Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Spring 2014 | Page 6
D IF F ER EN C E OF A D EC A D E
2004
250 courses
1100 students
1500 students
about our changing curriculum, and some
Why are there so many
courses?
TA educates students that come
to us from several school
systems. They come with varying
preparation and abilities. Our
philosophy is to meet them where
they’re at when they come to us and
then move them to where they can
achieve their goals. That requires
having a diverse course selection with
both breadth and rigor. Not all of our
students plan to attend college; their
needs are different and so preparing
them for productive lives looks different.
Our first-in-the-nation educational
partnership with the National Tooling
and Machining Association reflects
this. Thornton Academy students can
6
It’s “all in the numbers” for Ryan Lagan ‘01
As a finance professional, Ryan Lagan
’01 believes it’s important for him and
fellow alumni to donate back to their
alma mater so that younger generations
are able to have the “same advantages
that we had.”
UMaine College of Engineering’s Dean
Dana Humphrey counsels two Thornton
Academy Middle School students at
the annual Academic Expo in February.
Humphrey explained TA’s first-in-the-state
agreement with the engineering program
and encouraged students to take STEM
courses their freshman year.This new
event, held in the gymnasium, assembles
faculty representing every department
and enables families to walk through a
“living course catalogue.”
the audited, standardized Advanced
Placement curriculum means that a “4”
performance in one state is the
same as another. Perhaps more
Over the past ten years, Thornton
importantly, it provides our
Academy’s curriculum has grown from students with an additional level of
140 courses to more than 250. Want to challenge that they can
experience at a lower studentknow why? Read on.
teacher ratio.
Below are some frequently asked questions
answers.
Dedicated donors
2014
140 courses
get the science, math, and engineering
education that t