On September 24, 2016 Naugatuck officials cut a ribbon in the Genesis Academy on Rubber Avenue. Thus giving students who are troubled, have an abundance of absences/tardies, have a hard time paying attention, and/or overall are just not fit for Naugatuck High School a chance to learn what they need to learn and get their lives back on track so they can succeed.

Genesis Academy is an alternative learning program built for students having trouble with academics, responsible/respectful behavior, and/or frequent absences. So far, in the year that Genesis Academy has been open, the majority of parents with children enrolled have said it greatly improved academic performance in their kids.

The district of Naugatuck has run multiple alternative learning programs in the past but Genesis Academy is the most recent and so far the one that has worked the best.

Mr. Sorge, one of the two teachers from Naugatuck High School that also teaches at Genesis Academy, says, “[Genesis Academy] was first developed to fill a need that teachers and administrators started noticing; there were certain students who for whatever reason weren’t really being successful in the main building. There had been many different ways of intervening and giving support to those students but it had become apparent that some of them might be better in a smaller group setting with some additional support in place for their needs.”

There was a lot of discussion about having a new building for the alternative program for the past ten years, until last year the decision was finally made.

Currently, the program are only accepting a maximum of twenty students, and only from the freshmen and sophomore classes of Naugatuck High School.

The Academy is a huge helping hand to teenagers who have troubles with large groups, attendance, paying attention in class, and receiving all of their credits. Administrators expect students enrolled in Genesis Academy to only remain students there for a year or two to get them back on their feet and then ease them back into the main building. This helps students with behavioral and academic issues prepare for the future while also learning and staying as comfortable as possible.