Groves Academy achieves 100% high school graduation rate again

St. Louis Park, Minnesota (June 4, 2013) – Tonight seventeen high school students with learning and attention disorders will mark their graduation in a special ceremony at Groves Academy in St. Louis Park. Officials at this unique Minnesota K-12 school designed specifically for students with learning and attention disorders say this commencement is particularly rewarding for these seniors who had to overcome many challenges and misperceptions.

“Students whose learning disabilities have not been correctly diagnosed and addressed enter Groves doubting their abilities to succeed in school,” said Head of School John Alexander. Alexander is a national expert and Minnesota leader in reading reform with a Masters degree in Reading and Language Disabilities from Harvard University. “Today our graduation rate is 100 percent,” he said.

“Groves changed my life,” said Anca Smith, a student from Romania who recalls she had been told as a young child that she was stupid and could not learn. After studying for four years at Groves Academy, she says her teachers “made me believe I can learn, that I can be successful.” Anca, who was disabled by polio as a toddler, was recently named “Most Valuable Player” on a national academic basketball team. She plans to pursue a career in child psychology.

Of the 17 students who will graduate tonight, June 4th, ten will go on immediately to attend two-year and four-year colleges including Augsburg College, Hamline University, University of Minnesota-Crookston, Hennepin Technical College and Minneapolis Community and Technical College.

Tonight’s Event at a Glace

What: Graduation ceremony for Groves Academy seniors includes academic and leadership award presentations, as well as special comments by each graduating senior.

When: Tuesday, June 4th at 7:00 p.m. – Media Photo Opportunity

Where: Groves Academy, 3200 Hwy. 100, St. Louis Park

About Groves Academy

Groves Academy is a national leader and pioneer in educating students with learning disabilities and attention disorders, and is the only school of its kind in Minnesota. This premier K-12 school in St. Louis Park was founded in 1972 and currently enrolls 240 students from Minnesota and across the U.S. Through research-based curriculum and personalized instruction, Groves Academy helps students with learning and attention disorders succeed in the classroom.

The school also functions as a key resource center in the Midwest, providing literacy training for teachers in more than 50 school districts and holding dozens of workshops annually. Groves Academy provides diagnostic assessments for students from preschool-age to college, tutoring for K-12 students, a summer school program for students from other districts and specialized college counseling for high school students and adults with learning and attention disorders.

For more information about the innovative work at Groves Academy, visit http://www.grovesacademy.org or to schedule interviews contact media liaison Robb Leer 612.701.0608.