"We're each writing a sentence," explains one. "We're taking turns writing sentences for a paragraph to say the strengths and weaknesses of the stories."

Seniors Sarah Hull and Cody James are back in mixed classes after having completed the Academy single-sex class program.

Fewer distractions

Senior Morgan Van Fleet's Academy experience is behind her. She preferred the single sex approach because she finds coed classes too distracting.

"People [boys and girls] just act differently when they're put together," says Morgan. "To me, it almost seems like it's hindering your chances at developing yourself because you're more focused on 'Oh I wish they'd shut up, oh what do they think of me' - instead of focusing on what's the homework or what's going on in this class, what's the lesson."

Her classmate, Sarah Hull, also liked the Academy program, and feels there's a difference in the learning styles of girls and boys.

"Boys are more hierarchal - like to talk out and show what they know," says Sarah. "But girls are more quiet and like to take things in before they actually voice their opinions."

Cody James, who took the all-boy classes, thinks a more diverse group of kids should be invited into the Academy program. "Maybe instead of just putting the top percentile in there, you should probably focus more on who you're putting in, because it just ends up such as in government with just one huge argument the whole class."