What is the curriculum design of the school? 

The Innovation Academy offers a fully integrated academic curriculum with special focus on advanced Science, Technology, Engineering and Math skills. The school features problem-based, hands-on learning with assistance from area STEM professionals and experienced STEM teachers.  Language Arts and Humanities are critical and integrated components of the STEM curriculum.  The curriculum at Innovation Academy is based on rigorous course work, high expectations of students, and opportunity for all students to succeed.  

 

Where is Innovation Academy? 

Innovation Academy will be housed in the former Brookside Elementary School in Bloomingdale, TN.  Classrooms are being renovated during the summer of 2012 to include collaborative workspaces, SmartBoard/Apple TV projection systems, and videoconferencing capabilities.  The school will have fully equipped Science labs and an outdoor classroom/project area. 

 

 

What kind of STEM projects can I expect at Innovation Academy? 

Scientists, engineers, and other technical professionals from across the area are already hard at work designing great projects for Innovation Academy students!  Projects are designed to illustrate concepts in the core curriculum by solving "real life" problems and design challenges.  Typical projects might include evaluating water quality and microbial life in a local stream, designing a robot to perform a common task, evaluating alternate energy sources, analyzing the lower atmosphere using a weather balloon, or building a catapult or rocket launcher to study the path of projectiles.  Students are limited only by their imaginations! 

 

How will a typical school day flow? 

For the 2012/2013 school year, Innovation Academy students will spend most of their school day, including lunch, at the Innovation Academy.  All core academic courses will be taken at the Innovation Academy.  Students will travel by bus to their base school for related arts and after-school sports or other extracurricular activities.  

 

The City base schools will be Sevier and Robinson. The County will have one or two base schools which will be selected based on residency of county students enrolled at Innovation Academy.

 

What is the 2012/2013 calendar? 

The academic year for students at Innovation Academy will last 185 days, slightly longer than the Sullivan County or Kingsport City school calendar. 

 

The upcoming Innovation Academy school year begins August 6, 2012, and will end around May 29, 2013. Fall Break will match Sullivan County schedule and occur the week of Thanksgiving.  Christmas and Spring breaks will approximately match both Kingsport City and Sullivan County calendars.    

 

How will snow days be handled? 

Innovation Academy will follow the snow schedule of Kingsport City Schools.  Students who cannot attend school in person due to inclement weather will be expected to complete online assignments and participate in classroom activities using their iPad.s using their iPad.

 

Will all students at Innovation Academy have iPads and who pays for them? 

The school will issue an iPad to each student to access course materials, assignments, and electronic textbooks.  iPads will remain the property of the school and will be turned back in at the end of the school year.

 

Who can attend Innovation Academy? 

Any student in the Kingsport City or Sullivan County school system with an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math can attend Innovation Academy.  There are no admission requirements...simply an interest and a commitment to work hard to succeed. 

 

Are there enrollment caps at Innovation Academy? 

Yes. In this first school year, enrollment will be capped at 160 students - 40 6th graders with county residency, 40 6th graders with city residency, 40 7th graders with county residency and 40 7th graders with city residency.  

 

If applications exceed these numbers, a lottery will be held to determine enrollment.  

 

It is anticipated that Innovation Academy will be expanded to include 8th grade for the 2013/14 school year, with additional grades added each year until the school supports a 6th-12th grade enrollment. 

 

 

Will transportation to the school be provided? 

Yes. Innovation Academy students will have school bus transportation available from to-be-determined locations in the city and county. These transportation locations will be determined based on the geographic spread of the residency of Innovation Academy students. School bus transportation will also be available at the end of the school day to return students home. 

For more FAQs, please visit http://www.ianetn.org/Innovation_Academy/FAQs.html