From far left: Students at Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy; Las Vegas Academy; students at Bishop Gorman.
La s V e g a s A ca d e m y : M i c h e l e N e l s o n , C C SD P h oto g r ap h e r ; Chemistry Class courtesy of bishop Gorman
name it. Does your son belt out hits better than the contestants on “American Idol”? Consider the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts (www. schools.ccsd.net/lva). Does your daughter dream of trotting the globe as a United Nations translator? There’s Robert O. Gibson School Dual Language Immersion and Leadership Academy (www.schools.ccsd.net/rgibson). Specialties are as varied as the Clark County School District’s 24 magnet schools and technical academies.
means good-natured haggling over who’s picking up the Elmer’s Glue tab. This handson, it-takes-a-village model also has the advantage of bringing in parents from different backgrounds, professions and perspectives. For preschoolers and kindergarteners, the Kids’ Co-Op (www.kidscoop.org) has been operating locally for more than 20 years, putting both certified teachers and dedicated parents in the classroom. More recently, Co-Op Elementary (www.coopelementary.org) has begun offering its model to elementary-age students. Caveat: If you’re a stickler for structure, co-ops’ freeform approach that focuses on self-esteem and open-ended learning might put your control issues to the test. — A.K.
{Teens} Your child has a keen, specific interest you want to nurture. Consider a magnet school or technical academy. It used to be that budding high school nuclear physicists were relegated to tinkering in mom and dad’s garage in the wee hours. Now there are magnet schools and technical academies to nurture young, burgeoning brains. Originally conceived to prod schools to be more diverse, these are public schools with an extra helping of dance, chemistry, cooking — you
Caveat: Because these schools are public, attending won’t cost you a dime. However, their popularity makes for limited seats. If there are more kids than class space, a computer lottery picks the lucky students. And if you do get in, you may be looking at a longterm, cross-town commute. More: Get a comprehensive list of magnet schools and technical academies at the Clark County School District website at www.ccsd.net — A.K.
You want your kids to learn in a faith-enriched environment — with tighter code for dress and behavior. Consider a parochial school. It’s got to
d e s e r t c o m pa n i o n . c o m 53