The Davidson Academy Online Campus, based at the University of Nevada, Reno, was one of eight schools selected to receive the Resilient Districts Prize given out by Future of School, a national education charitable organization. The schools are receiving the prize for fostering and maintaining dynamic and rewarding learning environments.

The Davidson Academy Online Campus was presented with the prize and a $10,000 check from Future of School at a ceremony Oct. 12. The ceremony featured school leaders, CEO of the Future of School and Education Evangelist Amy Valentine, and online students participating through mobile robots.

The Davidson Academy was celebrated for supporting students’ social and emotional health during the pandemic through creative and innovative strategies fostering connection. The Resilient Districts Prize aims to recognize those schools that have faced the challenge to provide students with high-quality educational experiences during the pandemic head-on.

Future of School works to affect positive change in American K-12 schools. The organization honors the resilient spirit of educators who embrace innovation in difficult times through the 2021 Future of School Resilient Districts Prize and believes that positive change can take place in any educational environment and location by ensuring that all students reach their highest potential.

Stacy Hawthorne, director of online learning, is responsible for fostering such a successful and rewarding learning environment at the Davidson Academy Online Campus. Davidson Academy online courses offer students live, synchronous sessions; quality interactions with intellectual peers; small class sizes; responsive, caring instructors; Prospective Learning Plans; and embedded opportunities for socialization. Hawthorne was awarded a 2018 Blackboard Catalyst Award in the Teaching and Learning category for the unique and personalized model of online education used at the Davidson Academy. Hawthorne’s experience with online and adaptive educational models is extensive. As the founder of Hawthorne Education, LLC, Hawthorne has extensive experience as an educational strategist having implemented blended and online learning programs in public, parochial and independent schools in California, Illinois, New Jersey, Texas, Nevada, Ohio, Virginia and Georgia.

The Davidson Academy is rooted in the belief that every student should be challenged, engaged and supported in a learning environment that places no limits on what they can achieve. This well-rounded approach to an educational space for profoundly gifted learners serves to create a space in which they can explore their intellect, passions and senses of self and community.