May 27, 2025

Mizzou Academy Partners with the International Islamic Academy in Detroit, MI

Dr. Bayan Chaker is a dedicated endocrinologist serving patients with diabetes in the greater Detroit area. In addition to her medical practice, Dr. Chaker serves as the board president of the International Islamic Academy (IIA).  Mizzou Academy counselor Alicia Bixby fondly recalls Dr. Chaker’s eagerness for knowledge as a young student. “She would frequently call our office with great questions,” Bixby shares. “When the call came to me, she would say, ‘This is Bayan with you.’” Dr. Chaker earned her University of Missouri high school diploma in 2005. Bixby adds, “She was also a role model to her younger brother…

May 21, 2025

Mizzou Academy Science Team Hosts Inaugural Science Fair

Ninth-grade student Britney Suy spent several days analyzing and photographing plants in the hills of California. She presented her findings and an extensive plant photography portfolio at our inaugural science fair on May 1, 2025, organized by Assistant Professors Ericca Thornhill and Sherry Denney, co-sponsors of our Mizzou Academy Science Team (MAST). However, Thornhill shares that it was “our MAST students [who] first asked for a science fair!”  In addition to Britney, William Fleury and Lorena Freitas also presented projects at the Science Fair. Their topics were the physics of figure skating and the way bilingualism impacts brain circuitry, respectively.

May 12, 2025

Tami Regan Celebrates 20 Years of Service to the University of Missouri!

Celebrating Two Decades of Excellence and Inspiration at Mizzou Academy Earlier this month, Stephanie Walter, our Director of Teaching and Learning, struggled to format information in Smartsheet (“as so often I do,” says Stephanie). Though frustration started to build, she suddenly felt calm as she realized, “Aha! I have help. Tami knows how to do this stuff.” A few days later, while working with a student and their family, Stephanie needed more context and a supportive partner to brainstorm strategies. She immediately reached out to Tami again. Stephanie says, “Tami is not only business smart, she is also a fierce…

May 7, 2025

Mizzou Academy Hosts a Special Read-Aloud for Teacher Education Students and International Elementary Learners

Laboratory (lab) schools—designed to provide exceptional education to K-12 students and a learning context for teacher education candidates and research—have a long history in the United States. The first was started by John Dewey in 1896 at the University of Chicago. Today, Mizzou Academy is one of about 100 university-based lab schools in the world.  Lab schools play an important role in studying where education is headed. At Mizzou Academy, we know future teachers must develop competencies in multicultural and inclusive classroom practices and digital literacy.  This semester, the future teachers in Executive Director Kathryn Fishman-Weaver’s honors inquiry class led…

Feb. 19, 2025

Mizzou Academy Hosts Teaching and Learning Conference in São Paulo, SP

When Elementary Coordinator Lisa DeCastro took the microphone, she looked out into the audience and asked for grace. “This is my first time singing publicly like this.” She then led the 150 attendees in a West African welcome song called “Funga Alafia.” The song title translates from Yoruba to “greetings and blessings.” Music can be both a teaching tool and a vehicle to bring people together. At our recent teaching and learning conference in São Paulo, several members of our team leveraged the power of music in our first All-Conference Sing.  The teaching and learning conference is one of several…

Feb. 7, 2025

Mizzou Academy Celebrates National School Counseling Week

Each year, during the first full week of February, the American School Counselors Association (ASCA) recognizes National School Counseling Week. School counselors provide critical academic, social, and emotional support to students. At Mizzou Academy, we are fortunate to learn with school counselors Alicia Bixby and Amelia Howswer. These professionals engage in the essential care and guidance work with our students across the globe.  Acknowledging that there aren’t enough words to thank them for all they do, our administrative team put together the following appreciation story for our two school counselors, Alicia Bixby and Amelia Howser. Founding Counselor, Alicia Bixby…

Jan. 23, 2025

Mizzou Academy Hosts Action Research Showcase at ESPM

Tomas Nersessian Baracat presents his work on improving mental health in schools. “Bullying is a trend that we must break in schools,” says Tomas Nersessian Baracat, a high school student in the Dual Diploma program at Mizzou Academy and Colegio Dante (São Paulo, SP). Tomas has just completed a semester of action research–a qualitative methodology of learning through cycles of observation, action, and reflection–on this important topic and has illustrated how bullying is an issue that directly impacts the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education. His poster, Breaking Bullying, was one of 28 student research projects celebrated at the Mizzou Academy…

Jan. 16, 2025

Powerful Teaching is Connected Teaching

Mizzou Academy Faculty share how their work in the K-12 lab school supports their work in higher education. Students in Dr. Kathryn Fishman-Weaver’s undergraduate honors course present their work at The Bridge. Teaching and Learning Beyond Grade Level Most of David Prats’ work as our World Language Chair involves working with high school students; however, this academic year, he has also spent a lot of time teaching Spanish language classes in middle school classrooms and higher education lecture halls.  Prats has a passion for working with beginning language learners. “Introductory level is where you typically see the biggest jumps in…

Dec. 20, 2024

Making Spirits Bright: Mizzou Academy December Service Projects

On the first bitterly cold day of the season, the Mizzou Academy team loaded the Central Missouri Foster Care and Adoption Association (CMFCAA) van with over 125 coats and a bundle of 25+ hats and gloves for children in mid-Missouri. Executive Director Kathryn Fishman-Weaver says she hopes “these items will help make spirits a little brighter and a lot warmer this season.”  This month, Mizzou Academy led their second-annual winter-wear drive for CMFCAA and participated in a service project at Centro Para Crianças e Adolescentes (CCA) in São Paulo, SP.  Our Business Director, Tami Regan, helped coordinate these efforts. She says,…

Nov. 11, 2024

CALE World Language Lab Powered by Mizzou Academy

This year, middle school students at the Columbia Academy for Learning and Enrichment (CALE) learned they could study one of four world languages. The Grade 5-8 students could elect to study Spanish, French, German, and Japanese. These options were made possible through a new partnership with Mizzou Academy.  Mizzou Academy offers 23 world languages for study, which are coordinated by World Language Chair, David Prats. Prof. Prats has been instrumental in supporting the middle school language learners at CALE. In addition to facilitating online instruction, this also includes planning and executing monthly learn and play sessions in French and…