, at the University of Alabama, or other great schools; however, at the end of the day we're all still one big nerd family. The IAM staff knows this and has worked hard to provide as many opportunities as they can to keep us all connected. The IAM alumni network has many events every year such as bowling to keep all of the grades connected with each other. They also invite us back to talk to current students about what we're doing now. It also gives us a chance to see everyone and see former teachers.
Our first principal, Mrs. Demas, has been supportive even after her retirement. She awards several thousands of dollars in scholarship every year to students graduating. She has been at every graduation still and knows all of us by name and will hug us still.
There have been many debates over whether or not the IAM's location is ideal. It is currently located at the Chippewa Valley High School's 9th grade center. CVHS has half of the building and IAM has the other half. They're mostly divided except for the gym, biology lab, art room, library, and cafeteria. The IAM students keep to themselves as do the CVHS students. Other than some glances being exchanged in passing, there is little to no interaction between the two schools. Both schools are on completely different schedules so sharing some rooms isn't a problem. When I was an art student and needed access to the room when CVHS had class, the teacher let me get what I needed easily. I was quiet so I didn't disrupt her class and she just carried on. It was a mature exchange that happened daily for most students. We didn't have our own building. So what? Buildings are expensive and we did pretty well with what we had. Our class sizes were small anyway, so why waste space or money?
The biggest complaint from the shared spaces is the CVHS security guards also policing IAM students. While it may be annoying that we couldn't drink our pop on their half of the building, we just stuck it in our backpacks and moved on. They were there to enforce the rules given to create the safest school environment. We never had lockdowns because all doors were locked and security checked every single student in if it was a weird time. We got over the inconvenience.
Sure, we were all stressed out. There were nights I would come home crying to my mom and dad and they would tell me that it was okay and everything would pay off. They were right. At one point, I was upset over a project and had told my parents that I was dropping out to join the Marines. They laughed and looking back, I think I was just overtired. I didn't sleep some nights, but now in college I get a full 8-10 hours per night because I am so prepared and manage time so well. It was harder than any other high school, but we made the choice to go there and I think it payed off.
We were so busy with our education that there wasn't really time for other high school drama like you see in movies. That was okay with me. School is for learning. The biggest complaint from students was about the dress code. Students would have to put tape over ripped jeans and we couldn't wear sweatpants because it was unprofessional. I had to dress up for presentations and now I barely think about what I'm going to wear when I have to present because dressing nicely is something natural now. I can't believe that I had to tell some members of my college group projects that they can't wear yoga pants that say "PINK" across the butt to our midterm presentation. We still were able to wear jeans and tee shirts and pretty much anything reasonable.
Students were always working together and teachers were okay with it. If you learned the material and did the test by yourself, then you were good. We split up projects, notes, vocab, and homework and would teach people our sections. This wasn't cheating. In the professional world or college, this is how things are handled. Why not prepare yourself early and learn how to work well with others when you can?
We didn't have any sports or a mascot. Students could still play anything for their home districts. We had one charity powderpuff football game every fall against the Utica IA and to me, that was enough. I had too much to do anyway and I could still play sports at my home school if I really wanted to. We still had homecoming and prom, even though they were smaller. I wish our prom was a bit bigger, but it was still a great night and everyone looked beautiful. My friends and I all went to our home school district's homecomings and proms too. Our spirit weeks were always fun and the "Winter Olympics" were a tradition I looked forward to every year.
Yes, my high school experience was different than a majority of the population, but it was more than worth the hard work. I am proud to be an IAM alum and have so many great things to say about the school, staff, and students. To all of the current IAM students: stick with it. Your parents are right. It will pay off!
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