The funny thing is that when we showed up for the tour of the Gifted Academy, 2 of Wm's closest friends were on the same tour! We had no idea, so that was crazy! Wm already has a few friends, including our neighbor, who go to the Gifted Academy. And he will, for sure, have a couple more who attend starting in middle school. It also has a very unique learning structure with kids doing "off campus experiences" at least once a week. Kids are encouraged to express their individuality and the principal was like, "we welcome the wiggles!" The kids are always up and moving and full of action all the time anyway, so Wm wouldn't be forced to sit still for long. We spoke with a student tour guide who said there is no bullying and that "we are all nerds here!" Wm loved that! But it is located in German Village and would be an hour bus ride from our house. They are moving locations, but have no idea where yet. A LOT rides on where they end up!! There is also no official high school tie-in, so we'd be in a similar situation in 3 years.
The STEM school shares a parking lot with my office (it partners with OSU), so it couldn't be more convenient. It was even more non-traditional than the Gifted Academy. Students take super fun sounding classes (such as a Chemistry-based class called Potions which blew Wm's mind!) He got to sit in a on a class where the day's project was building solar powered ovens with which they were going to make s'mores. The school is very project-based and technology focused. The building itself was very impressive and the student body was amazing (and amazingly diverse - which is great)! Our student tour guide there said, "being called a nerd here is a compliment!" Wm LOVED the STEM school and really wants to go there. Which is surprising, because he would know no one there. I am proud of him for picking the school that he thinks is the best fit for him instead of just following his friends! And his reasons are really well thought out, I think. They include: he loves the focus on technology and project learning, he really likes that it is mastery-based (no grades, kids work until they reach 90% mastery and then move on to the next class so all classes have a mix of 6-7-8 graders working toward mastery), and he was really impressed with the course offerings. They have a high school on site, where Wm would just continue. The only problem with the STEM school is that it is lottery-based and only 1/3 of kids get in. Wm came home and immediately filled out the lottery application (and wrote the accompanying essay in short order!)
So both schools have major pluses, and a drawback. If Wm gets into the STEM school, it's a no-brainer for him. But, even if he doesn't, we feel like he has a really good back up. We are REALLY glad we decided to stay put. Both of these schools seem tailor-made for Wm and we are excited about the opportunity for him to go to either! Yay!!! I think Wm is feeling a bit calmer about middle school now that he's seen them. He also LOVED that both middle schools have a very relaxed cell phone policy. I really liked that both were like, "if a parent calls or texts, OBVIOUSLY, you answer it and no one cares." YES. (His elementary school rule is that kids can have phones, but they must be off and in the backpack all day.)
Lastly, just for fun, my hobby is sending Steve click bait articles that ruin something he loves. It's a good time. He seemed to enjoy this one:
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| DEFINITELY true and not insane. |
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