LEISD to open $15 million K-8 STEM Academy in 2015 in The Colony

Little Elm ISD students in Little Elm, The Colony, Frisco and surrounding areas will have the opportunity to attend an innovative new campus in 2015. The LEISD Board of School Trustees recently approved plans to build a $15 million K-8 STEM Academy, a first for the district, at The Tribute, a lakeside golf and resort community in The Colony.

"The partnership forged with our local developers makes this a win-win for all involved. We are very excited to offer this innovative approach to learning for our community," said Lynne Leuthard, LEISD superintendent, in a press release. "On the heels of announcing our new Digital Learning Initiative, the academy will extend our vision of preparing our students for global success."

The K-8 STEM Academy will provide students in kindergarten through eighth grade a chance to attend a school that places emphasis on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

"We know we have many students that are interested in science, math, engineering and technology," said Julie Zwahr, LEISD director of communication. "I think it's going to really motivate and capture and spark a lot of cooperative learning ideas and project-based learning. I think it's going to build an enthusiasm for the love of math and science in the students."

According to the release, the $15 million academy "caps a two-year engagement process involving financial restructuring by Linda Engle, executive director of business services, and curricular leadership by Dr. Jennifer Porter, executive director of curriculum and instruction."

"Now that we've secured the funding, we'll go through with the plans," Zwahr said.

The district is partnering with Matthews Southwest, the developer of The Tribute, to build the new campus on a 32-acre plot of land located on Lebanon Road. The district purchased the property in 2002 as part of the Bond Package taxpayers approved for future campus growth, and also owns other properties throughout Little Elm for possible growth.

"The academy will be an attribute not only for The Tribute community but for the Little Elm ISD," said Kathy Cunningham, vice president of Matthews Southwest. "We're thrilled they've selected the site at The Tribute as the location of the new school."

Matthews Southwest is working in partnership on funding some of the infrastructure and the maintenance and operation costs of the academy over the first decade upon completion. Cunningham said the company decided to help support the school financially because of how difficult school finance across the state is today.

"We saw the opportunity to assist Little Elm and open the new school to meet the projected growth in the area," Cunningham said. "We thought it would be a win-win for the school district and the community and the school overall."

The Tribute community is still relatively new, opening in 2007. The development has a build-out of more than 2,000 homes; but as of yet, it is only 10 percent built out for single-family. Cunningham said upon build-out, children in the area will have the opportunity to attend school in their neighborhood, which is a great benefit.

"We are committed to supporting exemplary schools within our communities," said Jack Matthews, president of Matthews Southwest, in the press release. "An academy of this caliber is a tremendous amenity for the families in The Tribute and it will provide an outstanding education for the youth in this area."

Building a school in The Tribute has always been a part of the plan, said Cunningham. The development currently has a mix of families, couples without children and retirees, but she expects to see an increase in the family-buyer segment of the market as a result of the announcement of the new school.

Zwhar said the district participated in an extensive survey last fall, which prompted the district to put together a committee for further research headlined by Porter. School Board President Sally Coleman said 18 months of research went into the plan. Parents and the community also "shaped the decision, studying several different magnet school concepts this past school year," according to the release. The district visited other sites across the state as well.

The new academy feeds into the Digital Learning Initiative by infusing technology into the elementary and middle school levels. DLI is a program that will provide high school students with MacBook Air laptops mid-way through the 2012-2013 school year for educational use, will turn 11 computer labs at the high school into classrooms, freeing more space for student growth, and allow new funds for lower grade level teachers to apply for digital learning grants.

The core subjects of English, history, etc. will still be taught as part of the academy's curriculum, but a heavy emphasis on the math, science, engineering and technology will be placed on learning. For example, earth science will still be taught in a certain grade, but instead of the general teaching of the lessons, it could focus on how engineering comes into play, Zwahr said.

"[It will be] an expanded, more rich curriculum that excites students about science, math, engineering and technology," Zwahr said.

Zwahr expects to see the academy as being made of students from each of the six elementary schools in the district.

"We see students in 2015 leaving their neighborhood schools to come to this school," Zwahr said.

The district is now looking into the planning and design of the campus as it continues the partnership with Matthews Southwest.

"We have so much enjoyed our working relations with Superintendent Lynne Leuthard and Chief Financial Officer Linda Engle and the school board," Cunningham said. "They have been excellent to work with. They are a forward-thinking, hard work board that has the best interest of the district in mind and we see them as being an excellent partner as they go forward to design and construct the school."

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