December, 2020 - Horizon Academy

Archive

Faculty Spotlight: Molly Schmeidler

December 21, 2020

“I noticed students that struggled in the classroom and thought to myself, ‘there must be a better way to educate these students,’” said Upper School teacher, Molly Schmeidler. Schmeidler spent 4 years teaching at the Kauffman School before coming to Horizon Academy as an attendee of the Orton-Gillingham and Multisensory Math training. “I love working at Horizon Academy because I can teach students with learning disabilities while still leading the whole classroom,” she said. The educational practices implemented at Horizon Academy teach students in the way they learn best. “At Horizon Academy, we go beyond teaching certain subject matter or…

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The Giving Tree

December 17, 2020

The Giving Tree Horizon Academy students are giving back to the Kansas City community. This year, Horizon Academy has implemented a new incentive system called Kickboard. Students earn Kickboard points throughout the week. If students meet their points goal, they can earn rewards, such as an extra snack, a pajama party for their classroom, or even lunch with a teacher.  Starting this Fall, students were given a new option, to use their points to give to a local charity. Horizon Academy students nominated Unleashed Pet Rescue as their charity of choice. Students can now choose whether to redeem their hard-earned…

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Culturally Responsive Repertoire in Music Education

December 14, 2020

By Andi Meyer, Fine Arts Instructor  Educators at Horizon Academy and across the country are working to make sure their curriculum is culturally responsive. One of my specialty areas, Music Education, is undergoing a significant transformation as teachers and scholars work to uncover songs with racist or derogatory terms, questionable meanings, and questionable origin. In this blog post, I’d like to provide you with a look into some of the research that has been conducted on songs with a questionable past.  In May 2014, Theodore R. Johnson III, who is a writer, Naval officer, and former White House Fellow, published…

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Soaring to New Heights: Jamal Johnson

December 7, 2020

Jamal Johnson was a bright toddler who was inquisitive about the world around him and eager to learn. It wasn’t until after starting Kindergarten that Kim Johnson, Jamal’s grandmother, began noticing problems. “Academically, he was not performing well,” she said, “he was also acting out and experiencing school anxiety.” Kim is a former educator who recognized the signs of a learning disability in her grandson. Jamal was tested multiple times before being diagnosed with dyslexia in 4th grade. He then came to Horizon Academy, where he receives extensive intervention in reading and math. Jamal’s grandmother believes he would not have…

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