SCHOOL BOOT CAMP AT D’IBERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

As Mississippi high school juniors prepare to take the ACT test next Wednesday, a local high school takes a slightly different approach at preparation. D’Iberville High School hosted their third annual ACT boot camp to get students prepared for the big test. News 25’s Andrew Scherer has the report.

Motivating a group of teenagers to succeed in school can be challenging, however the staff at D’Iberville high school thinks they may have figured it out.

Amber Thibodeaux says, “Many do not realize how close they are to getting certain scholarships or perhaps one of two point increase can get them 4 or 5,000 more and if someone is willing to help you pay for your college take advantage of that.”

One of these motivating factors is the ability to be in the “30-plus club,” a shrine to current students who have earned a 30 or higher on their ACT test. Some of that success can be credited to their ACT boot camp, which is an off-campus ACT study day in preparation of next week’s ACT test day. The camp takes a more relaxed approach to a school day, allowing students to be out of uniform and to even have their phones out, taking the stress out of the preparation.

“Over the years we’ve been able to chart our progress, and we have seen a steady increase in the scores and it’s also changed the conversations not only in the classrooms, but in the hallways. Students are aware of what they need to have, based on where they wanna go,” says Thibodeaux.

The students embracing the ACT testing speaks volumes on their approach to getting into college.

Thibodeaux says, “One of the things that I love about our school is the student body. They are conscientious, a lot of them are self-motivated, they are disciplined, they are focused on what they would like to see for their futures, and they understand that to get where they want to be, they have to put it in right now.”

D’Iberville high school has raised their scores over three points since the installment of the program, and have received calls from other schools in the area, hoping to learn some tips.

Andrew Scherer, News 25.