AIER Event: 2025 Innovative Schools Fair

Date: January 29th, 2025 | 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Location: Innovation High School

Description: AIER, In partnership with Washington Charter Association (WaCharters) held the annual Choice School Fair on January 18th, at Innovation High School. The event annually brings together many different Choice Schools from all over our region to showcase what they offer to students and families looking for non-traditional options in education. 

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The Event:

This year the event started with a brief presentation featuring both Spokane Valley High School student and Innovation High School about what “Choice/Innovative Schools” are and why we need them in our local and regional educational ecosystems. Students spoke to the audience about why they personally decided to attend a Choice School, what they saw as the advantages of attending a non-traditional school, and what was different from attending a traditional public system. 

After the presentation. The audience were invited to circulate and meet representatives from 17 different choice schools in our region.  These 14 schools represented a mix of Public Schools, Charter schools, and Private schools, from the Spokane area and beyond.

The schools that attended and showcased their programs were:

• Spokane International Academy

• Innovation High School Saint Georges School

• Lumen High School

• Spokane Public Montessori

• WaCharters

• Central Valley Virtual Learning

• Central Valley Open Door

• Pioneer School

• Riverday School

• Garfield Apple

• Spokane Valley Learning Academy (Parent partnership)

• Mead Alternative Learning

• East Valley Parent Partnership

• East Valley Online Learning

  
  

Learn More About the Programs!

Summary:

The audience as not as large as we would have liked it to be, but we had some parents and teachers, as well as some Whitworth University School of Education faculty attend. The audience reported being very impressed by the number and variety of choice schools in our regions, and by the options available in our region to meet individual student needs.  A bonus of this event is that it provides active networking between schools and school leaders in our area.  

One of the school leaders said, 

“We try to attend this event every year, not just to meet parents and present what we have to offer for students, but also to see what other schools are doing outside of the traditional public school bounds.”

AIER would like to thank WaCharters for their help underwriting this event, and thanks to all the schools who attended. We look forward to seeing you all next year. 

Also, we would like to extend a special thanks to Paige Albercht for her support and providing the space for the event. Also the students of Innovation High School who volunteered as ambassadors for the event.