National kids academy

The Academy offers seventeen Advanced Placement courses in the fields of science, English, social studies, and mathematics. The curriculum in these courses is very rigorous and moves very quickly. The advantages of taking such courses is well seen. Certain students have the opportunity (if advanced enough) to take high school credit for some of the classes in 7th grade. Many students, if not all,

enrolled in the Central Academy program are students in their district's Gifted and Talented program and they come from a fairly large portion of central Iowa and are challenged to do their best work in the Academy. Some of the classes offered at the Academy are 'weighted classes' where it is possible to get higher than a 4.0 GPA. For instance, if one gets an A in a weighted class, they get 5 points for their GPA instead of the normal 4. At the end of the school year, a recognition and award ceremony is held for Academy Seniors. There are seven awards total: the Scholastic Achievement Award, the Leadership Award, Social Science Award, Mathematics Award, English Award, Science Award, and the International Baccalaureate Award of Excellence for the best students in each category. The first two awards are chosen by their peers and students honored with the later five awards earn all A's in that given field of study, and are subsequently picked by the individual departments. Seniors that have made it through the program receive an honorary personalized plaque. Additionally, students who become AP National Scholars or finish the International Baccalaureate program are put into the Academy's hall of fame commemoration in the primary hallway. Prerequisites of Further Entry
Students wishing to pursue the Advanced Placement science and English courses at the Academy must complete a course that is one year of biology in one semester and one year of chemistry and physics in the next semester and world and American literature courses, respectively. They must earn A's and B's in each subject to continue on in the program. Student Body

Composition of Students and Staff
The Academy has a student body of over one thousand students which derives from thirty nine middle and high schools in central Iowa. Teachers at the Academy must themselves demonstrate an exceptional ability to teach prior to being considered and typically hold a Master's Degree and/or Doctor of Philosophy for their given subject matter. The teachers have won awards, oversee cultural activities for the city, and represent teachers in Iowa as consistent leaders in their fields. The supervisor and head of the school was Dennis Johnson, a former athletic director at Theodore Roosevelt High School (Des Moines) and now has been taken up by Crista Carlile, a former teacher in the Ankeny Community School District. Academy Profile
Attendees of the Academy are considered part of the Des Moines Public Schools' Gifted and Talented initiative, and are required to meet several benchmarks before even being admitted into the Academy. Students are required to demonstrate: general intellectual ability, creative thinking, leadership ability, visual and performing arts ability, and a specific ability aptitude. The school district also bases admission into the Academy on teacher recommendations and standardized test scores, requiring students to score above the 95th percentile on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. The Academy has benefited greatly over the years by many philanthropic gifts from the Iowa entrepreneurial native John Pappajohn, the Aviva Trust Foundation, and the Central Campus Foundation. Before the Academy took residence in the Wallace-Homestead Building in 2008, the Academy was held at 1800 Grand Avenue at a decommissioned Ford car factory from 1985-2005 which had also previously been home to Des Moines Technical High School after World War II. It was then partially moved subsequently to The University of Iowa John and Mary Pappajohn Education Center from 2005-2008. With the school board coming to a conclusion that the academy needed its own building, the Wallace-Homestead building was purchased and quickly renovated to reflect the modern age. Academy's Academic Achievement to Date
As of 2012, the Academy has produced 34 AP State Scholars, 298 AP National Scholars, 630 AP Scholars with Honor, 1,018 AP Scholars with Distinction, and nearly 2,000 AP Scholars. The average Academy student will take 7.62 AP Exams in his or her high school career. In addition, Academy teams and students have compiled dozens of statewide and national titles for the school over the decades. Annually winning English, Math, and Science awards, students at the Academy have proven to be among some of the best in the nation. Students who have graduated from Central have gone on to matriculate into some of the world's most elite universities. MIT, Caltech, Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford, New York University, and every school in the Ivy League just to name a few. In the process, for any given year there are over four million dollars worth of scholarship offerings for graduating seniors. Central Academy is committed to "The Pursuit of Excellence" which has become synonymous with the school, staff, and student body. Academy Extracurricular Activities
English students at Central Academy are writing constantly and always striving to improve. Students win scholastic writing awards as well as having their creative works published annually. Golden Key, Silver Key, Honorable Mention, and National Medalists are recognized every year for excellence in writing. History Bowl
The Central Academy History Bowl team has qualified for nationals two years in a row (since the competition's start), taking second in the regional competitions as a team both years, and having individual students win the bee in both of those years. Math Competitions
Central Academy has a rich history of doing well in math competitions. In any given year, the school has placed in the top ten of a variety of national math competitions, along with having students named by the Mathematics Association of America (MAA) as one of the top students in the nation. Science Bowl
The Central Academy Science Bowl team won the state competition in 2010 and 2011, after having strong performances in prior years - including multiple second and third place finishes. In addition, the school's middle school team won the state championship in 2010. Sister City Exchanges
The Academy's language programs exchange with their Des Moines sister cities. Trips to both Asia and Europe are scheduled as well as hosting of students from their respective countries for a time during the academic year. TEDxYouth@DesMoines
After its inception in 2009, students have taken a part in, and are encouraged to participate in the TEDx annual event. TED (conference) is an international event showcasing some of the best ideas in the world. This independently organized event is the largest of its kind in the state of Iowa and was created to stimulate dialogue in the community