The Mead school board tonight [Wednesday] will take testimony on the district’s plan to eliminate an expected $12 million deficit. That plan includes closing a high school science, technology and arts program that is beloved by its students. They and their parents are mounting a campaign to keep the Riverpoint Academy open.
Kyra Haggerty is a year removed from her time as a student at Riverpoint Academy, but she still remembers getting hooked during her first tour of the school.
“It’s a warehouse, really, is what it is. There’s no classrooms, so right off the bat that caught my eye. I thought that was really interesting. There’s computers everywhere. There’s people making things. Even though it was just an open house, I saw what RA encompassed and I thought, this was so cool,” Kyra Haggerty said.
Haggerty is 20 now. She credits her time at the academy for helping her find a career focus. She’s preparing a business plan for a new company she expects to create soon and she’s working toward a graphic design degree.
Haggerty’s younger brother is a senior at the academy. Their mother, Deanna Haggerty, says he fit in academically in a larger high school, but is happier in the smaller environment.
“For him, it’s the social aspect of it. It’s the feeling like you belong to something that’s greater than yourself," she said. "It just changed who he was. It’s molded him into somebody who can think outside the box now, who can take challenges, who’s not afraid and to explore his education and become a lifelong learner.”
The district proposes to close the academy, which enrolls about 170 students, for two years to save a million dollars. The Haggertys say they recognize the district’s fiscal situation and the difficult decisions the school board will have to make. But they say the school is such a success story that it would be a shame to lose it.
“It’s all about 21st century learning. It’s about problem solving. It’s about collaborating with other people in business, your co-workers, people in leadership. It’s taught him how to work with other people," Deanna Haggerty said.
Riverpoint Academy advocates will join others in making the cases to save their favored programs and jobs at a 6 pm meeting tonight in the district’s boardroom.
