Bridges Academy

A year ago, if you would have asked my 15-year-old son what he wanted to do after he graduated high school, he would have told you he had no idea – and quit bugging him while he was playing Wii.

These days he’ll tell you that he may want to formulate a method to make cancer cells undergo apoptosis without affecting the normal cells around them.
In lay terms, that means he wants to cure cancer. And he has an idea of how he might do it.

My son has always had an interest in science and the natural world. But his current focus on biological research came as a result of his relationship with his brilliant science teacher at Bridges Academy.

My son is “twice exceptional, or “2e.” He’s gifted (that’s the first exception), but also has a learning difference, ADHD (and that’s the second exception).
Although the concept of twice-exceptionality is nearly twenty years old, I hadn’t heard of it until five years ago when our family discovered Bridges Academy. We had no idea that there was a school in Los Angeles where educators were developing cirricula that focused on the strengths of these unique kids while also helping them address their weaknesses, where kids were identified not by their challenges but by their talents and passions.

Five years ago I knew my son was brilliant, but I couldn’t have told you what path he was going to choose after high school, let alone whether he would even go to college. Now it seems clear he’s going to follow his passion, even if that passion may change in the coming years. And I’m grateful to Bridges Academy for the significant role they’ve played in helping him find his way.

Bridges Academy provides a great education for bright students who benefit from a school designed to identify and build on student’s strengths. Bridges faculty and staff give students time and space to discover who they are and what they are good at. For example, a student may be allowed to make a movie or an oral presentation instead of writing a paper to satisfy a class requirement. The school promotes creativity and provides many creative outlets including theater, robotics, and music.
The school is very good at teaching kids who may have struggled academically or socially in traditional school settings. In addition to academics, Bridges promotes a strong sense of community among facility and students.

Bridges combines high academic standards and with a sensitivity for students who march to a different drummer. If this describes your son or daughter you should definitely check out Bridges.