Science Focus Program

Last updated
Science Focus Program
Lincoln Public Schools Science Focus Program logo.png
Address
1222 S. 27th Street

,
Information
Type Public magnet high school
Established1997
School board Lincoln Public Schools
Faculty9 [1]
Grades 9-12
Color(s)  
MascotCamel
Nickname Zoo School [1]
Website zoo.lps.org

The Science Focus Program (SFP) or Zoo School, or simply Zoo, [1] is a part of Lincoln Public Schools and is one of the district's three focus programs, along with the Arts and Humanities Focus Program and the Career Academy. It is located at the Lincoln Children's Zoo in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States, and is described as "a small community of mature learners participating both in a traditional and non-traditional style of learning. A place where students play an active role in defining their learning environment and education." [1]

Contents

Staff

The Science Focus Program has five teachers:

Amy Proffitt serves as secretary, Amy Pickerill as special education coordinator, Jamie Cardwell-Gemmell as campus supervisor, Melissa Sellon as Counselor, Erin Owens as Social Worker, and Michelle Leidholt as site coordinator . [1]

Academic form

The Science Focus Program runs on an A-day/B-day block schedule, with the days alternating throughout the week. Formerly on Wednesdays, but currently on Fridays, "Community/Focus Days", are commonly run on an alternative schedule, reserved for additional class times for core classes and applied arts.

Instead of having a finals week, Science Focus Program has a portfolio week. Portfolios are projects that are specific to each class that are used in place of finals. Each class has its own portfolio. Portfolios are handed out during each semester and students are expected to complete and present them at the end of the semester.

Campus

The Science Focus Program's campus is located in the southeast corner of the Lincoln Children's Zoo. The two portable buildings house the computer lab, a science room and laboratory, and the English classroom. The Camelot Commons, a larger, 2-story structure at the edge of the Science Focus Program campus, houses the social science, mathematics, and natural science classrooms.

History

The idea for the Science Focus Program originated in 1995. Teachers met and worked part-time planning for the program, and part-time teaching at their high schools.

The main idea for the focus program was to give students an alternative to regular high school. The teachers' vision consisted of a place where students could come and feel welcome and comfortable enough to express their individual talents and ideas.

The school opened for the 1997–1998 school year, accepting juniors and seniors. Since then, changes have been made, allowing the Science Focus Program to accept sophomores and freshmen.

On September 14, 2017, the Science Focus Program was visited by President Donald Trump's education secretary, Betsy DeVos. Her appearance was met with student protesters on the inside and public protesters outside, though the school day was urged to proceed as normal and no serious incidents occurred. The school's small class size was praised by DeVos. [2]

For many years, the Lincoln Children's Zoo hosted a "Science Day" in which the public, along with elementary schools, walk around the zoo as Science Focus Program students enrich their knowledge with fun scientific activities. All students worked stations and participated.

The Science Focus Program moved into a new, single building (differing from the former 3 building setup) on the outskirts of the Lincoln Children's Zoo, correlating with the Lincoln Children's Zoo expansion plan. The building was finished in July 2019 and the first class moved in in the Fall of 2019 [3]

Student life

The Science Focus Program enrolls new students every year. Current clubs as of the 2024-25 school year include Student Council, [[Science Olympiad], and SFP Legacy Club: Archives and Alumni Outreach. Former clubs include the Key Club, Women in STEM Club, Dungeons & Dragons Club, and Yearbook Club, Minecraft Club, Biking Club, G&S Enterprises, Poker Club, Roots & Shoots, Gardening Club, Coloring Club, and Magic: The Gathering Club.

Notable alumni

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dawson College</span> Public college in Westmount and Montreal, Canada

Dawson College is an English-language public college in Westmount and Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The college is situated near the heart of Downtown Montreal in a former nunnery on approximately 12 acres (5 ha) of green space. It is the largest CEGEP in the province of Quebec, with a student population of approximately 8,000 day students and 3,000 evening students enrolled in more than 30 fields of study.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Lawrence University</span> Private college in Canton, New York

St. Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college in the village of Canton in St. Lawrence County, New York. It has roughly 2,100 undergraduate and 100 graduate students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheaton College (Massachusetts)</span> Private liberal arts college in Norton, Massachusetts

Wheaton College is a private liberal arts college in Norton, Massachusetts. Wheaton was founded in 1834 as a female seminary. The trustees officially changed the name of the Wheaton Female Seminary to Wheaton College in 1912 after receiving a college charter from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It remained one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States until men began to be admitted in 1988. It enrolls 1,669 undergraduate students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keene State College</span> Public college in Keene, New Hampshire, US

Keene State College is a public liberal arts college in Keene, New Hampshire. It is part of the University System of New Hampshire. Founded in 1909 as a teacher's college, Keene State College had 3,104 students enrolled for credit as of fall 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preuss School</span> Charter school in La Jolla, California

ThePreuss School, Preuss School UCSD, or Preuss Model School is a coeducational college-preparatory charter day school established on a $14 million campus, situated on the University of California, San Diego campus in the La Jolla community of San Diego, California. The school was named in recognition of a gift from the Preuss Family Foundation and is chartered under the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics</span> Public boarding school in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States

The Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics (OSSM) is a two-year, public residential high school located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Established by the Oklahoma state legislature in 1983, the school was designed to educate academically gifted high school juniors and seniors in advanced mathematics and science. OSSM opened doors to its inaugural class in 1990. It is a member of the National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools (NCSSS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cupertino High School</span> Public school in Cupertino, California, United States

Cupertino High School, colloquially referred to as "Tino", "CHS", is a four-year comprehensive public high school located near the Rancho Rinconada and Fairgrove neighborhoods of Cupertino, California, USA. The school serves mostly suburban residential and areas in eastern Cupertino, southern Santa Clara, and west San Jose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Hollywood High School</span> Public school in North Hollywood, California, United States

North Hollywood High School (NHHS) is a public high school in the North Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is in the San Fernando Valley and enrolls approximately 2,500 students. Several neighborhoods, including most of North Hollywood, Valley Village, Studio City and Sun Valley, send students to it. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Its principal is Ricardo Rosales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts</span> Public residential high school in Hot Springs, Garland County, Arkansas, United States

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts (ASMSA) is a public residential high school located in Hot Springs, Arkansas that serves sophomores, juniors, and seniors. It is a part of the University of Arkansas administrative system and a member of the National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools. The school was originally known as The Arkansas School for Mathematics and Sciences. The school is accredited by AdvancED.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore American School</span> Private international school in Singapore

Singapore American School (SAS) is a non-profit, independent, co-educational day school located in the Woodlands area of Singapore. It offers an American-based curriculum for students in preschool through high school. One of Singapore's first international schools, SAS was founded in 1956 and started with a hundred students in a colonial house. It has since developed into a school of over 4,000 students on a 36-acre campus. SAS is accredited by the US-based Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakton College</span> Community college in Illinois, US

Oakton College is a public community college with campuses in Des Plaines, Illinois and Skokie, Illinois. It was established in 1969 in Morton Grove, Illinois and moved to its current locations in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International High School of San Francisco</span> Private, coeducational school in San Francisco, California, United States

International High School of San Francisco, is a private co-educational high school in Hayes Valley, San Francisco, California, U.S.. Graduates earn either the International Baccalaureate ("IB") or the French Baccalaureate. The IB curriculum is primarily taught in English, while the French Bac is primarily taught in French.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandy Spring Friends School</span> Independent school

Sandy Spring Friends School (SSFS) is a progressive, coeducational, college preparatory Quaker school serving students from preschool through 12th grade. SSFS offers an optional 5- and 7- day boarding program in the Middle School and Upper School. 59% of its student body identifies as students of color, and 19 countries are represented in its boarding program. Founded in 1961, its motto is "Let Your Lives Speak" an old Quaker adage which expresses the school's philosophy of "educating all aspects of a person so that their life—in all of its facets—can reveal the unique strengths within." SSFS sits on a pastoral 140-acre campus in the heart of Montgomery County, Maryland, approximately midway between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. SSFS is under the care of the Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting and the Baltimore Yearly Meeting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Beacon School</span> Selective public high school in New York, New York, United States

The Beacon School is a college-preparatory public high school in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City near Times Square and the Theater District. Beacon's curriculum exceeds the standards set by the New York State Regents, and as a member of the New York Performance Standards Consortium, its students are exempt from taking most Regents exams. Instead, students present performance-based projects at the end of each semester to panels of teachers. In 2019, the school received roughly 6,000 applications for 360 ninth-grade seats, yielding an acceptance rate of approximately 6.2%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Durham School of the Arts</span> Government secondary school in Durham, North Carolina, United States

Durham School of the Arts (DSA) is a secondary magnet school located in downtown Durham, North Carolina, United States, housing 1,890 students. Its focus is on the visual and performing arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masters School</span> Private, boarding school in Dobbs Ferry, New York, United States

The Masters School, is a private, coeducational boarding school and day college preparatory school located in Dobbs Ferry, New York. Its 96-acre (390,000 m2) campus is located north of New York City in the Hudson Valley in Westchester County. It was founded as an all-girls private school in 1877 by Eliza Bailey Masters, and first admitted boys in 1996.

The South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities (SCGSAH) is a prestigious boarding school for the arts located in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1999 by Virginia Uldrick, the high school program provides pre-professional training in creative writing, dance, drama, film, music and visual arts to sophomores, juniors and seniors, in a master-apprentice, arts-centered community. The Governor's School also offers arts-intensive summer programs for 7th-through-11th-grade students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida International University School of Architecture</span> Architecture school of Florida International University

The FIU School of Architecture is the architecture school at Florida International University, located in Miami, Florida in the United States. It is one of the university's 26 schools and colleges and is a school within the College of Architecture and the Arts. The school was founded in the 1980s.

The Framingham Public School District or Framingham Public Schools (FPS) comprises thirteen public schools in the city of Framingham, Massachusetts. It is classified as one of the state's 24 urban school districts, while the district generally describes itself as urban/suburban. The school district's main offices are located at 73 Mount Wayte Avenue in Framingham, in what is known as the Perini building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alvin C. York Institute</span> Public high school in Jamestown, Tennessee, USA

Alvin C. York Institute, also known as Alvin C. York Agricultural Institute or York Institute, is a public high school in Jamestown, Tennessee, founded as a private agricultural school in 1926 by World War I hero Alvin York and later transferred to the state of Tennessee in 1937, which continues to operate it as a public high school. It is the only comprehensive secondary school in the United States that is financed and operated by a state government.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Zoo School official website" . Retrieved 2009-05-09.
  2. "DeVos: States should look to innovation to give families choices; protesters say focus should stay on public schools" . Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  3. "Details emerge about LPS science focus program's new home at zoo" . Retrieved 2018-02-09.