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North Idaho STEM to expand
posted by: Ruthie | January 31, 2014, 05:21 PM   


Congratulations to North Idaho STEM Charter Academy founders and NWPE members, Scott and Colleen Thomson, whose school has been approved to expand from K-8 to high school grades.  A grand prize winner of the ID21 Award, the school received a $50,000 grant for its innovative learning style by the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation.  The school is featured in this winner’s video.


Scott Thomson acknowledges in “North Idaho charter school to expand, despite district funding concerns” that the school “won’t have all the offerings that Lakeland or Timberlake high schools will. . . and that’s OK. That’s what parental choice is all about. … We’re offering more choices for the exact same amount of tax dollars.” 
 

Most of North Idaho STEM Charter School’s staff are members of NWPE and some have received grants and scholarships from NWPE, most recently, Lisa Young and Colleen Thomson and her team of 4th, 5th & 6th grade teachers taking student to compete in the Idaho Tech: NASA Space Consortium Mars Rover Competition at the University of Idaho. 
 

Professionalism is one of the reasons Colleen embraced Northwest Professional Educators as her association of choice.  “The reason I joined NWPE is because I am treated as a professional. I believe in having a choice in how I choose to protect myself professionally. The reason I have continued to be a member is that since joining, I have been pleased to find that NWPE is a true professional organization bringing many different views to the multitude of issues that confront education on a regular basis. NWPE embodies high standards and expectations for education. I respect the dedication of their members. As a member, I am not told what to think. I am asked what I think. NWPE does not take positions on issues unless their membership votes in favor or in opposition by a super majority. This makes NWPE more about quality in teaching and what is best for children than about politics.”
 

Congratulations to the whole NI-STEM team for advancing parent choice and teacher choice to the benefit of the students they serve!

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