How Covington Catholic Helps Every Student Reach His Potential
At Covington Catholic High School, academic excellence isn’t about expecting every student to learn the same way. It’s about giving each young man tools and opportunities to succeed. Every student enters high school with different strengths, learning styles and challenges. Some thrive in advanced coursework, while others benefit from additional guidance in organization, study habits or time management.
The question for parents isn’t simply whether a school will challenge their son. It’s whether the school will truly know him well enough to recognize when he needs support and help him reach his potential.
At Covington Catholic High School, the answer is rooted in a simple philosophy: Meet students where they are and challenge them to achieve more.
That philosophy is the foundation of the school’s Academic Success Program (ASP), a comprehensive approach that combines specialized courses, academic coaching and dedicated teachers to help students develop the skills and confidence to succeed.
Support That Builds Independence
The Academic Success Program is built around three interconnected areas: Academic Success Courses, Academic Coaching and classroom teachers.
For students who benefit from more structured support, Academic Success Courses are incorporated directly into their regular school schedules. These classes of 4-7 students focus on essential skills such as organization, note-taking, time management, accountability and self-advocacy. The goal isn’t simply to help students complete today’s homework. It’s to teach them how to manage tomorrow’s challenges independently.
The program’s dedicated teachers include Tracy Scheiner, who works with freshmen and sophomores, and Austin Neff, who supports juniors and seniors. Both teachers carry special education certification and have experience and passion for connecting with students who need additional academic support.
“It’s incredible to watch a student’s journey from freshman to senior year. They grow stronger in their academics, but more importantly, I see them grow in confidence and that confidence affects all aspects of their lives,” said Mrs. Scheiner.
Academic Support for Every Colonel
One of the distinctive features of Covington Catholic’s approach is that academic support extends beyond students enrolled in specialized courses. Through the school’s Academic Coaching program, students can receive assistance with study skills, organization, test preparation and challenging coursework.
Led by Head Academic Coach Stephanie Tewes, the program includes study-skills boot camps, classroom support and access to the school’s Learning Center, where students can seek additional help from academic coaches before and after school or during lunch.
Additionally, Ms. Tewes joins teachers in the classroom to co-teach challenging topics and offer additional assistance to students.
All students benefit from Colonel Crunch Time, a dedicated period built into the school schedule that allows them to meet with teachers, ask questions, receive extra instruction or make up assessments.
These opportunities reinforce an important message: Seeking help is not a sign of weakness. It’s a skill that successful students develop.
High Expectations. Individualized Paths.
Covington Catholic’s commitment to academic success goes hand in hand with its rigorous curriculum.
With five levels of coursework, including College Prep I, College Prep II, Honors, Advanced Placement(AP) and Dual Credit (DC), the school provides opportunities for students with a wide range of academic abilities to be appropriately challenged. Students are not placed on “tracks” taking all honors or CPII classes, rather they are placed in classes that meet their individual needs. For example, if a student excels in English, he may be in honors, DC, or AP classes. However, if that same student finds math courses challenging, the schedule allows for him to take the appropriate level math class.
With a 12:1 student-teacher ratio, small class sizes allow teachers to develop meaningful relationships with students, understand their individual learning needs and recognize when additional encouragement or support may make a difference.
The result is an educational environment where academic excellence isn’t reserved for a particular type of student. It’s a goal every student is encouraged to pursue, with the resources and guidance to help him get there.
Reaching His Potential
At Covington Catholic, the mission has always been to educate young men spiritually, academically, physically and socially. Helping students develop confidence, resilience and personal responsibility is an essential part of that mission. Because academic excellence isn’t about every student starting in the same place. It’s about helping every student reach his full potential. He’s worth it!
Learn more about Covington Catholic’s Academic Success Program and academic opportunities at www.covcath.org.
