Bridgton Academy Affirmed By NCAA
Bridgton Academy officials announce that the NCAA has completed their review of the schools academic standards and have affirmed that the schools grades, diplomas and core courses will continue to be accepted by the NCAA Clearinghouse for initial eligibility determination for college athletics. This review was a part of an ongoing effort by the NCAA to ensure that all schools utilizing the NCAA Clearinghouse meet academic standards. Bridgton Academy gained attention by the NCAA due to the number of students who utilize the NCAA Clearinghouse. Bridgton Academy is the nations only accredited prep school offering exclusively a PG year, and enjoys tremendous success with their athletic programs.
North Bridgton, ME (PRWEB) September 20, 2006 -- The NCAA has affirmed that the grades, diplomas and core courses from Bridgton Academy will continue to be used in the NCAA initial eligibility process for students who wish to participate in college athletics, effectively clearing the school from further review. This inquiry into Bridgton Academy was part of an extensive and ongoing investigation by the NCAA into a wide range of schools that typically send a large number of students to participate in college athletics each year.
Bridgton Academy Headmaster David Hursty responded to the resolution of the NCAA’s inquiry, saying, “Bridgton Academy has been educating postgraduate young men for nearly two hundred years, offering outstanding programs in both academics and athletics that meet the highest standards and give our young men the tools to find success in college and in life. We were confident that once the NCAA visited our campus, met with our dedicated faculty and staff, and witnessed our mission and core values in action, any concerns it had would be dismissed.”
In July, the NCAA included Bridgton Academy on a list of schools subject to review due in part to the high number of its student-athletes who apply to the NCAA Clearinghouse for initial eligibility determination for college athletics in relation to the school’s size, but also due to the fact that it is a non-traditional one: unlike most traditional prep schools with students in grades 9-12, Bridgton Academy is the only accredited prep school in the country which offers a postgraduate year primarily for students following grade 12 and preceding college. With older students, the Academy emulates the college environment and experience, yet with some structure and support, thereby offering a true transitional year rather than an additional year of high school.
On September 13, 2006, NCAA officials Jennifer Strawley, Director of Membership Services/Student-Athlete Reinstatement, and Carol Reep, Associate Director of Membership Services, visited Bridgton Academy, where they met with Headmaster Hursty, the academic dean, director of admission and financial aid, director of college counseling, director of athletics, and several coaches, and toured the campus. This visit followed Strawley and Reep’s review of extensive documentation provided by Bridgton Academy in response to specific questions posed by the NCAA.
"Bridgton was fully cooperative in the review process, provided all materials requested in a timely manner and assisted NCAA staff in understanding the perceived academic irregularities identified," Strawley said. "Bridgton set the standard for cooperation in this review process, and after a complete review of the school the NCAA has determined that Bridgton's academic credentials should be used in the process for determining NCAA initial eligibility."
“We have supported and continue to support fully the NCAA’s work to insure that student-athletes at all schools receive a quality academic experience,” Hursty said, “and we were pleased that the NCAA officials who met with us were able to understand what our program does and why our students are successful at Bridgton Academy, in college and in life.”
Founded in 1808, Bridgton Academy is non-traditional in that it is the only accredited college preparatory school in the United States whose student body is comprised of postgraduate students; it does not offer a 9th through 12th grade curriculum. Although a few students who may be a few credits short of the Academy’s diploma requirements will be admitted, as Bridgton Academy is approved by the State of Maine to grant a diploma, the vast majority of the student body has earned high school diplomas. During its nearly two hundred-year history, it has developed a reputation for preparing young men for the rigors of college and beyond by helping them develop the academic skills, study skills, self-discipline and self-confidence necessary to succeed both in college and in life.
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