"It takes courage to be different; to be a Ginn man."
Theodore Ginn, Sr.
The Ginn Academy is looking for a few good men -- well, actually 100 good men! If you are a young man currently in the eighth grade, looking for a unique high school experience that is guided by scholarship, leadership, and service, you should consider becoming a Ginn man.
It's never too late to begin at Ginn. To help you learn a bit more, we talked to one student from each of our grades, 9-12, about their reasons for enrolling at GA. You'll notice that each student has a different tie. As each new year begins, our young men transition to the next grade's tie as a rite of passage. Freshmen wear solid black, sophomores have solid red, juniors' ties are striped, and finally, in their senior year, the boys earn the privilege of wearing a custom-made tie bearing the Ginn Academy crest.
Shawndel (above), a freshman, attended Maple Heights schools until this year. For his high school years, his father looked at a private school that his cousin attends, but ultimately decided to send Shawndel to Ginn. "He actually went to this school when it was Margaret Spellacy Jr. High, so when he looked into Ginn Academy, he thought it would be a good school for me. He wants me to grow and to be a young man."
Though he's had to make all new friends and he gets up early to take two RTA buses to get here, Shawndel has no regrets about moving to his new school. He recently even recruited a classmate, Donald (above left), from Maple Heights to join him. One of his favorite aspects of our school is the youth support staff. "They actually know what we're going through, so there's a lot that they can help us out with," he says.
Our sophomore, Will (below), comes from a parochial school background and came to Ginn for the athletic and the academic opportunities. "I knew there would be fewer distractions being in an all-male school," he explains. "And the academics are more challenging. I like the youth support here. They stay on top of our needs in the classroom." Will started at GA feeling familiar with his new school because he already knew a lot of our students from football.
Moving on to eleventh grade, meet Ralpheal (above), who came to Ginn in his sophomore year seeking a more successful path for himself. "Originally I went to John Hay and I made a couple of not so good decisions, so they removed me from there," he explains. "I met Coach Ginn over the summer and he said that he knew my grandmother and told me that he thought Ginn Academy would be a good place for me to learn to make better choices and teach me to be a better man. Ever since then I've been making good choices, staying out of trouble. I'm happy that I chose to come here."
Ralpheal considered Ginn Academy before he enrolled at John Hay, and figures that if he'd come here intitially, he would not have gone down the path that he did. "I had this idea that Ginn Academy was for bad kids, though," he recalls. "I was surprised when I came here that the students really behave well, do their work. It's kind of cool. And it's working out for me."
Raijon (above), a senior in his first year with us, originally made the decision to transfer to Ginn because of some changes at home and also football. Shortly after starting, though, he realized that he should've been here all along. "It would've helped me be better than I am today. I was a little skeptical at first, but once I figured out what everything was about and got to know all the kids, it wasn't like an all-boys school, but more like my brothers. We have a lot of fun," he explains. He's found it much easier to focus on what's important with far fewer distractions in his life.
While academics are important in every school, Raijon sees a fine distinction between GA and his previous high school. "The craziest thing is that at Cleveland Heights, it was all about school and grades. When I came here, it was more about me being a man. We do our schoolwork here not just for good grades, but because we should; because we know it's part of becoming better in this world."
As you can see from these four students' stories, it's not too late to begin at Ginn!
Thank you for your interest!
Kindest regards from everyone at The Ginn Academy...
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For more information on enrollment:
The Ginn Academy holds an annual open house where families and potential students have an opportunity to meet and greet current Ginn men, faculty, and staff. An informational session is provided by Theodore Ginn, Sr. and Principal Petty, along with a guided tour.
The recruitment process consists of the submission of an application, current transcripts, two (2) letters of recommendation, and a student essay. Interested students may obtain an application by calling The Ginn Academy at 216-531-GINN (4466).
