West Virginia Academy is a semifinalist for the $1M Yass Prize, which yearly awards training innovation throughout the nation

Two years in the past, a snarl of authorized challenges was making it seem greater than doubtless that the West Virginia Academy, then deliberate because the Mountain State’s first-ever constitution college, wasn’t going to have the ability to open its doorways to college students in spite of everything.

At this time, the academy, which has a most important constructing on Chestnut Ridge Highway and is at the moment engaged on a department campus in Masontown, Preston County, is within the operating for a prestigious tutorial prize.

The academy, which is now in its second yr, is semifinalist for The Yass Prize.

That’s a $1 million providing from the group of the identical identify which yearly awards {dollars} to colleges and different studying endeavors throughout the nation it deems as training innovators.

Counting the Morgantown college, 33 different such mental efforts, from Tempe, Ariz., to Detroit to Fargo, N.D., are all vying for the large prize this yr.

The academy can be eligible for the $100,000 Guardian’s Selection Award by The Yass Prize, and that nomination carries a internet of stay and digital workshops designed to foster studying in college students of all ages.

Go to https://yassprize.org/awardees/2023-semifinalist/ to study extra concerning the nominees and to seek out out how one can solid a vote.

John Treu, a founding member of the West Virginia Academy and its board chair, stated the nomination alone validates what was the intention of the varsity within the first place.

“It’s an amazing honor to be acknowledged after only one yr of operation,” he stated.

Whereas $1 million would particularly be good, the board chair stated, simply being related to The Yass Prize as a nominee makes for an additional type of payout which may be much more priceless.

“The connections and coaching supplied by this wonderful program will assist our college serve extra households who really feel conventional public training is just not assembly their wants,” Treu stated.

In the meantime, if it wins, the academy already has the cash spent, True stated.

It might use the providing to broaden its present area, whereas additionally rising enrollment to 12^th grade.

Attending to now wasn’t straightforward for the academy, Treu stated.

It meant going earlier than each the Monongalia County Board of Training on the West Virginia Supreme Court docket – as questions over tutorial accountability and the diverting of public monies for personal training entered the talk.

Treu stated it’s now a matter of discovering one’s footing in an ever-shifting training panorama in West Virginia, which continues to be in its pioneer part relating to constitution faculties.

“The primary yr was a battle in so some ways, however despite all of the challenges as a start-up, we had the strongest scholar outcomes within the state amongst constitution faculties,” he stated.

The academy, he stated, “met or exceeded” state averages in public faculties throughout West Virginia additionally.

“We anticipate that our scholar outcomes will proceed to enhance as our wonderful academics have extra time and expertise in our system,” Treu stated.

Treu’s college, in the meantime, isn’t the one enterprise from Morgantown to get the discover of The Yass Prize.

The Mountaineer Homeschool Hub, which is housed within the former Woodburn Elementary, was awarded $100,000 from The Yass Prize final yr.