Intel Honors Bergen Academies-Hackensack As ‘Star Innovator' At Schools Of Distinction Awards
Washington DC - Intel Corporation named Bergen Academies in Hackensack, N.J., as the "Star Innovator" among six winners of the 2007 Intel Schools of Distinction Awards.
Intel sponsors the awards to honor schools for implementing innovative math and science programs and serving as models for other schools. The Intel Foundation and sponsoring companies will distribute to this year's winning schools a total of more than $1M in cash, products and services.
Bergen Academies earned Star Innovator status for the way it integrates mathematics, science and technology throughout its secondary school curriculum and for its outreach to the community and local companies. The Star Innovator school demonstrates a high level of technology in education (Bergen Academies' computer resources can support more than 1,000 students working simultaneously), professional development, teamwork and consistent achievement of high academic standards.
"Our future as a nation depends on today's students," said Intel Chairman Craig Barrett. "We need all of our schools to make the study of math and science exciting. We hope the ‘A+' earned by these schools will inspire more successful programs that inspire and motivate students to explore the opportunities that math and science offer."
Balboa Elementary School in San Diego, Calif. and Sewell Middle School in Bremen, Ga. joined Bergen Academies in winning 2007 Schools of Distinction awards for mathematics excellence in their respective levels. Awards for science excellence at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels, respectively, went to Escalante School in Salt Lake City; Conyers Middle School in Conyers, Ga. and Greenhills School in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Each of the six winning schools, which were honored today at a gala in Washington, D.C., receive a $10,000 cash grant from the Intel Foundation and an award package that includes curriculum materials, professional development resources, hardware and software valued at more than $160,000. As Star Innovator, Bergen Academies receives additional cash, products, and services, including a $15,000 grant from the Intel Foundation.
Making of a Star Innovator in Mathematics Education
Bergen Academies has built a reputation as a leader in school reform. Students are not taught mathematics theory in a vacuum, for example, but experience learning through inquiry-based, hands-on activities designed to capture their interest and provide a springboard for provocative questioning. This fosters students' appreciation for what math can do in the world today.
Students are challenged to use their mathematical skills as they compete in intra-class bridge building contests, in designing and building robots, or in the design of quality-of-life improvements for a sister school, which provides housing for handicapped students.
Bergen Academies combines opportunities for students to extend their talent for math into practical approaches with impressive academic achievement. In this past year's Proficiency Assessment in Mathematics, Bergen Academies students achieved 100 percent proficiency with 97.9 percent of students earning "advanced" proficiency.
School leaders recruit and hire mostly "alternative route" teachers, who have used mathematics in their professions. In addition to the traditional professional development models, they create teacher teams in which an experienced teacher mentors a less experienced one. Bergen Academies also employs "Lesson-Study," in which groups of teachers identify a common problem area in student achievement and craft a series of potential solutions to it.
Bergen Academies receives the full benefit of advanced technology in the classroom. It partners with universities and businesses to align with today's real-world application of mathematics.
For more information on the Intel Schools of Distinction Awards and to view the complete list of winners, visit www.intel.com/education/schoolsofdistinction.
Intel's sponsorship of the Schools of Distinction Awards is part of the Intel Education Initiative, a sustained public-private partnership with governments in more than 50 countries. Through this $100M a year initiative, Intel delivers programs that improve the effective use of technology to enhance 21st century skills, and encourages excellence in mathematics, science and engineering. For more information, visit www.intel.com/education.
In addition to Intel, award sponsors are Agilix, BlackBoard, Dell, DyKnow, eInstruction, FutureKids, LearnStar, Panasonic, Pitsco, Scantron, Scholastic Administrator, Schoolnet, Smart Technologies and Spectrum K12.
SOURCE: Intel Corporation