Excellence in Education
The vision of Smith Academy for Excellence stems from the belief that students should be provided with high quality academic and leadership skills that they can draw from as current and future community leaders. SAFE believes that these skills should be presented holistically in a positive learning environment. As students are provided with quality academic and character education, they will emerge from SAFE well prepared for post-secondary work and equipped to be high-quality, well-rounded citizens who are primed to affect positive change in their community.
Our rigorous school curriculum is student-centered, with lessons and standards presented in ways that help them thrive and succeed. Students’ individual needs are assessed and catered to through differentiated instruction. School, class, and student data is gathered, analyzed, and used to guide instructional decisions and professional learning regularly.
Vision
Smith Academy for Excellence is an urban school that strategically develops elite scholars who exhibit responsibility, dignity, character, and an instinct of service that will revolutionize
Fort Wayne’s southeast community.
Mission
Smith Academy for Excellence uses strong academic, character, and service learning curricula to develop young men into lifelong leaders which creates an opportunity for superior academic growth and holistic long term success. In addition, SAFE is committed to cultivating each child’s unique personality by instilling honorable moral principles.
Educational Program
The foundation of our educational program consists of three pillars: Scholarship, Character, and Service.
Every scholar can achieve to their highest level, and it is our responsibility to determine what is needed to help them accomplish their goals. With this in mind, we personalize the educational experience for every scholar by assessing each individual’s needs and providing differentiated instruction based on that assessment. Through this holistic and inclusive system, we are strategically developing elite scholars who will exhibit responsibility, dignity, character, and an instinct of service that will revolutionize Fort Wayne’s southeast community.
Scholarship
At Smith Academy, we teach our scholars that they should actively pursue education and not simply be passive recipients of what is presented to them. We work to help each individual reach their personal potential. The goal of SAFE is to educate scholars without regard to their status as high achiever or at-risk student. Each of our scholars has access to individualized instruction and a robust dual credit program.
Our educational foundation is a basic Liberal Arts Model. The academic course of instruction provides general knowledge and is comprised of the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. Smith Academy follows the Indiana state guidelines for graduation requirements.
Character
Building character in young students will not happen by accident. Building character must be strategic and intentional.
To empower our scholars to be future leaders and assets to our community, it is vital to teach them how to be people of character and competence.
SAFE’s character program has academic, co-curricular and extracurricular components which include the use of athletics and clubs. The character curriculum includes the Character Development and Leadership Program.
“To educate a person in mind and not morals is to educate a menace to society.”
- Theodore Roosevelt
“We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character –
that is the goal of true education.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Service
Service to our community is the first step in leadership in our community. As scholars learn to serve, the value of our community becomes more apparent to them. The best way for our scholars to learn to serve the community is for them to engage in the act of service itself. Our scholars will improve the quality of our community through their acts of service. This regular engagement provides the unique opportunities to learn many important life lessons that cannot be taught in the traditional classroom alone. Service projects are recommended by members of the staff, scholars and members of the community. By connecting service learning to the classroom instruction, our scholars gain and maintain an increased level of engagement within the classroom.
Service learning also helps to create ties between school and the community. By sharing responsibilities of the community with other area organizations, businesses, and institutions, scholars develop relationships with people they may not otherwise cross paths with. This promotes further accountability among the scholars and a sense of responsibility to continue their education.
