Pillars
At Thales Academy, we believe in educating the Whole Student. Equally important to academics are an ethical character, real world skills, and the traits necessary for performing at a level of excellence. Our mission is to help students fulfill their potential, and we know we cannot succeed without fully preparing students for all aspects of college, career, and life in general.
Top 15 Outcomes
We have an exceptional culture of civility, fairness, and respect at Thales Academy.
In all classroom lessons and teacher/student interactions, we incorporate our Top 15 Outcomes to encourage students to better themselves and reach new heights. By graduation, each of our students will have mastered all fifteen of these Outcomes.
- Unfailing Integrity compels a person to follow a strong code of ethics with honesty in all situations.
- A Virtuous Leader with Well-Developed Judgment combines thinking skills and traits such as humility, generosity, and courage.
- Self-Reliance creates confidence to depend on one's own powers and resources to meet all of one's needs.
- A Truth Seeker searches for the correct, right, or accurate explanation of reality, following the scientific method.
- A Critical Thinker discerns the truth of a statement or observation through questioning and examination.
- A Continuous Learner takes lessons from all aspects of life and work, learns from mistakes, and adapts to change.
- Competent Technical Skills allow individuals to join modern technological industries and navigate modern life.
- Astute Problem Solving leads one to identify the solutions to a problem, evaluate likely outcomes, assess risk, and choose correctly.
- A Cooperative and Contributive Team Member knows how to collaborate to achieve successful results.
- A Strong Work Ethic links perseverance, reliability, and honesty.
- Dreams and Aspirations to Change the World help us remember that directed efforts bring us closer to our goals.
- Traditional American Values and Entrepreneurialism drive a leader to build and sustain a thriving economy.
- Well-Developed People & Communication Skills promote effective sharing with a clear message.
- Gratitude acknowledges the gifts one has been given and the contributions of others.
- A Healthy Mind, Body and Spirit offer the freedom to operate at an optimal level and achieve a higher sense of fulfillment.
Character Formation
Character education is a critical element in the Thales Academy formation model.
We strive to form individuals with high moral standards, encouraging students to confidently serve as leaders of integrity throughout all aspects of life and eventual career.
Character traits and their definitions are inscribed on our hallway walls, and students use transparent lockers without locks to encourage a spirit of honesty and respect.
Skills Development
Crucial to preparing students for careers in today’s fast-paced world is the development of skills necessary for success.
At Thales Academy, we foster a multitude of technical and non-cognitive skills, equipping our students to be successful in any field they choose - not just academia. Many of these skills have been identified directly through our founder’s experiences in interviewing candidates for employment.
Mr. Luddy interviews recent college graduates from all over the US, and often finds that they are lacking in a number of skills. Thales Academy aims to remedy this problem, ensuring that our students are well-prepared to stand out as top-notch candidates following graduation.
Direct Instruction
Direct Instruction (DI) is a carefully planned, fast-paced method of teaching used in the Pre-K-5 grades. Invented in the 1960's by Siegfried Engelmann, DI has been continuously researched and improved upon for over 50 years. DI consistently yields excellent results in student performance and skills, effectively teaching all types of learners at all ability levels.
The Direct Instruction Process:
- Students take a placement test to determine appropriate placement in the core subjects of Reading, Math, Spelling and Language Arts.
- All students of one single skill level are placed in a classroom together and taught at a pace and level appropriate for their abilities.
- Informal assessments are given daily throughout each lesson to determine immediate retention.
- Formal assessments are given every 5 to 10 lessons to determine full comprehension.
- Review and extra practice are administered as needed to most effectively help students reach mastery before advancing to the next lesson.
- Teachers meet frequently to assess student progress and determine whether additional actions should be taken to help students succeed, including shifting students to different skill level groupings as needed.
- Students rapidly gain and retain a wealth of knowledge and build self-confidence and competency in their abilities due to the robust Direct Instruction program.
Why Direct Instruction?
- Mastery: All students must master a concept before moving on; concepts are foundational building blocks that expand on each other.
- Retention: Concepts are taught in a spiral format; previously learned topics return throughout the year to ensure they are not forgotten.
- Skill Level Grouping: All students in one classroom learn at their specific skill level together. No other skill levels are present in the classroom. This ensures that no one gets bored or struggles to understand; all learn at the pace appropriate for their individual needs.
- Self-Confidence: Students are repeatedly called upon to respond in unison and individually. Praise is frequently given and incorrect answers are gently corrected and explained. Students quickly grow in confidence as they earn their own success.
- Rapid Pacing: The structure and format of DI maximizes learning time, meaning students can gain greater amounts of knowledge in shorter time. This allows them to excel far faster than the average, advancing learning potential.
- Fun: Students love DI lessons! The fast-paced, engaged learning process allows students to interact with their lessons in a far more interesting way than traditional lectures allow. From sing-alongs to jumping jack counting, students genuinely enjoy the DI model of learning.
Want to learn more about Direct Instruction?
This video series models components of select DI lessons.
College Readiness
At Thales Academy, we will offer general guidance for families as they explore post-secondary options. However, students, along with their families, are expected to take initiative and ownership of their long-term education and professional goals.
Throughout high school, Thales Academy will continue to reinforce healthy habits and hold high standards for academic excellence.
Students will also gain from:
- A strong understanding of personal finance, such as budgeting and avoiding debt
- Well-developed writing skills and the ability to distill complex concepts into coherent, thoughtful reflections, ultimately strengthening their college-essay submissions
- Ability to ground high-level theory by incorporating knowledge in everyday life, leading to permanent learning
- Preparation for successful performance on SAT, ACT, and CLT standardized tests
- Dual Enrollment, Concurrent Enrollment, and Advanced Placement course options to provide opportunities for college credit
- Extracurricular offerings that encourage the exploration of interests in different subjects/disciplines along with personal talent discovery (debate, arts, sports, etc.)
Learn more about how Thales Academy prepares high school students for college.
Family involvement is crucial to student success particularly as students begin to take their next steps toward their post-secondary goals.
To that end, parents are strongly encouraged to do the following at home with their child at the appropriate time in their high school career:
- Determine which colleges are of interest; visit and explore campuses
- Consider the value of a part-time job to practice time-management skills and discover the importance of budgeting and saving
- Start researching the college application process and alternative paths, such as trade school, the military, etc., and consider alignment with family/personal values, morals, and financial security
- Prepare and strengthen a personal resume
- Review and register for Dual Enrollment, Concurrent Enrollment, and Advanced Placement courses and/or AP exam offerings, while weighing whether each option meets the rigor and content quality your family values
- Request letters of recommendation (teachers, coaches, mentors, work supervisors) and send a thank you note to each upon receipt/completion.
- Research scholarships and educational grant opportunities
- Understand the Common App and formally begin the college application process
- Draft and seek feedback on college essays
- Submit college applications, scholarship applications, and other supplemental materials required
Graduates from Thales Academy are accepted into prestigious colleges and universities and receive generous scholarship offers every year.
Luddy Institute of Technology
The Luddy Institute of Technology (LIT) is an optional elective sequence of pre-engineering and STEM coursework for the upper grades. The LIT curriculum covers a wide range of engineering-related content, beginning with the fundamentals and gradually moving toward more complex content and a capstone course. Students are welcome to enter LIT at any time during their high school career. LIT allows students the opportunity to explore STEM-related career fields and hone their technical skills.
Course of Study
Industrial Arts - 6th-9thGrade
The Industrial Arts sequence is required for all junior high and 9th Grade students at Thales Academy, providing an introductory education in practical skills for the modern world. The sequence exposes students to the engineering design process and teaches them to handle the tools and materials necessary to solve problems and create finished products. Topics include basic design and building skills, technical drawing, woodworking, mechanical engineering and motion, simple machines, coding and robotics, basic tool use, and household maintenance.
LIT I: Fundamentals of Engineering - 9th Grade
This course explores and applies the skills, concepts, and fundamental principles of engineering. Students learn the basics of various technological systems and engineering processes in engineering career fields. Instructors reinforce the value of an engineering notebook to document and capture ideas. The design process is introduced to solve problems and understand the influence of creative and innovative design on daily life. Students learn traditional drafting techniques as well as the industry-standard CAD software package, SolidWorks, to create images of their designs and produce a portfolio to showcase their creative solutions.
LIT II: Principles of Engineering - 10th Grade
This course explores various technological systems and engineering processes and exposes students to major concepts typically covered in a post-secondary engineering course of study. Topics include mechanisms, energy, statics, materials, and kinematics. Students develop problem-solving skills and apply their knowledge of research and design to create solutions to various challenges, document their work, and communicate solutions. Students utilize CAD (SolidWorks) and physical and virtual modeling concepts to construct, test, collect, and report data.
LIT III: Engineering Applications - 11th Grade
This course details various technological systems and engineering processes in related career fields by studying various questions: How are things made? What processes go into creating products? Is the process for making a water bottle the same as it is for a musical instrument? How do assembly lines work? How has automation changed the face of manufacturing? While students discover the answers to these questions, they learn about the history of manufacturing, robotics and automation, manufacturing processes, computer modeling, manufacturing equipment, and flexible manufacturing systems. Students utilize CAD (SolidWorks) and physical and virtual modeling concepts to construct, test, collect, and report data.
LIT IV: Capstone Engineering Design Project - 12th Grade
Note: Students must complete LIT I: Fundamentals of Engineering prior to enrolling in this course.
In this course, students develop and complete a year-long capstone project involving the design, fabrication, and testing of a device or machine encompassing all skills and knowledge previously learned in order to meaningfully impact the world around them.
