The ARCH Micro-School prepares students to be attractive candidates for highly competitive colleges, universities, and scholarships. To meet these goals, students can expect to persevere through several expectations that will stretch and grow them. Our teachers, known as ARCH Mentors, will help students every step of the way. Below are expectations for ARCH students:

Demonstrate exemplary academic and behavioral conduct. Students in ARCH adhere to an academic Honor Code and are expected to be campus leaders. When students demonstrate integrity, positivity, and creativity, teachers typically have no difficulty recommending them for colleges, universities, and scholarships.

Work closely with an assigned ARCH Mentor. Our ARCH Mentors get to know students throughout their time in high school, serve as liaisons to parents and teachers, and advocate for students’ needs as they navigate high school and prepare for college.

Starting no later than sophomore year, students should take a minimum of three (3) honors or AP courses per semester. These may include core academic courses or electives. Academic rigor demonstrates to colleges, universities, and scholarship committees that students have challenged themselves throughout high school.

Commit to strong academics: high grades and consistent growth. Colleges, universities, and scholarships typically weigh students’ grades heavily. Students enrolled in ARCH can expect ARCH Mentors to provide support when grades drop below As and Bs.

Students enrolled in ARCH will typically not be able to participate in AVID after freshman year or in half-day programs through Metro Tech High School, as these opportunities have different emphases than ARCH and limit ARCH students’ options for taking courses to prepare for highly competitive colleges, universities, and scholarships.

Complete at least twenty (20) hours of documented community service per semester. Students are responsible for maintaining logs of community service and for getting signatures. Colleges, universities, and scholarship committees seek students who serve their communities and develop skills to work with adults.

Starting sophomore year, attend at least one college fair per school year. One of the great benefits of joining ARCH is the opportunity to learn about colleges and universities that many students have not explored; we want students to make informed decisions about their college or university selections. One of the best ways to learn about colleges and universities is through college fairs.

Attend ARCH seminars. These are a significant way that ARCH prepares students for success in the college admissions process and beyond. Students should avoid conflicts with seminars and should communicate in advance with the ARCH Manager in situations when conflicts arise.