New charter school to receive $50K

The ID21 Awards, a contest designed to reward Idaho's creative and innovative learning programs, announced that the new North Idaho STEM Charter Academy in Rathdrum is among six grand-prize winners that will receive $50,000 each.

The J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation, a private family foundation, is the sponsor of the contest.

North Idaho STEM is a public K-8 school that focuses on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and opened this month on Meyer Road.

"This school offers inquiry-based learning with a radical shakeup of the K-8 class schedule," a press release from the foundation states. "Students spend every afternoon tackling an ambitious (STEM) project with real-world applications."

The awards will be presented Oct. 16 at the Egyptian Theatre in Boise.