April 26, 2023 by AJ Martin (‘24)
What is SPA? SPA is the Saratoga Pathways Academy. That is the end of the article, if we’re speaking literally, but there are probably better ways to answer that question. Interest in the SPA program is particularly high for the soon-to-be freshmen moving into high school. As a SPA Alumni, I happen to know quite a bit about the program, so a rundown of what SPA entails is definitely within my purview. But it wouldn’t be a comprehensive article without including the reason I left it as well. This is all you need to know about SPA to make an informed decision.
The first question that should be addressed is “What is SPA?” or rather, “What does SPA entail?” SPA is a set of classes meant to create connections with other students through the field of project-based learning. The subsequent question might be, “Ok, what does that look like?” The bottom line is this: you must take both SPA English and SPA Social Studies. These two classes try to teach associated topics at the same time. While SPA Social Studies is teaching about World War II, SPA English will be talking about Elie Wiesel’s Night, an account of a holocaust survivor. In this way, the program gets you to consider the same topics from multiple angles. However, they do not always exactly line up.
The project-based part of SPA is a bit more interesting. In most classes, a test is the ultimate determiner of how well you understand a topic. But in SPA, a group project is the barometer by which you are judged to have understood the content. It is different from the more traditional classes in that way, as success is, in significant part, based on your work as a group. While there are individual grades throughout, unless something has gone horribly wrong in your group (for which exceptions are made), you are all graded the same. While group projects are the bane of most students’ existences, it is nonetheless valuable to learn how to work with others, as you will find yourself doing so throughout life. The differences in the SPA program to normal classes do not stop there, however.
If you are, however, strolling through the downstairs G-Wing, you are likely to notice the room that is entirely visible from the outside, on account of its large windows. This spacious and bright room is SPA’s home. Signature features include the comfortable chairs, the desks facing each other, and the harsh fluorescent light that bathes the entire school in its medicalized hues. It is all there in SPA, and these things have a purpose. The chairs are easy to rearrange for optimal viewing of video clips on one of the many smart boards situated throughout that classroom. While not unique to the SPA room, it is a key part, since collaboration is a central tenet of the program. Every part of the classroom is rearrangeable, able to adapt to the needs of the students and teachers, and the furniture is certainly a step up from the rocks the rest of the school uses for desks and chairs. The SPA classroom is likely the nicest in the school, with its modern sensibilities a nice complement to its aforementioned aims. So why did I leave?
For me, I wanted to go up to a higher level of education, take a stab at the AP courses. I had also thought I had already extracted the most valuable aspects of the SPA program. I learned how to actually present instead of reading directly from the slide, how to delegate work, how to take leadership, and how to be a responsible member of a team. These are all particularly important lessons I am thankful to have learned in the SPA program. I can wholeheartedly recommend it for at least two years, but encourage students to consider that you can move on after that. After a while, that nice classroom can start to give you an unpleasant feeling with its clinical fluorescent light and minimal exposure to the rest of our high school community.
Despite that, there is no doubt in my mind that the SPA program is good. I have not mentioned either of the teachers I had, though rest assured, they were kind and good teachers. SPA is a great program, and though it’s now in my past, I’m grateful for the lessons I learned in that fluorescently-lit room.