Altus Academy Revamps Its Athletics Program

Altus partners with local private high school to provide students with state-of-the-art sports facilities

Chicago Hope Academy, a private college-prep high school located in the Near West Side of Chicago, offered its state-of-the-art sports facilities to Altus Academy in the spring of 2022. Since then, Altus has made changes to its Upper School Athletics Program, offering more physical activity classes for its students such as soccer, basketball, and volleyball.

Monica George, Altus upper school math teacher, and Ernesto Macias, upper school ELA teacher, have led the effort to revamp Altus Academy’s athletics program.

“Coming from neighborhoods where students are not safe to go outside anymore and spend more time on screens and electronics, our students look forward to running. Many students push themselves beyond what is is expected,” said George. “Athletics has given them more confidence. We see that they are even more focused inside the classroom.”

At the start of each semester, Mrs. George and Mr. Macias monitor and assess students' ability as it relates to aerobic fitness and strength. Students are then assessed at the end of the semester to evaluate student progress and help with individual goal setting. In their first semester of fitness testing, 88% of students improved in two or more areas.

Altus Academy believes that its new approach to Athletics provides its students with opportunities to develop physically while also practicing human virtues such as persistence, generosity, and discipline.

“It’s amazing to see students who normally stay quiet in a classroom setting exert themselves as leaders on the field,” says Mr. Villegas, Altus principal. “These are opportunities they would not get anywhere else.”

If you are interested in supporting Altus Academy’s Athletics Program, please get in touch with Mr. Villegas or consider visiting Altus Academy Athletics Amazon Wish List.