Washington State Superintendent awards Riverpoint Academy with STEM Lighthouse Award

SPOKANE, Wash. - Feb. 19, 2014 - PRLog -- Contact:
Danette Driscoll
Principal
Riverpoint Academy
509-465-7910
danette.driscoll@mead354.org
www.riverpointacademy.org (about:blank)

Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction awards Mead’s Riverpoint Academy with STEM Lighthouse Award

Spokane, WA - Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn will be visiting the Mead School District February 24th to present Riverpoint Academy with the STEM Lighthouse Award.  Riverpoint Academy was selected as a STEM Lighthouse School by the Washington State Office of Public Instruction.  The grant award is supported by the Legislation to increase the number of high school students interested and prepared to enter post secondary programs in the STEM, Science Technology, Engineering and Math fields.

STEM Lighthouse schools are selected because of their innovative learning experiences that support student engagement in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math and their willingness to share their expertise with other schools in the state.  Riverpoint Academy’s learning program exceeded the award criteria of being a small, highly personalized learning community with an interdisciplinary curriculum that has a strong focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) delivered through a project-based instructional approach;

and has active partnerships with businesses and the local community to connect learning beyond the classroom.

About Riverpoint Academy:

Riverpoint Academy supports all students, in creative, challenging and personalized ways, as they prepare for college programs and the 21st century economy. This is accomplished by providing open, flexible learning spaces where students engage in rigorous and authentic product based learning. In a safe learning community, students participate in radical collaboration, learn to fail fast, dive deeply into relevant content, connect with professional experts, and become innovative problem solvers.  Riverpoint Academy is another educational option for Mead School District’s juniors and seniors.

The Academy has a STEM+Entrepreneurship focus (science, technology, engineering, and math), and compliments this focus with the Arts, humanities, and social sciences. Learning occurs as it does in “real life” -- in an interdisciplinary way, grounded in real and challenging problems, assisted by cutting edge technology and connectivity.  Riverpoint Academy is for all students who want to engage in their learning.

Riverpoint Academy is a full-time high school in the Mead School District for juniors and seniors that offers college readiness coursework, college credits through Eastern Washington University Running Start, professional partnerships in the community -- engineers, biomedical scientists, and entrepreneurs, internships, and individualized college planning guidance.

Riverpoint Academy students become confident learners because they are required to be makers, innovators, risk-takers and communicators.  The smaller, personalized school allows students to follow their passions while being challenged to grow, to stretch in their individual skill set.  Students will say they’ve never worked so hard in school and never loved school so much.

In a recent survey, parents of Riverpoint Academy students shared that they’ve seen substantial growth in their daughter or son in the areas of leadership, collaboration, innovation and analytical thinking.  University faculty, who serve on Riverpoint Academy’s Advisory Council, confirm that the depth of learning taking place is equal to that of the first two years at most colleges.

Other Recent Awards:

Apple Distinguished High School
Allen Foundation Distinguished Educator in Entrepreneurship
Hagan Foundation Grant Award
Innovative Program Designation by the Office of Public Instruction