Many students find that schools could do more to engage them in their studies and help them explore their paths to self-discovery and success.
Particularly for students with talent in the arts and music performance, it’s important to find an education that’s the right fit and embraces the whole child.
Confluence Academies offers a collaborative network of unique schools in an urban setting that is one of the most successful networks of public charter schools not only in the city of St. Louis but in all of Missouri.
Opened in 2003 with one campus and 245 students, today Confluence serves some 2,500 students from pre-K to 12th grade at five campuses. Over the years it has become a leader in neighborhood education, giving parents a choice in how their students are educated.
One of the five, Confluence Prep Academy — or CPA, as it is known — is a comprehensive high school offering a personalized education in biomedical science, computer science and business, including marketing and finance, among core classes. As dean of students Christopher Miller noted, CPA is “full of energy, full of pathways, full of assurance that students are destined for success.”
People are also reading…
Testimonials from the students speak volumes about the opportunities available at the academy. Recently, several students at two of the schools spoke about the gifts Confluence has given them.
Senior Darius Davis personifies a young man who’s found his pathway at CPA. “What I like about it is the grit that we have and the desire of people who want to be great,” he said. “They are not just doing it for the fun but actually to be successful!”
Karrell Cameron transferred to CPA in the second semester of sophomore year from a school in Texas that didn’t serve his needs. “We decided on Confluence,” the junior said of himself and his family, “because of the opportunities it offered me.”
Grand Center Arts Academy, meanwhile, offers immersion in the arts for students who are passionate about them. Opened in 2010, the Academy is located in the Beaux Arts building in the heart of St. Louis’ vibrant cultural arts district. It was founded on the philosophy that many children develop best when exposed to an enriched education in the visual and performing arts.
Often, students find their paths at Grand Center after having had their passion and talent stifled elsewhere.
“My old school didn't have a great music program at all,” said junior Will Carson. “Here, half your classes are music classes, and that’s really awesome.”
Grand Center Arts Academy serves as a kind of sanctuary where like-minded and spirited young souls find solidarity and support. The Academy is doing more than providing a superior education in the arts: It is enriching lives.
For more information about Confluence Academies, Confluence Preparatory Academy and Grand Center Arts Academy, please visit confluenceacademy.org.