The school year is coming to an end, but that does not mean the John Harvard Academy is closing up its doors just yet. In fact, for many students, summer is another season to hone their skills.
During summer, John Harvard Academy focuses on ACT Prep, students who are making up classes online, pre-calculus for students looking to skip pre-calculus and go straight to AP Calculus, and supplemental language arts and math to prepare students for what they will be seeing the following year.
The programs are not focused only on upper grades; John Harvard Academy helps students throughout all of their general education. John Harvard Academy Center Director Susie Keeney explains, “When you have the first, second, and third graders — the Elementary school students — when they can nail their facts, they can reduce the silly mistakes they make when they get older.”
John Harvard Academy was opened in 2002 in Point Loma by Andre Tran, whose background includes experience as a franchise owner and Director of a Kumon location, President and CEO of @Campus, Inc, President and CEO of iTango, Inc., management consultant at Deloitte & Touche, an analyst at JP Morgan, and receiving his MBA from Harvard. In 2010, Dr. Tran opened the Coronado location which is something special on its own.
Suzie Keeney is a CHS graduate herself and has two children that recently graduated from Coronado. Susie emphasizes the challenges facing parents and students today; no longer do students face simply school and homework challenges, but also work and athletics compete for students’ time.
There are currently six tutors at John Harvard Academy, a few hold B.A. degrees, a few are attending college simultaneously with tutoring, and there is always one current CHS student on staff. Many tutors have attended schools in the Coronado School District, which provides a unique experience for the tutors as well, working with students that have many of the same teachers that the tutors once themselves studied under.
Passersby often wonder what the focus of John Harvard Academy is, and the truth is that they do it all, helping some clients to get ahead academically or stay focused, as well as helping the kids who have struggled turn their habits around. Susie also attributes student success to the community feel of John Harvard Academy, “You see all different levels. You might be a fourth grader seeing [a high school] senior…going to Stanford.”
The method at John Harvard Academy works, Susie explains. “We don’t just sit next to students and spoon feed them. They help you see and understand the concepts. They help you see and understand what you don’t understand.” John Harvard Academy focuses on process based learning, asking students what they think instead of providing the answer, helping to mold critical thinkers.
Whether you are looking for the school year or summertime learning, John Harvard is a place to stop in and check out to help your student grow. Find out more information on their website.
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Alyssa Ballard
Staff Writer
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