Westside schools
Academy ACL to start classes Aug. 12

       Making its usual early start, the Academy for Advanced & Creative Learning (Academy ACL) will start the 2013-14 school year Monday, Aug. 12, a week earlier than other District 11 schools.

For a "Greek Festival" last May, Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning students in grades 7-8 presented an adapation of Homer's "The Odyssey." The K-8 school will resume classes Aug. 12.
Westside Pioneer photo

       In its fourth year, the K-8 charter school for gifted students at 2510 N. Chestnut St. shows an enrollment of close to 290 students going into this year, with waiting lists in all its grades, according to Principal Nikki Myers.
       An early event will be the annual “ODD Night” (Orientation, Divisions, and Desserts) Friday, Aug. 16 at 5 p.m. in Pike Park.
       The school-year motto is “Our Place in Colorado”… Its History, Its Present, Its Future.” According to Principal Nikki Myers, “we welcome connections to local experts (in various sectors) who would like to send us information or talk to our students about the foundations of the Pikes Peak region and our place on the Westside.”
       New full-time staffers at Academy ACL are Eliza Love and Rene McElhany, teachers, Division III (grades 3-4); Christel Mayo, teacher, Division IV (grades 5-6); Sarah Dahlberg, special education lead teacher; and Cayla Schreibman, instructional support specialist.
       National Merit scholarshp
       Caroline Manthei, who graduated with Coronado High School's Class of 2013, has been awarded the National Merit Colorado State University Scholar-ship.
       She was one of 15,000 National Merit Finalists (out of about 1.5 million initial applicants nationwide). Roughly half of the finalists were chosen to receive scholarships, a press release states.
       The annual competition is organized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Westside Pioneer/press releases