Summerlin commits to education with 25 public and private schools

With 25 private and public schools, the master-planned community of Summerlin offers more schools than any other Las Vegas community, according to Kevin Orrock, top division executive of The Howard Hughes Corp., developer of Summerlin. Many of the community's private schools rank among the best in the valley, he said.

"Overall, Summerlin schools perform well in terms of academic, athletic and, extracurricular achievements," Orrock said. "Their success is not only measured in strong standardized test scores, sports championships and the individual success of top-achieving students. It is also measured in strong parental support and involvement that makes the schools the heart of our community."

Summerlin's first school, The Meadows School, celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. The school boasts a 100 percent four-year college and university acceptance rate. Some of Meadows School graduates are currently attending prestigious colleges throughout the nation including Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton and Yale.

Meadows also has an excelling forensics debate team, high placement on the National French Contest Exam, a choir that performs in the National Invitational Choral Festival in California, seven state football championship titles and an accomplished theatre program that recently traveled to the world's largest performing arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland to perform "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead."

The Meadows School was also awarded the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association Award of Excellence in Academics, Athletics and Citizenship for the 2008-2009 school year in the Two A division.

Two other Summerlin schools, Faith Lutheran Jr./Sr. High School and Palo Verde High School, also received this award in the Three A and Four A divisions.

Faith Lutheran Jr./Sr. High School also boasts strong academic advancement with 99 percent of its graduates attending college. In addition, the school holds state championships in boys and girls track and boys golf.

The Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain is a nondenominational, independent school with a long history of awards and honors for state, regional, national and international competitions in academics, performing arts, visual arts, extracurricular and athletics.

Its awards include the Best Aerospace Technology Special Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a Gold Pin winner in the Middle School Math Olympiads, first place in the Youth Group Science Division at the Springs Preserve Art and Science Fair and first place in the Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Competition.

The Adelson Educational Campus will start its first senior class this year, making it Nevada's only Jewish school that offers preschool through 12th grade. Most of the faculty hold master or post-doctorate advanced degrees.

Solomon Schechter Day School is another private Jewish school in Summerlin. The school features music and science labs and is home to Las Vegas' only elementary school robotics lab, which was funded earlier this year by a grant from the Goldenrod Research Corp.

Lit'l Scholar Academy opened its Summerlin campus in 1995. In addition to offering preschool and kindergarten classes, the school hosts a variety of fun, educational opportunities including an annual art-inspired Earth Day event and Trike-A-Thon, where students are taught the importance of bike safety.

Summerlin's public elementary schools also offer various areas of academic and extracurricular development in addition to offering unique programs that go above and beyond state required curriculum.

E.W. Staton Elementary School offers after-school opportunities including Drama for Kids, afterschool chess, Mad Science, ballroom dancing and Art for Kids. Staton also offers a weekly Explorations Program that provides opportunities for students to participate in enrichment programs including cooking, sewing, golf, guitar, rocketry, writing, science and algebra.

John W. Bonner Elementary School also offers enrichment classes including French, Spanish, sign language, dance, cooking and art. The school recently started a charter chapter for Elementary National Honors Society.

Summerlin's three middle schools are equally active in academic and extracurricular endeavors.

Ernest A. Becker, Sr. Middle School offers four music programs: band, orchestra, choir and guitar. The jazz band was named the best overall jazz band at the Inaugural Heritage Festival in Washington D.C. While there, students attended the inauguration of President Barrack Obama.

Sig Rogich Middle School has the highest passing rate of all Clark County School District middle and high schools on the pre-algebra and algebra honors semester exams. The school also has an award-winning music program and encourages student philanthropy. During the 2008-2009 school year, the school donated 3,500 food items to the Salvation Army canned food drive.

Wilbur and Theresa Faiss Middle School, Summerlin's newest middle school, also demonstrated its philanthropic spirit by participating in fundraising efforts that benefitted HOPE of Southern Nevada and the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Southern Nevada during the 2008-2009 school year.

"As another school year begins, we look to our schools with pride, hope and excitement," Orrock said. "We wish them a successful 2009-2010 school year."

For a complete list of Summerlin's 25 public and private schools, visit summerlin.com.