STAT
Stafford Academy for Technology (STAT) is a state-approved Governor’s STEM Academy. STAT is a four-year program of study utilizing integrated hands-on, project-based instruction focused on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) career areas. (STEM includes medical fields). The STAT instructional team includes teachers from sciences, technology, English, and mathematics. STAT is open to rising ninth graders on an application basis. Students accepted for the 2023-2024 school year will be permanently enrolled at the high school where the STAT Academy program is housed: Biomedical Science (located at NSHS), Engineering (located at NSHS), or Information Technology (located at BPHS).
STAT offers students the advantage of learning in a "cohort" of like-minded students throughout the four-year program. Course content is integrated when possible to create a coherent learning experience. Students will undertake service-learning projects and partner with mentors in the business community to build a stronger sense of purpose and a firmer commitment to success in college education, while learning about the demands of the workplace. Students will undertake a senior research project.
While STAT serves as an excellent preparation for students who look to careers in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics field, it will also help any student develop skills essential in the 21st century workplace:
- think creatively and implement innovation
- use systems thinking and solve problems
- communicate clearly and collaborate
- locate, evaluate and manage information
- adapt to change
- work independently
- gain expertise through self-directed learning
- value diversity
- show accountability
- lead and respect others
STAT is designed to help students fulfill their potential in the complex life and work environments of the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the deadline by which we must accept or decline an offer to attend a secondary program?
- What are the facts around VHSL eligibility and transfer policies?
- If students exit a special program, will they be allowed to participate in sports after transferring?
- If a student leaves a secondary program, will they be required to return to their home-zoned school?
- Will students be able to participate in CTE programs in addition to the secondary program they attend?
- What happens if I have one of two siblings that were accepted to a secondary program housed at a school to which they are not zoned?
- Will families have a choice which school they attend?
- How will students be transported to their designated secondary program school?
- How long can I expect my student to ride on the bus if traveling to a school that is not our original base school?
- Can rising 10th, 11th, and 12th graders in 2023-2024 choose to be transferred instead of traveling midday each day?
- How do students register for dual enrollment classes through Germanna?
- Will students be permitted to drive to the school to which they are transferred? Will the student have permission to take a rider when driving to the new school?