Angeline Academy of Innovation is set to open in the fall, ushering in new education choices for middle and high school students in Pasco County Schools.
The magnet STEM program is scheduled to open in August 2023. Initially, it will serve grades six through 10, but the school will add grades 11 and 12 in coming years.
JoAnne Glenn, the school’s inaugural principal, provided details about the school in a video carried on Pasco County Schools’ YouTube channel.
She explained the school’s philosophy and mission, while also providing some nuts-and-bolts details about what to expect.
“Angeline Academy of Innovation represents our district’s realization of our theory of action,” Glenn said in the video. “The theory of action says that if we move as a system to create an environment where our students and our schools have the support that they need, then we can expect to see the best outcomes for our students.
“Angeline Academy represents a new approach to realizing this theory of action, and we’re excited to change and test some of the new ways that we can deliver education,” she continued.
The school’s planning will be intentional, to make its “learning experiences exciting and engaging, and connected to the real world to prepare our students for their lives after high school,” Glenn said.
“Our key levers to support this work include rigorous instruction; a compassionate school environment that ensures that our students feel cared for and supported; equitable instructional practices, meaning we believe in having an open door; and, allowing students to feel supported in taking academic risks and trying new things,” she said.
“These three levers are actually the foundation that we believe are essential to ensuring that our students leave our system prepared for college, career and life,” she added.
Beyond talking about the philosophical underpinnings of the new campus for middle and high school students, which is at 8916 Angeline School Way, Glenn showed renderings of what the new building will look like.
The floor plan includes workspaces for each of the school’s career academies, as well as collaboration spaces for students and teachers.
The high school will feature four primary career academies and will offer opportunities for students to merge some fields to create a more personalized track, Glenn said.
It will have a Biodesign Academy; a Computer Science and Applied Cybersecurity Academy; an Engineering and Applied Robotics Academy; and, an Entrepreneurship Academy, which will be woven through the other pathways to enable students to leave to become their own bosses and open their own businesses.
At the middle school, there will be two primary magnet pathways that are broad and intended to support the work in each of the high school pathways, Glenn said.
“From ninth through 12th grade is a highlighted progression of coursework that emphasizes engineering. These are the courses that define the engineering path, and an exciting thing about these courses is that each one of them offers the opportunity for students to earn an industry certification and/or college credit, as they go,” Glenn added.
“In our Biodesign Pathway, we will begin with emphasis on biomedical applications. That is growing, in part, because of the partnership that will be forged with the Moffitt Cancer complex that will be across the street. We’re excited about the opportunities for our students to be able to do internships, externships there, as that complex develops, and the opportunities for them to be able to work directly with practicing experts, scientists and doctors, and learn about some of the ways that Moffitt is tackling the challenge of cancer.
“Our high school Cybersecurity Pathway, you can see, is a pretty solid course of study here, and represents not just cybersecurity, but a strong grounding in computer science, as well.
“So, you’ll see that there are many courses tailored to students building their cybersecurity knowledge, as well as their computer science or programming skills, along the way.
“Additionally, we have an Applied Robotics Pathway, which includes a significant number of courses that are shared with the engineering and/or cybersecurity track, and so, our students will have a sequence of robotics courses and the opportunity to plug in courses in either the Engineering or Cybersecurity tracks, depending on where their interests lie and what future course of study or work they would like to pursue,” she said.
“As a district, we’ve made a decision to brand our elementary STEAM schools, with that label, emphasizing arts.
“As a secondary administrator, I believe the arts actually power innovation in our secondary STEM programs. Angeline will have solid arts offerings. However, as a magnet school, one of the things that we try to do is bring something new, or innovative or unique that helps distinguish our programs from other schools. So, you’ll see the emphasis on more technology-grounded experience in our visual arts and music offerings.
She also said that the actual high school course offerings may vary from the presentation.
“In high school, our courses are driven by what students sign up for and what they are interested in,” Glenn explained.
Initially, no sports program had been planned for Angeline, Glenn said. However, she said, the community made it clear it felt that students would be best served if the district included athletics.
Angeline’s site isn’t large enough to accommodate an athletics program, but the district plans to partner with some other organizations and to provide a shuttle service from the school property to a piece of land the district owns at U.S. 41 and Tierra del Sol. There are plans for an athletic facility there.
At this point, Angeline is expected to have these athletic offerings: boys and girls cross country, boys and girls swimming and diving, boys and girls golf, girls volley, boys and girls wrestling, competitive cheer, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, girls weightlifting, boys and girls track and field, boys and girls lacrosse, boys and girls tennis, and boys weightlifting, according to Pasco County Schools’ information page about Angeline.
There are no plans for football and sideline cheer, baseball or softball.
The school selection process for middle school students will be based on a lottery system. High school students will need to meet some entry requirements, established for magnet and innovative programs, Glenn said.
Those who are interested in attending Angeline can make their interest known during the School Choice window, which opens on Jan. 9 at 8 a.m. and runs through Jan. 20 at 4:30 p.m.
Glenn noted: “It is possible through the School Choice Portal in My School to select three options. Families may choose all three options to be different academic programs at Angeline.
“For example, one could submit a first choice request for Cybersecurity, a second choice request for Engineering and Applied Robotics and a third choice request for the BioDesign Academy.
“So that would be something to know, so you don’t feel like you can only select one option at Angeline,” Glenn said.
The notification and acceptance window is from Feb. 27 to March 8.
To learn more about Pasco Pathways and school choice, visit Pasco.k12.fl.us and click on the Pasco Pathways tab.
School Choice opening soon
What: Pasco County Schools’ school choice application window for all school choice options will be open from Jan. 9 at 8 a.m. through Jan. 20 at 4:30 p.m.
Applications will be accepted for all choice programs: STEM and STEAM magnet schools, Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation, Wendell Krinn Technical High School, Angeline Academy of Innovation, International Baccalaureate (IB) and the Cambridge Programme.
Applications for the Pasco Pathways Innovative Programs and School Choice application are available via the school district’s myStudent parent portal.
The notification and acceptance window is from Feb. 27 to March 8.
To learn more about Pasco Pathways and school choice, visit Pasco.k12.fl.us and click on the Pasco Pathways tab.
Published January 04, 2023
