The leadership team for the new Russellville Innovation Academy has been announced.

An innovation itself, the Academy is expected to open at the start of the next school year in August. It will be project-based, giving students more autonomy over their learning process. The staff will be working with students, parents and guidance counselors to develop personalized education for each student involved.

The Leadership Team consists of Curriculum and Instruction Focus Administrator Dr. Kelly Jones, Innovative Programming Focus Administrator Jennifer Pope, Seventh and Eighth Grades Lead Teacher Kaitlin Maiden, and Ninth-Tenth Grades Lead Teacher Meagan Woodlee.

Woodlee talks about “empowering students to work creatively, think critically and learn collaboratively,” and Maiden says she is looking forward to “engaging, inspiring and learning alongside the exceptional minds of RVK.”

Pope, who has been serving as Director of Pupil Personnel, and Dr. Jones, the system’s Instructional Supervisor, did much of the preliminary work and study to determine the best way to help students reach their potential. Superintendent Kyle Estes charged them to visit other school systems to see what innovative teaching approaches are working well.

Their goal for the Innovation Academy is to empower students through exploration, creation, and excellence to revolutionize the learning experience.

The Innovation Academy, scheduled to open in August, will blend project-based instruction with personalized learning pathways. It will be open to district students in middle school, and high school, and includes a curriculum for children who are homeschooled.

“The choices at the Russellville Innovation Academy will allow students to engage in their learning through projects with their peers, learn the interpersonal communication skills that are so important for their next step, whether that’s college or career,” Jones told WBKO News. “It helps them to develop excellent writing skills and presentation skills. They will also have the opportunity to accelerate their learning based on what they’re most ready to learn next. So we want to make sure that students are able to move at their best pace learning in the pathway that suits their strengths.”

The Academy will serve seventh through 10th graders, about 40 of them starting out. Interview of potential students and their families. Applications have been accepted most of March. The names of the first students to enter the Academy are expected to be announced.by the middle of April.