Confluence Academies
Nia Smith MEd is an accomplished educational professional with extensive experience in teaching and instructional technology. Currently serving as an Instructional Technology Coach at Confluence Academies since December 2021, Nia also founded and directs the New Beginning Village Academy, which focuses on academic and cultural enrichment. Previous roles include Middle School Social Studies Teacher at American Creativity Academy and Social Studies Teacher at Riverview Gardens School District, where Nia developed lesson plans and sponsored various student leadership initiatives. Nia has also held teaching positions in other educational institutions, such as Parkway Schools and Columbia Public Schools, contributing to curriculum development and extracurricular programming. Nia holds a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Social Sciences from Harris-Stowe State University and multiple advanced degrees in administration and educational technology from William Woods University and Webster University, respectively.
Confluence Academies
Welcome to Confluence Academies! Confluence Academies is a non-profit public charter school system that strives to provide the highest quality pre-collegiate education to students in pre-kindergarten through high school. Confluence Academies is governed by one Board of Directors with one charter school sponsor – University of Missouri-Columbia. University of Missouri-Columbia sponsors five sites - Old North, South City, Aspire Academy, Confluence Preparatory Academy, and Grand Center Arts Academy. Aspire Academy and Confluence Academy-Old North serve students in grades PreK-8; Confluence Academy-South City serve students in grades PreK-8 too. Confluence Preparatory Academy serves students in grades 9-12, and Grand Center Arts Academy serves students 6-12. To learn more about MU as a charter school sponsor, click here. Since its establishment in 2003, Confluence Academy has grown as a public charter school from one campus and 245 students to a network of five schools serving nearly 3,000 students. Throughout its history, Confluence has become one of the most successful networks of public charter schools in the City of St. Louis and in Missouri.