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Of the dozens of new initiatives revealed in Superintendent Maurice "Mo" Green's strategic plan Tuesday, few have raised interest like a new high school academy program at the Natural Science Center in Greensboro.

Chief Academic Officer Beth Folger said the science center academy is still in the development stage but there are some general ideas everyone agrees with. The school will be science-focused and include hands-on learning. Students will contribute to the museum and zoo, but how is unclear.

Green said these types of programs and redefining what school is will be important to realizing his academic goals.

"We're going to do schools differently," Green said. "We're going to remove walls and build walls differently."

Other proposed magnet school programs include a new middle school, which will have longer hours than traditional schools and could include alternative teaching practices that allow students to learn at their own speed. There also are plans for a technology-based school and expansion of the Twilight Academy, which offers evening classes.

Folger also is in talks with High Point University to develop some type of program. HPU officials confirmed last week that there have been discussions about establishing an early college program at the university but nothing has been agreed on.

Glenn Dobrogosz, Natural Science Center director, said he included the idea for a similar academy program in his master plan four years ago but withdrew it, believing it was too presumptuous. Dobrogosz foresees the science center providing resources and assistance to the academy with everything from biology classes to physics and math.

But the program, like most of the magnet school programs, will be expensive.

"It won't be cheap, I'm sure, but science education is absolutely central to our future," he said.

The cost isn't clear but Folger said the school district will almost certainly have to place some kind of building at the science center. Folger said that does not mean a new construction project but could mean placing mobile units at the science center.

School and science center officials will travel to the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro to learn about the academic programs they have there. Folger said the school district would like to have the academy open by fall 2010.

Contact J. Brian Ewing at 373-7351 or brian.ewing @news-record.com