RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Building off the success of its inaugural 2014-2015 academic year with 10 high schools participating, Lenovo and NAF today announced 20 new NAF academies have been selected to participate in the Lenovo Scholar Network during the 2015-2016 academic year. The program, which is designed to enable the next generation of developers and entrepreneurs through a rich application development curriculum, will include 600-700 additional NAF students in its second year. Lenovo will provide each of the participating schools with Lenovo ThinkPad laptops and YOGA tablets that will be used to aid students in the coding, testing and development of their mobile apps and help teachers and mentors with the implementation of the curriculum.
Lenovo Scholar Network student teams and schools will also participate in a national competition focused on designing and developing a mobile app and a business plan for taking the app to market.
Since officially launching the Lenovo Scholar Network in July 2014, NAF has received a record number of applications from NAF academies across the United States eager to participate in the 2015-2016 program. The latest academies selected to the Lenovo Scholar Network include:
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Academy of Engineering
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Gateway Academy to
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Phelps Architecture, Construction
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Benjamin Carson High School of
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Immokalee High School
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School of Executive Leadership
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Boone High School
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Justin F. Kimball High School
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Southeast Raleigh Magnet High
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Brooklyn Academy of Global
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Mission Oak High School
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Village Academy High School
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Crooms Academy of Information
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North Division High School
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Warren Easton Charter High
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Dunbar Senior High School
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Omaha South High School
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Woodrow Wilson High School
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Edward C. Merlo Institute of
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Patterson High School
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Through the Lenovo Scholar Network, students are given the opportunity to participate in mobile app development experiences that provide them with the knowledge, resources and practical experience to support their college and future career success. The Lenovo Scholar Network is designed to encourage greater interest among underserved high school students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects while providing them with the high-tech skills needed to succeed in the 21st century.
Last school year, more than 400 high school students from 10 NAF Academies of Information Technology participated in the Lenovo Scholar Network. Twenty apps were submitted for the Lenovo Scholar Network National Competition with five teams selected as winners. The student groups behind these winning apps attended NAF Next in Anaheim, Calif., in July where a fan favorite winner was announced – a bowling app created by students at Washington High School Academy of Information Technology in Milwaukee, Wis., that sends positive messages to teenagers and discourages bullying. This year, the program will expand to include students from across all of NAF’s career themes of engineering, IT, finance, health sciences, and hospitality and tourism.
Selected academies will be granted access to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab’s App Inventor development tool, a web-based tool for creating Android apps, to build and test their apps on Lenovo devices. NAF and MIT work together to provide technical assistance and to develop support materials for teachers using MIT App Inventor. This year, in conjunction with MIT, NAF will offer access to a self-guided course for teachers on App Inventor, an in-person teacher training, and regular “open office hours” with MIT staff via Google Hangout.
To find out more about the Lenovo Scholar Network and follow along with students’ app creation journey, visit www.lenovoscholars.com or check out the #LenovoScholars hashtag on social media.
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“After the success of our inaugural year, we look forward to continuing our partnership with NAF through the Lenovo Scholar Network, providing students with the STEM skills needed to succeed in today’s workplace. The high school students at the 20 academies selected this year will participate in a robust mobile app development program designed to enrich their critical thinking, team building and analytical skills, and provide them with real-world learning opportunities. We are excited to enable this new class of scholars with the technology and skills they need to help them become the next generation of developers and innovators,” said Jason Mooneyham, vice president of Public Sector, Lenovo North America.
“Partnering with Lenovo has kept our academies on the cutting edge of a fast growing and ever-changing industry. Expanding this opportunity to include students from all NAF academy themes means arming more students with applied STEM skills that are relevant in today’s economy and assuring their preparedness for the future,” said JD Hoye, President of NAF.
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a $46 billion global Fortune 500 company and a leader in providing innovative consumer, commercial, and enterprise technology. Our portfolio of high-quality, secure products and services covers PCs (including the legendary Think and multimode YOGA brands), workstations, servers, storage, smart TVs and a family of mobile products like smartphones (including the Motorola brand), tablets and apps. Join us on LinkedIn, follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@Lenovo) or visit us at www.lenovo.com.
About NAF
NAF is a national network of education, business, and community leaders who work together to ensure high school students are college, career, and future ready. NAF’s educational design ignites students’ passion for learning and gives businesses the opportunity to shape America’s future workforce by transforming the learning environment to include STEM infused industry-specific curricula and work-based learning experiences, including internships. Since 1982, NAF has been partnering with existing high schools in high-needs communities to enhance school systems at a low cost by implementing NAF academies – small learning communities within traditional high schools. NAF has grown from one NAF Academy of Finance in New York City to hundreds of academies across the country focusing on growing industries including: finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, engineering, and health sciences. During the 2014-15 school year nearly 82,000 students attended 667 NAF academies across 38 states, including DC and the US Virgin Islands. In 2014, NAF academies reported 97% of seniors graduated with 93% of graduates planning to go to college. For more information visit naf.org.