Ivy Academy Reviews

38 reviews

I have attended since middle school and really enjoy the outdoor learning environment and classrooms.

I love Ivy as a student the teachers truly care. The student body and staff are very inclusive with small exceptions.

I like that it is an outdoor school. I also like the smaller class sizes, and the teachers are all encouraging and helpful towards their students.

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I liked hiking but the education was trash. I don’t feel prepared for college at all. Admin are not understanding student are negative.

Good school It’s for someone who likes the outdoors and hiking a lot. On the smaller school side. Close staff and students

I really enjoy attending Ivy Academy. It is an outdoor based school so we go outside a lot during the school day. I am able to learn about the world around me while actually interacting with it. This was a whole new concept to me and I really enjoy it. My school helps my peers and I be environmentally conscious and recognize newer solutions to ongoing problems.

I had a great high school experience. I had a great time at Ivy. The food was nothing to write home about, and with it being as young of a school as it is some more luxurious programs were never available. I never felt I was missing out on much though. Some good in Ivy was that I never had to deal with bullying; nor was I discriminated against. Even still, the true shine of Ivy was its teachers. In the world, proportionally, there is a handful of teachers who truly care for their students' success. In both their studies and otherwise. I have never met teachers or even professors who are willing to facilitate conversations that were so insightful; so thought provoking; so genuine. Some of the teachers I had in high school are my mentors in life. Those mentors have influenced me to such profound extent. Our conversations often bled from lessons in classwork to lessons of life which would benefit me as an adult.
Ivy was the best experience I could have wanted.

Many people may not know that much about my school , Its actually a new school in Hamilton county , its been open for a while. It is a charter school in Soddy Daisy , TN . They have a capacity of 250 students in the school so Its very small . But I absolutely love my school .My school Has great benefits , great Teachers , I've had so much one on one time and help with my Assignments . Were currently building a middle school and its going very well . They will start building another high school thats one of the changes that ivy will have in the future when I graduate.

I love Ivy, they incorporate taking care of the environment and the community. The teachers are very willing to take time out to do private tutor sessions and since our classes are smaller they can spend more time with individual students if needed.

Counselors are not always available, technology is used a fair amount, and buses are constantly breaking down.

The only foreign language offered is Spanish, but not everyone wants to learn that as their foreign language. The teachers are all wonderful, and most give the students the appropriate amount of homework and classwork. Study hall is beneficial for many students. The block schedule that is sometimes used works a lot better than having every class every day.

There is very little peer pressure, and there are so many different types of students that you will find friends very quickly. Everyone knows everyone because the school is so small, and it is easy to interact with others.

If we ever had a specific school nurse, I was not aware. Each teacher had first aid kits, and whoever was in the office working at reception was given responsibility of being the nurse. They could only give you medicine if you had a doctor's note (I was even turned down when I asked for some antacid when I was experiencing a great deal of heartburn), they could give you a zipper bag of ice if you had sprained something, let you lay down if you were dizzy, and maybe write a note if some kind of ailment kept you from getting to class on time. There were students who did drugs, smoked and drank, but most of the time they didn't do it on campus, and I never felt pressured into doing the same. I never felt unsafe on campus, except when there was a tornado warning. I only felt unsafe on the bus when a fight broke out once.

I had a fantastic time learning and growing as a person at Ivy Academy, and I would go again if I could because of the wonderful people that I was able to meet here!

All the school's food is provided by the state, and no competing food is allowed. We were temporarily given a snack machine, but it was put out of use when the state funded food service found out. Very few options are given on a daily basis, if any options are given at all. Many students bring "Ramen" noodles and "Hot Pockets" and heat them up in the microwave for lunch. Our lunch time is typically 25-30 minutes around noon, and no snack is offered. Breakfast is normally a muffin, graham crackers, a small bowl of cereal, "Pop-Tarts" or individually-wrapped doughnuts, and some type of fruit. Not many hot options are given for breakfast.

The Principal is involved in the activities of the school and knows many students by name. The guidance counselor is mostly approachable and genuinely tries to help. There is a dress code that consists of an Ivy Academy shirt (Sold at the beginning of each semester by the school) and solid-color pants or shorts that are to your fingertips or longer when your hands are hanging by your sides, closed-toe shoes in winter and sandals with an ankle strap when the weather is warmer. Shirts cannot be cut, rolled, tied or altered in any way, leggings are not pants, sagging pants are not in dress code and will be held up with zip-ties if no belts are available. Bullying "Is not tolerated under any circumstances".

There are not many athletic options because of lack of funds, but every class spends time hiking in the woods, wading and swimming in the creek, and enjoying the outdoors. There is an unofficial Ultimate Frisbee field, and sometimes people play Football or Soccer there. The Cross Country/Track team runs on the trails in the woods. There is no gymnasium, locker rooms, or fitness/weight rooms. We have all-day and school-wide hikes at least twice a year.

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Every teacher gives each student their time, consideration, support and respect, even when there are students who don't deserve it. They value the opinions and ideas of others, respect each other as educators, love what they teach and make sure the students love it, too.

Some extracurricular options include Yearbook, Newspaper, Ultimate Frisbee, Art, Cross Country/Track, Leadership, and Gardening. I was on the yearbook staff for four years, and it was fantastic because our faculty supervisor was able to help the students create quality yearbooks that were enjoyed by the entire school. I was in the Leadership group as well, and we participated in eco-awareness venues like a 'River Rescue' event and a 'Go Green' conference. We also helped to organize a Breast Cancer Awareness hike, a school festival, and a 'Running With Sasquatch' 5k run for funds for our school.

I was able to get a job that pays more than minimum wage, apply for college scholarships, learn how to spend money responsibly, live by and rely on myself, and make important decisions about my education wisely.

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