The Acera School, a school for high ability students which focuses on STEM and creative, innovative problem solving, will move to Winchester starting September 2013, from its present location in Melrose. Acera serves students in grades K-8 in multi-age classrooms, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary and hands-on project learning. Acera will expand into high school in coming years to keep pace with current students.
Acera: The Massachusetts School of Science, Creativity and Leadership was founded in 2010 to meet the needs of high ability students by offering learning with a runway that honors each student’s potential, as well as to develop the next generation of scientists, innovators, and leaders who can make a positive impact in the world. By offering accelerated students opportunities according to their abilities, rather than their age, Acera provides boundless access to learning.
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Describing the innovative learning experiences in the classroom on a typical day, Founder and Co-Director Courtney Dickinson noted, "You might find the lower elementary classes acting out the roles in protein synthesis, upper elementary students engineering a project which solves a problem faced by a character in their literature group book, and our middle schoolers immersed in a Model UN debate. We collaborate with passionate scientists and great systems thinkers who represent bioengineering, microbial evolution, cardiology, engineering, astrophysics, genetics, and nanotechnology from MIT, Tufts, Museum of Science, and Harvard. Forming partnerships with great thinkers across many existing and emerging fields is a core part of our mission.”
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In addition to the thematic, hands on project work and science emphasis of the core classroom experience, notable components of Acera’s program also include creativity morning (with stations in construction, art, film making, theatre, cooking, and stop animation movie making), computer science, and ability based math block. Acera offers options for competitions and extracurriculars such as American Mathematics Competition, Mathcounts, FIRST Lego League, and Destination Imagination.
Dickinson added, of the move to Winchester, “With 59 students currently, we are eager to own a building and have a permanent home that will allow us to serve more students whose needs aren’t met in traditional schooling programs. Our students now come from 12 cities and towns. It is an honor and privilege to serve these incredibly creative and bright students. I feel proud to be part of a faculty completely devoted to the potential and spirit of each of our students.”
Information sessions will be held April 9 at 9:30am, May 13 at 7:30pm, and May 28 at 9:30am.
Contact
Courtney Dickinson
781 665 2032
