After spending most of my young life in Federal Way Public Schools, I never thought I’d write a headline like that. I can still remember the day my fifth grade class procured an already ancient-seeming, boxy Mac, which froze and unfroze depending on the weather and humidity. What a difference more than a decade can make! According to the Seattle Times, Monday marks the first day of classes for the Technology Access Foundation (TAF) Academy in Federal Way. And long gone are the clunky Macs of yore—they’ve been replaced by a multitude of sleek laptops and interactive “smart boards” in six new portables outside Totem Middle School.

The TAF Academy is a hybrid public school with major private funding and direction. Long-time Partnership friend, and director of the Technology Access Foundation, Trish Milines Dziko has worked for the last three years with Federal Way Public Schools to make the academy a reality, complete with its own principle, specially-trained teaching staff, curriculum, equipment and diplomas. TAF’s first class of 128 students—in grades six, seven and nine—are predominantly low-income and from local neighborhoods. They will attend a longer school day and be taught with an emphasis in science, math and technology.

TAF hopes the Federal Way academy will be the first of five schools across the region within the next few years.

"All kids can't flourish in a big high school," Laura Davis-Brown, TAF’s new principal told the Times. "For Federal Way to offer additional options for kids is huge."

With a healthy dose of hometown pride, I couldn’t agree more. You can’t help but be optimistic about the future of a place that offers students such tailored, project-based and technology-supported learning.

Check out TAF’s website to learn more about the academy and view the student application.