ORANGE PARK – Carissa Taylor, 12, was in her room doing chores when her mother told her that Clay County’s Wildcat Acceleration Academy at Orange Park Junior High accepted her as a student.

“She said, ‘Remember the call that you were supposed to be waiting on’ and I said, ‘Yes’ and she was video recording me. She said, ‘You got in’ and I just jumped up and I hugged her. I was so excited,” said Taylor, who was originally zoned to attend Lakeside Junior High.

Taylor is one of 44 students who, a year ago, was invited to attend one of four information sessions that targeted 630 sixth grade students countywide who were identified as high achievers by Clay County School District staff. Using teacher recommendations, test scores and admissions essays for its selection process, the goal was to launch the academy for the 2015-16 school year.

“We wanted to create an academy that would house a group of youngsters who are high achievers and give them rigorous coursework that would prepare them for high school and post-secondary school at a faster rate than regular education,” said Al De Jesus, principal of OPJH recalling the work he did in April 2015 to establish the academy.

Taylor and her fellow Acceleration Academy students have the opportunity to earn eight high school credits while in junior high, therefore accelerating their high school career. After completing the academy, students can enter high school AP classes, the International Baccalaureate program or one of the AICE programs in Clay County because, De Jesus said, they are being prepared for that type of rigorous coursework now.

“We are the only junior high that offers Spanish I with a live teacher [instead of online],” De Jesus said. “They’re going to take physical science as eighth graders. There are also elective classes, such as semantics and logic, which is a high school credit class. There is introduction to information technology, so we’re offering them high school classes at the junior high level and that’s really the advantage of it.”

De Jesus and Acceleration Academy Principal Tyler Wood describe the academy’s students as “the best and the brightest” who have entered the district’s newest “school within a school.” What has blossomed is a learning environment of support and collaboration.

“I don’t think I could imagine anything at the time when I found out about this academy, I think I was just caught up in my head about if I was going to get in and when I did get into it, it’s amazing. I love it and you’re with people that you like and you get to know – we’re basically a family now,” Taylor said.

Fellow student Asia Barber, 13, agrees with Taylor. She said the academy and its structure has forced her to do things she never imagined doing before.

“I think I’ve grown because I never thought I could step out of my comfort zone and do different things, things I haven’t learned I’m overachieving in,” said Barber, who was zoned to attend Oakleaf Junior High.

Wood said the academy and word of its first-year successes, such as 21 of its students qualify to take the prestigious Duke University Talent Identification Program test, is spreading in Clay County. One student scored a perfect 30 on the math portion of the ACT. Students from as far away as McRae and Keystone Heights Elementary Schools have inquired about enrolling this fall when the number of seats expands to 50 from its current 44.

And while rigorous coursework is at the core of the new academy, Wood said, the teachers selected for the program didn’t just throw the students to the fire the first year.

“We didn’t just throw five high school credits at them. We let them put their proverbial foot in the pond but don’t dive in type of thing, so this year they could not earn any more than three high school credits and only one of them could have been a core class, all others would have been electives,” Wood said.

By not forcing students into more than three high school credits in year one, it allowed teachers and academy staff to gel. Guidance Counselor Mary Kivett said, as months went by, everyone learned how to support each other.

“I think that was the biggest thing for me because they are highly-intelligent, they are high performers, but to be in a class where they can be together and say ‘Hey, I have this’ so they push each other, so I definitely see that as a family because they spend so much time together that it’s a relationship and they feel comfortable and safe,” Kivett said.

Language Arts teacher Whitney Johnson said she had to step up her game as a teacher as well. She worked to devise coursework that introduced ninth grade concepts to seventh graders, something wasn’t used to doing as she has always taught middle grades.

“My job is to make sure that they are learning this material, but more than that, they are investing in these concepts and ideas. So, if they come to me and say, ‘Hey, you gotta’ slow down’ or we don’t understand it, that’s what I try and do,” Johnson said.

Johnson echoes De Jesus and Wood in having a successful first year. She also looks forward to year two in the fall.

“We did it. We got through it and I think we’re going to be successful when we get the results and everything or what they say the results should be. I know we’re successful anyway,” Johnson said.

And as far as sticking out from the junior high crowd, De Jesus said, the academy is integral to the school as a whole.

“The kids are phenomenal – they’re great,” De Jesus said. “They’ve adapted to the OPJH way of life, they are Wildcats, they are engrained in any kind of extra-curricular activity you can think of from Chess Club to football and everything in between.”