St Vrain Valley Schools

St. Vrain and IBM expand one-of-a-kind summer program � Innovation Academy for a Smarter Planet

July 10, 2012, Department of Communications

Designed last year in partnership with IBM and its �Smarter Planet� initiative, Innovation Academy for a Smarter Planet urges students to think creatively on a global scale. Key issues such as transportation systems, water conservation, energy, food, buildings and commerce are all introduced and explored by some of our youngest elementary and middle school students.

In teams, students engage in problem solving workshops and develop projects facilitated by St. Vrain educators, IBM engineers and other experts, students from Skyline High School�s STEM program and engineering fellows from the University of Colorado; another highly involved partner of St. Vrain Valley Schools.

In a Comcast Newsmakers interview, Regina Renaldi, Executive Director of Priority Schools, explains the ins and outs of Innovation Academy.

Students participate in internal �field trips� to the IBM Green Data Center, Command Center, Executive Briefing Center, Water Treatment Plant and more.

This groundbreaking program expanded this year to include two, two-week sessions, July 9 � 20 for 1st through 3rd grade students and a second session, July 23 � August 3 for 6th and 7th graders. Students spend the first week at IBM�s Boulder facility and the second week at Skyline High School.

At the end of the two-week academy, project exhibitions will be shared with community audiences to culminate the experience.

Participants come from 34 SVVSD elementary and middle schools and were nominated by St. Vrain principals and teachers then selected by a district committee.

Innovation Academy began in 2011 as a result of collaboration between St. Vrain and IBM on the SVVSD i3 � Investing in Innovation grant application.

For additional information contact Shari Wilson at 303-682-7213.