Riverbend Elementary School is taking applications for a progressive program that will be the first of its kind in Hall County.

The Advanced Scholars Academy, which opens in the fall, will bring together the brightest kindergarten through fifth-grade students from Hall County Schools in a collaborative, project-based learning initiative. Principal Deborah Smith said the "school within a school" will focus on challenging students who have mastered basic concepts and are seeking a deeper educational experience.

"We haven't had as many (programs) in place for kids who are ready to move on with learning," Smith said. "And so we're wanting to raise that bar and design a program for kids who have basic skill instruction down and they're able to move into a different kind of learning."

The program is open to any student attending a Hall County elementary school, not just students at Riverbend. Students outside of Riverbend's district will need to secure their own transportation to school.

Applications are being accepted through May 1, although the application period may be reopened if spaces are still available. A selection committee of Riverbend teachers and administrators will review the applications and notify accepted students by the end of the school year.

The school initially has plans to open one class for each grade level. Five Riverbend teachers have already been selected for the program and classroom space will be reallocated as needed, Smith said. She said the school is not expecting to hire new teachers but is prepared to do so depending on the number of accepted students.

The second through fifth grade advanced classes will be housed in new "21st century classrooms" equipped with laptops, large television screens and other educational technology.

Amy Cochran, who will be taking over the advanced fifth grade classroom in the fall, said many gifted students have become good procrastinators because they don't have to work exceptionally hard to meet class requirements. At first, the Advanced Scholars Academy students might struggle with the more challenging teaching style, she said.

But Smith and Cochran agreed when a student in this program gets something wrong, the person won't be given an F. They'll be asked to go back to the drawing board and attack the challenge from a different perspective.

"I want them to learn content, of course, but I want them to learn it for good, not just for a test," Cochran said. "I want them to learn it to keep it so then they can build on that in the future. I want them to learn the importance of working hard because a lot of this has come so easy to them in the past."

Smith said basic information is often taught in the classroom while special projects are sent home to be done over the weekends with parent guidance. The Advanced Scholars Academy will flip the equation and bring the projects into the school while students will be expected to memorize their state capitals and multiplication tables on their own time.

The program will also focus heavily on character building, good citizenship, organizational tools and life skills. Community service will be a required component of each student's education.

"We want them to be able to move at a faster pace, but there is more to life than just being smart," Smith said. "Its not always just smart people who are successful in the world."

Smith said she hopes the school will grow in popularity and possibly split into a separate institution in the future.