REGINA – Students and teachers are praising Martin Academy, now well into its second ever semester.
“It’s easier to come to school, be excited for the afternoon, and just stay focused on the schoolwork because you have to keep your grades up to stay in the program,” said Jayden Lorenz, 15, one of 34 students in the baseball stream.
He spends his mornings taking classes with other students at Martin Collegiate, where the academy is located. Two hours are spent training every other afternoon.
“We’re letting good, young student athletes pursue their passions during the school day. That’s the simplest way we can describe it at Martin Academy,” said Justin Eiswirth, one of the academy’s baseball instructors.
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During the other afternoons, he and the other students spend time working out and getting classroom instruction to satisfy other course requirements.
“They’re taking their practical and applied arts credits through that. They’re taking their wellness credit. You need all of those credits to graduate,” said Lisa Allen, principal of the high school.
Ninety-eight per cent of students in the academy pass all of the courses they take, she added.
The academy is still in its relative infancy, but the impact is already being noticed.
“Jayden, as far as working out, has transformed his body and put himself in a position to play on some of the top select teams in the province and country,” said Eiswirth.
“My dream is to become a professional baseball player or football player, and I think this is putting me on the right track to doing so,” said Lorenz.
The school received 140 applications for the program; 120 were accepted into the program.
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