The School District of Washington’s Horizons Academy recently was named a recipient of the McKinstry Innovation Award.
The Missouri Association of School Administrators (MASA) and McKinstry collaborated to provide two $1,250 awards for creative, dynamic, educational practices that have a powerful impact on student and/or staff learning and motivation.
The purpose of the award is to support worthwhile innovative programs, processes and/or projects.
One award is selected for smaller school districts and one award goes to a mid to large district annually. Winners were announced at the Spring MASA Conference.
The McKinstry Innovation Award recipient for mid to large school districts was the School District of Washington for their entry, “Horizons Academy: Pathway to Employment.”
The Awards Committee judged the entries based on ingenuity, innovation, and the level of impact on student and/or staff learning. Both winning districts received a check for $1,250.
Selection criteria for the award was as follows:
· Project objectives are clearly stated, realistic, and worthwhile.
· Project is innovative, unique, and creates a powerful impact on student or staff learning.
· Creativity is applied in the approach.
· The narrative explains the resulting student and/or staff learning.
· Number or percentage of students and/or staff benefiting from the project.
· Ability to reproduce the project in future years and/or in other schools and districts.
· Plans to share experience with other colleagues.
· Open Criteria: General impressions of project. Open Criteria is specifically focused on the evidence of the project substantially improving the quality of teaching and learning.
The School District of Washington introduced the Horizons Academy beginning last summer and into the 2021-22 school year.
Horizons Academy is a Pathway to Employment Program located at Four Rivers Career Center. This foundational class is offered to exceptional students with a variety of educational barriers in order to focus on an integrated career and technical education curriculum.
The goal of the program is to provide transformative learning experiences engaging students in a hands-on classroom environment and empowering students to develop skills they need to thrive as they transition from post-secondary education into the community’s workforce, whether it be supported employment or independent employment.
“All students deserve the opportunity to be empowered with the skills to be successful on their road after high school. Horizons Academy emphasizes student strengths, which in turn allows them to find their purpose in life,” said SDOW Director of Special Services Wendy Turnbough. “After collaborating with various business leaders and listening to the needs within our Washington community, the need to expand the Pathways to Employment Program to Four Rivers Career Center was the next logical step. The countless opportunities that will develop from the Horizons Academy will only be a positive result for our students and community.”
