New Tech Network announced at the New Tech Network Annual Conference (NTAC) in Grand Rapids, Mich., that Anson New Technology High School was named as a finalist for the Best in Network Project award. The annual award recognized teachers and staff for the project “Healthy ,Wealthy & Wise.”

Anson New Tech was also recently featured in a micro-documentary for the New Tech Network. The documentary, which features Director Chris Stinson, tells the success of Anson New Tech and will be shown at school opening on Aug. 27.

“We are honored to be featured in a micro-documentary for New Tech Network. Our teachers and staff have worked very hard to ensure our students will be successful in life after high school. It is equally significant to be recognized as a finalist for Best in Network Project. Project-based learning has proven to be relevant and engaging for our students,” Stinson said.

The project also served as a community outreach in which students provided valuable data and statistics, as well as health care screenings. As a result of the project, students have become more active in the local non-profit organizations.

Anson New Tech uses project-based learning throughout the school. Project-based learning begins by identifying an authentic, genuine issue of importance in the world and then works to solve it. Students work in groups collaboratively to solve complex problems, using tools and skills deemed necessary to compete in the current and future economy.

“This project truly transported students from the classroom to the real world. It was amazing to see students engaged and excited to learn,” Stinson said.

Anson’s achievement was applauded by some 1,200 principals, teachers, superintendents, alumni and students — representing more than 120 schools nationwide attending this year’s conference, which was held in July. The event, which brought together educators to share strategies, celebrate successes, and strengthen the New Tech community, featured rigorous professional development tracks to support principals, teachers and district leaders prepare for the forthcoming academic year.

“On behalf of the entire New Tech Network community, it is my pleasure to recognize the outstanding teaching and learning demonstrated at Anson New Tech,” said Lydia Dobyns, President of New Tech. “The accomplishments within Anson act as clear evidence that all students can learn and that we can prepare students with both the academic knowledge they need and the skills necessary to be college and career ready. Anson’s achievement is an inspiration to us all.”

NTAC 2012 builds upon the New Tech Network’s momentum from the academic year just past. New Tech will open over three dozen new schools in 2012, expanding to 120 schools in 18 states and Australia that will use the Network’s innovative design principles that create relevant and rigorous learning experiences. Those schools will join a nationwide group of schools that enjoy an annual graduation rate of 97 percent and a four-year cohort rate of 86 percent (for the academic year 2010-2011). In addition, the New Tech Network student acceptance rate to two- and four-year colleges was 98 percent.

First introduced in Napa, Calif., in 1996, the New Tech model has proven successful across diverse student populations in urban, rural, and suburban public high schools. New Tech is emerging as one of the fastest-growing approaches to transforming high school education in the U.S.

To see the micro-documentary on Anson New Technology High School, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IlLWZwrem8&feature=plcp.

To see New Tech’s approach in action, visit http://www.newtechnetwork.org/inside_newtech.

Anson New Technology High School promises to provide a 21st-century education embedded in a culture of trust, respect and responsibility. Students are expected to meet 21st-century learning outcomes in eight areas: written communication, oral communication, collaboration, technology literacy, work ethic, content proficiency, critical thinking and global awareness. Its project-based learning approach means that students begin by identifying an authentic, genuine issue of importance in the world and then work to solve it.