New Hybrid Program Connects High School Students with Innovation and Entrepreneurship

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

December 6, 2022 (Calgary and Okotoks) — Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School (STS) and Platform Calgary are joining forces to create unique learning opportunities for students.

A new hybrid program centered around immersing high school students in Calgary’s growing tech scene will give STS students access to a specialized curriculum and mentorship experiences during weekly classes held at the Platform Innovation Centre in downtown Calgary’s East Village. The program will play an integral role in establishing our city as a hub of innovation by inspiring the next generation of innovative thinkers and entrepreneurs.

“As an International Baccalaureate (IB) school, we deliver the Alberta curriculum through a different lens that inspires students to be creative problem solvers, and lifelong learners who strive to make a difference in the world,” says Carol Grant-Watt, Head of School, STS. “The experiences our students will have through Platform Calgary will connect them with the broader global community, real-world experiences, and partners from the post-secondary, industry, and startup communities. This will be incredibly impactful for them, and I sincerely hope, for our city and broader community.”

In the 2023 school year, two unique pilot programs will kick-start the STS-Platform Calgary partnership including:

STS is launching a new alternative hybrid high school program at the Platform Innovation Centre:

-          Designed for students who may flourish in a non-traditional learning environment, The STAND program prioritizes entrepreneurial thinking and immerses students in real world experiences through a unique delivery model that blends on-site learning, one-on-one support, and peer and partner collaboration.

-          STAND students can choose from a selection of streams focused on the fastest growing specialized industries where there are currently identified talent gaps and opportunities in the local workforce, including: Sustainability and Stewardship; Film, Media and Entertainment, Arts, Graphic Design; and Design Technology, Computer Science, and Business Studies.

Current STS student’s learning will be enhanced with ongoing, in-person experiences at the Platform Calgary Innovation Centre.

-          These experiences will include innovative, specialized offerings such as the ability to earn micro-credentials for industry-relevant certification in specific skills, access to online courses not available currently at STS in-person, and learning/mentoring experiences with partner organizations.

“We offer a robust integrated design, technology, and innovation program at STS, which is infused in Kindergarten through to Grade 12,” says Alanna Wellwood, Head of Learning Innovation at STS. “We are proud to be recognized as a leader in this area, as we continue to push forward to ensure content and experiences are relevant, engaging, and future-forward. This partnership will further strengthen this focus, broadening the possibilities for rich learning experiences available to our students.”

“This is a great example of a collaboration that will strengthen and diversify Calgary’s economy in the long term, by connecting high school students with future career paths that are globally relevant and local in impact.” says Terry Rock, President and CEO at Platform Calgary. “Not only does this program open up the community to students so they can learn about the incredible opportunities available in Alberta’s tech sector, it offers a chance for founders, entrepreneurs and business leaders to interact with and listen to the perspectives of young Calgarians. Platform Calgary is committed to developing youth-focused partnerships that invite young people to actively participate in building the future of their city.”

ABOUT STRATHCONA-TWEEDSMUIR SCHOOL
Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School (STS) is Alberta's only independent K-12, IB continuum co-ed day school where students pursue lives of purpose, flourishing emotionally, physically, and intellectually. Calgary’s oldest independent school, STS was founded and built on a trailblazing, courageous, and innovative spirit. To this day, STS’s ethos embraces a zest for pushing forward, seizing opportunities, meeting the needs of students, and making an impact in the broader community.

Find out more: strathconatweedsmuir.com

ABOUT PLATFORM CALGARY

Platform Calgary is an impact organization whose members are tech companies, large and small, united in a vision of inclusive, innovation-driven prosperity for Calgary. The Platform Innovation Centre is the front door to this community — a single point of access for people as they navigate Calgary’s innovation ecosystem. Platform Calgary connects entrepreneurs to a network focused on helping startups launch and grow at every step of their journey, from ideation through to scale.

Behind every great innovator is a great community. Find out more: platformcalgary.com

Media Inquiries:

Please find related images and a Program Q&A in the linked press kit. Representatives from Strathcona Tweedsmuir and Platform Calgary are available for comment.

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