Year in Review
Dear Academy Family and Friends,
The 2025–2026 academic year has been marked with significant milestones. We celebrated our fifth year of summer and afterschool programming. We celebrated our first graduating class of students who were with us when the program was founded Our aim is to help students achieve academically and develop strong connections with their peers and positive adults so that they are ready for any opportunity.
Our students are growing and thriving. This report highlights the incredible work and accomplishments of our students this year Academically, our students are growing, with many improving multiple grade levels in their reading and math scores. Athletically, our students are represented throughout middle and high school teams in Waukegan and are learning habits and lessons that carry over from basketball to life. Our students have visited new places, tried new things, and been accepted into prestigious programs around the country. They are confident, empowered, and ready for any opportunity that comes their way.
Together, we have achieved many things over the past year and the future is bright We are grateful for the support from our families, community, staff, and schools.
We look forward to all the successes of our students in the coming year!
BRANDON MASSEY Executive Director
MATT AND MEGAN SCHRECENGOST Founders
MIRANDA VANCLEVE Director of Academics
Education Creates Opportunity.
Every student deserves the opportunity to learn and grow. Each day we provide academic and social-emotional support so that our students can reach their full potential. This includes reading and writing interventions, building habits for academic success, and learning to manage their school work. In spite of the systemic challenges they face, our students are achieving academically. These skills are the foundation of future success through middle, high school, and college. We are proud of our students’ successes and accomplishments this year!
60% middle school students are achieving and maintaining 3.0 GPAs.
50% of high school students enrolled in advanced courses.
40% of middle school students improved 2 or more grade levels in reading scores.
30% of middle school students improved 2 or more grade levels in math scores.
Athletics Creates Resilience.
Every student deserves to feel supported and part of the team. Our coaches provide instruction each day so that our students are learning the fundamentals of basketball and growing in their knowledge of the game The commitment, hard work, and dedication to getting better is a transferable life skill that our students implement in all areas of their lives Our students report that they feel positively supported when they are with us This environment creates students who contribute to their school athletic teams, support their teammates, and are leaders on their teams.
Our students contributed to all 5 Waukegan middle school girls’ and boys’ basketball teams
Our students participated in all levels of Waukegan High School mens’ and womens’ basketball teams.
40% of our middle and high school students are multi-sport athletes
Exploration Creates Empowerment.
Every student deserves access to transformative experiences that expand their vision of what is possible Throughout the year we find time to visit college campuses, explore new locations, and try new things. These experiences build self-confidence, develop self-awareness, and teach our students that they belong and their voices matter.
Our students visited 11 college campuses this academic year
3 students participated in leadership development programs on college campuses.
Our students report feeling valued, safe, and empowered to explore new places.
Congratulations to the
Class of 2026
Made in Waukegan. Ready for anywhere.
This year marked the first graduating class of students who have been with The Academy from middle school into high school. These five students have grown up with us and pushed us to grow in new ways. We have visited dozens of colleges together. They have served as tutors and mentors to our younger students. In the fall, all five are enrolling in four year universities and three have received full tuition scholarships.
As we celebrate these milestones, we are excited to announce one of our own– The Academy Scholarship Fund Through generous donations we established this fund so that they have access to higher education without significant financial burden. We are proud to support our students from middle to high school and through college.
The Academy has completely changed who I am. It pushed me to grow as a basketball player, a leader, a student, and most importantly as a person. When I started in 7 grade I was just a kid f rom Waukegan who loved basketball more than anything but did not have big goals or see much for myself beyond the court. The Academy opened doors I did not know existed.
-Academy Student 2026
