Soquel High School

Soquel High School – Humanities Academy

Thank you for your interest in Soquel High School’s Humanities Academy. For your information, the application process is summarized below.

Eighth grade students at New Brighton Middle School and Shoreline Middle School receive visits from Soquel High School’s guidance counselors, as well as presentations from current 9^th grade HA students, in the spring. Students from other schools can request Humanities Academy enrollment information from Soquel’s Counseling office, (831) 429-3909 ext. 132, after March 1 of the application year.

All students interested in being considered for the Humanities Academy must complete an application. The application, which will be available in the spring from 8^th grade Humanities teachers at New Brighton, 8^th grade English teachers at Shoreline, and the Soquel High School’s Counseling office for students who attend other schools, requires students to write a personal statement, identify 7^th and 8^th grade GPAs, and request confidential evaluations by the student's English and Social Studies teachers. The application is signed by students, parents/guardians, and English/Social Studies teachers.

In addition to completing an application, interested students must attend one of three scheduled writing assessments to write an application essay, bringing their completed applications with them at that time. The dates for these assessments will be noted on the application. The writing assessments are proctored at New Brighton Middle School, Shoreline Middle School, and Soquel High School on three different days at 3:15pm over the course of three weeks in April/May. Students applying to the Humanities Academy all write on the same topic, and only essays that have been proctored during one of the scheduled assessments will be accepted as part of the application process.
 
Soquel High School currently offers two sections (two classes) of the Humanities Academy, allowing for a total of 60 new students each year. Student selection for the Humanities Academy is based on evaluation of two criteria: the assessment essay and the teacher evaluation. Only information requested on the application and the student’s assessment essay is considered during the selection process. All students who apply to the Humanities Academy receive a letter in late May that indicates their enrollment status. Students who are selected for the Humanities Academy are required to attend an informational meeting in early June. At this meeting, students receive summer assignments and sign a contract regarding their commitment both to academic achievement and to the community spirit of the Academy, and parents receive an orientation packet that outlines areas for parent support.

Students who do not complete the required summer assignments, which are due on the first day of the new school year, will be immediately reassigned to non-Humanities Academy English and Social Studies classes.