Press Releases

ACES Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School Named School of Distinction by Magnet Schools of America

February 2nd, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

(North Haven, CT – February 2, 2023) Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) is excited to announce that ACES Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School (WIMS) was named a National Magnet School of Distinction by Magnet Schools of America, the national association for magnet and theme-based schools. 

“We are grateful to be recognized by Magnet Schools of America. This is a great accomplishment for our school, as it now places us on the national stage as a School of Distinction,” said Todd A. Solli, Principal of ACES WIMS. “The staff of ACES WIMS work hard to provide our students with opportunities that inspire learning through the arts, and promote student development and positive outcomes.”

ACES Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School is a K-8 school that serves over 600 students primarily from the following districts: Hamden, Meriden, New Haven, Wallingford, and Waterbury, as well as, from other districts within New Haven County. In October 2022, ACES WIMS earned a 5-year Magnet School Assistance Program (MSAP) grant that will allow for significant investments in the school’s Arts Integration theme. Students will work alongside resident artists in developing the creative part of their brains. By utilizing a creative, experimental method of teaching, ACES WIMS will develop thinkers who can use their strengths to explore their varied interests. Classroom teachers and arts specialists collaborate to connect the academic concepts studied in the classroom to the arts, through performances, Arts Showcase Expos, and an Arts Capstone Project. Students can enroll in ACES WIMS through the ACES Magnet School Parent Choice program.

Principal Solli, along with several school staff, will be recognized and receive a National Magnet School of Distinction Award on behalf of the school during an awards ceremony held at the Magnet Schools of America’s 40th National Conference, hosted by the Dallas Independent School District on April 18-22, 2023.

To receive a national merit award, Magnet Schools of America members must submit a detailed application that is scored by a panel of educators. The schools are judged on their demonstrated ability to raise student academic achievement, promote racial and socioeconomic diversity, provide integrated curricula and instruction, and create strong family and community partnerships that enhance the school’s magnet theme.

To learn more about the National Merit Awards Program, please visit www.magnet.edu. To learn more about ACES WIMS, please visit www.aces.org/wims

About ACES:

Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) is the regional educational service center for New Haven and parts of Middlesex Counties. Established in 1969, ACES strives each day to fulfill its vision of creating an equitable and socially just world, one life at a time. ACES serves its member districts and others through an ever-growing array of programs, services, and schools that meet the needs of a changing educational landscape. As a school district, ACES operates three magnet and eight special education schools. ACES services range from transportation, professional development, school improvement services, technology, translation, international, security, and occupational and physical therapy. ACES operates the Open and Magnet School Parent Choice programs for New Haven County. Its programs include a federally funded Early Head Start Program and ACES ACCESS, a vocational and life skills program for developmentally and physically disabled adults ages 21 and older. For more information, go to www.aces.org.

The content of this publication was developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal government.