For generations, an Academy of Holy Angels education has stood for excellence. Today, we continue to go above and beyond to ensure our students reach their greatest potential. Students receive essential knowledge and skills at their individual learning levels, as well as focused support from our dedicated faculty and staff to help them be the best learners they can be. 

AHA teachers continue to innovate in new ways to help our students excel intellectually. New to the 2025-2026 academic year is the 9th Grade Academy, a structured homeroom curriculum designed to lay the foundation for academic success at AHA. 

Developed by our faculty, the 9th Grade Academy supports the academic, social, and emotional development of ninth-grade students by teaching and modeling executive functioning, habits of schoolmanship, and academic integrity. Teachers work to build an intentional learning community by developing key skills, such as using a planner, self-advocacy, and building healthy daily routines. By making these critical skills accessible to students and by modeling and teaching the academic skills required for success at AHA, our ninth-grade students are beginning their academic journey from a stronger position than ever before.

Ninth-grade homeroom teachers have been given specific training in this unique component of the AHA curriculum. “A dedicated team of teachers saw an opportunity to make the freshmen experience even better,” said Learning Variations Counselor Keri Brenden, “By starting with the end in mind, what it means to be a Holy Angels graduate, we identified the habits of schoolmanship that define the AHA experience. Intentionally teaching these skills to every ninth-grader helps create a solid foundation for their four years at AHA and beyond.” 

Josh Van de Hinz, Social Studies and Ninth-Grade Homeroom Teacher, added, “Farmers have always known that a successful harvest begins by planting seeds early and giving them as much time as possible to mature and grow. The 9th Grade Academy is built on that same wisdom. Introducing effective habits and skills to our ninth-graders helps plant seeds that will enable them to learn and grow to their best ability and to reap the benefits of the harvest for the rest of their lives."

AHA’s Campus Ministry Team (CMT) has long had a strong presence in ninth-grade homerooms, with each senior CMT student mentoring a small group of ninth-graders. CMT mentors meet regularly with their mentees to provide information, guidance, and community. This connection has been deepened with 9th Grade Academy, explained Theology Department Chair and CMT Teacher Mark Schumacher, “CMT’s partnership with the ninth-grade class has expanded, with CMT mentors partnering with the ninth-grade homeroom teachers to reinforce the homeroom lessons and provide examples and stories from their perspective as students who've been there before.”

Academy of Holy Angels seeks to educate the whole person, so that our students can be the best that they can be for the world. We continue to seek new and innovative ways to ensure our students become the best students and future moral leaders that they can be.