Camelback High School’s Freshman House teachers pose with a district award recognizing their achievements since the program was implemented six years ago (submitted photo).
“If you’re going to be successful with 600 different kids from diverse backgrounds, speaking different languages from different countries,” said Camelback High School’s principal, James Arndt, “you need a more customized, bespoke approach.” And that is where the Freshman House program comes into play.
The journalism students at Camelback explained that the Freshman House program’s goal is to help students succeed in their freshman year – students are put into three different groups, which have four core teachers (algebra, biology, English and health), each with their own teachers.
“Starting high school is like stepping into a new world full of uncertainty, excitement, and full of possibility,” the students said.
Camelback works to make the transition as easy as possible for both the staff and students by building a strong, united foundation for the freshman from the start that continues throughout the year.
“That is why Camelback Frosh house has succeeded for the past six years,” the students added.
The Freshman House hadn’t always been this way, Arndt said. The freshmen were randomly assigned a class and that was it. The rest was for them to figure out, but the new system ensures that every student has four adults they know, who are deeply invested in their success.
Kennedy Koch-Carney and Layla Gondos are members of the Link Crew, a group of juniors and seniors who help freshmen get connected with clubs and sports and serve as mentors. Link Crew is also a part of the tutoring program helping struggling freshmen.
Koch-Carney said, “After working with freshmen, over time I noticed how different they interact with each other as they grow into themselves, especially when they come to events hosted by Link Crew.”
This year, Link Crew plans to be more involved with the freshmen by splitting into groups to monitor advisories, so they know how to help the freshmen grow. The student also believes Camelback is one of the better PXU schools and recommends that future freshmen become a Spartan.
“We provide a safe environment for students and have help available to us at all times, whether that’s a counselor, teacher, coach or security, we always have something to tend to our needs,” she said.
Gondos added, “The freshman house so far is very energetic and evolved. The structure of it really cultivates communities and creates a sense of home for people.”
And data show that if students are successful in their freshman year, they’re four times more likely to graduate than peers who are not. The rate of kids from freshman year staying on course to graduate grew from 42 percent in the 2019-20 school year to 87 percent in the first semester of this school year.
“It’s no surprise that the first group of in-person ‘Freshman House’ kids have the highest scholarship totals in our history, have the highest college credit attainment in our history and they’re just kicking butt and breaking records everywhere,” Arndt said.
Camelback High School is part of the Phoenix Union High School District. Learn more at www.pxu.org.
