American staff
It is an academy with an interesting concept and it will be located in the old Blewett Middle School, so perhaps it makes sense that a new school in the St. Louis Public Schools District will be called “Innovation Concept Academy at Blewett.”
“After doing research I realized this is a new model for education,” said Harold Kelsey, teacher at Sumner High School who won the naming competition.
A brainchild of Circuit Judge Jimmie Edwards, who hears cases involving juvenile offenders, the school will identify and enroll 120 students in grades 6-12 who would otherwise be out of school due to suspension or behavior violations and provide them targeted education and resources.
Kelsey’s name received 39 percent of the votes cast on the district website out of a field of about 250 entries. He received $500 from the St. Louis Public Schools Foundation,
Innovation Concept Academy at Blewett will be located at 1927 Cass Ave. It will be governed by three partners: SLPS, the Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit of Missouri Family Court–Juvenile Division, and MERS Goodwill.
“It is innovative, and I am excited to win the naming rights to the school,” Kelsey said.
For more information, call 314-345-2367.