North Idaho innovators chart next steps

RATHDRUM ­— They’re the Gem State’s first high school students to earn a STEM diploma. Four will end their senior year of high school with an associate’s degree from North Idaho College already in hand. They collectively racked up an impressive half a million dollars in scholarships from 18 universities. They’re the first high school graduating class from North Idaho STEM Charter Academy. On Monday, these seven local students told the world where they’d bring their Idaho drive, work ethic and ingenuity.

With a flourish and a touch of drama, the students, who executive director Scott Thomson said had “blazed a path” for future graduates, doffed the ballcaps of their chosen schools.

Joe Broder earned acceptance to six universities across the nation, but picked the University of California at Berkeley for its computer science program. Shay Carlock chose to go to Idaho State University to study emergency management.

The child of two law enforcement veterans, Carlock wants to keep the family tradition of public service as a firefighter/paramedic. Joseph Benson picked nearby Gonzaga University over Purdue and the University of Idaho. Benson said he wants to study mechanical engineering.

Future elementary education major Paige Pence picked Whitworth University over six other northwestern universities. Ashton Portrey will study information technology at North Idaho College.

Cortland Nutt said he wants to study history at NIC and will move on to another school in the future. Jessica Millard picked Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona over three northwestern schools. Millard said she intends to go into aerospace engineering.

State Sen. Bob Nonini was present to talk with the students, who benefited from a special piece of legislation he sponsored that created the Idaho STEM diploma. Nonini wrote the bill to take effect this spring, rather than the usual July 1 effective date, so the seven local seniors could graduate with it.

The special diploma requires four years each of math and science, plus five elective credits in STEM fields.

The school began in 2009 as the brainchild of educators Scott and Colleen Thomson, who together had 33 years of classroom experience under their belts. Once the K-8 school was up and running and its first eighth-graders were destined to leave for high school elsewhere, the Thomsons decided they just didn’t want to give up the students they and their staff had come to care for so much. Years and lots of paperwork later, their first high school students entered the school. Now that the school’s first high school graduates are departing, the Thomsons said they couldn’t be prouder.

“They are worth it,” Colleen said. She thanked the group for being role models for the school’s younger students. “You’ve made the culture of this school exactly what I always hoped it would be.”

Each of the seniors agreed, the academy’s students have a level of maturity and focus that sets them apart from their peers.

“Kids here are smarter and can have intelligent conversations,” said Carlock. Broder observed that students at the academy are self-selected because “they want to be here” and don’t shirk their studies.

The seniors rarely spent time at the campus because they took so many dual-credit classes at North Idaho College. Pence said she thought students at North Idaho STEM Charter Academy acted similarly to the college students in her NIC classes.

Though North Idaho STEM has waiting lists for its lower levels, Benson said he didn’t have to wait to get in at the high school level when he transferred in two years ago. He said he loved the extracurricular activities such as rocketry club, robotics and CubeSat. Carlock said “the workload was reasonable for anyone who put an ounce of effort toward it.” The administration was really good about making sure kids could play sports and have social lives, she added.

Parents, teachers, and students at the school focus on accountability and results, Scott said.

“The will to win is not as important as the will to prepare to win. Those willing to do the prep work are the ones who become successful.” Scott said. “I’m really proud of them and how hard they, the team here, and the parents have worked and persevered.”

He said of the seniors, “They demonstrate the best of what we could ever want our future to be.”