Legacy Christian Academy's campus has always been well known for its technological advancement. From SmartBoards in every classroom to student-issued Chromebooks and more, Legacy has a tradition of investing in technology that best serves the Academy's mission of preparing today's children for tomorrow's success.

The Valencia campus's newest state-of-the-art addition, though, is one for the record books. The Academy's brand new Innovation Lab, a dedicated multi-use space that looks more like it belongs in Silicon Valley than in a kinder-to-eighth-grade school, is where students from every class gather to learn 21st-century skills. Legacy students begin to develop their technological fluency early on; first grade students learn the ins and outs of Microsoft Word, third graders can chart profits and losses on Excel, a Legacy fifth grader could network your business' computers and an LCA sixth grader could build you a desktop from scratch. By middle school, a Legacy student is fluent in web design, graphic design and many advanced skills taught at places like MIT.

The all-white Innovation lab was made with learning and collaboration in mind. In one corner are work stations, ready to charge your handheld devices or prepare for a wireless presentation. Twenty-eight powerful computers with flat-panel LCD monitors cast a glow on the glass-like work surface, which can be raised up and down at the touch of a button. An 85-inch giant HD touchscreen, four giant 4K flatscreen TVs displaying student work, a document camera and other advanced teaching tools are at the ready. "Our state-of-the-art Innovation Lab is like nothing else in Santa Clarita. Nearly a year in the making, we designed this space from the ground up to allow students to interact with technology in a way that inspires learning, creativity and imagination. Our kids feel as though they have stepped out of a traditional school building and into a space that looks more like an Apple Store!," says Dr. Matt Northrop, Legacy principal.

All this excitement has students talking! Here are just a few thoughts from Legacy students, who reflected on the space built for them.

"The Innovation Lab is really cool! It reminds me of a movie.
I like to write papers on the computers and type."
Eloise Welch, first grade

"The Innovation Lab is amazing! Our computer teacher shows us how computers work;
we might use Microsoft Word, or use them to do math... it's always really fun."
Jacob Lazar, second grade

"I love the walls in the Innovation Lab! You can write everywhere! It's great for group projects
and big planning. We go from the boards to the desks and back again really easily;
the space makes it so simple to do everything. I like to plan my presentations and
PowerPoint on the walls and then go right back to the computer."
Madelyn Geeting, sixth grade

"The Innovation Lab is super duper cool! Everything is so clean, sleek and organized.
Because there are huge TVs all around the room, you can see what the teacher is doing
no matter where you are sitting or what direction you are facing. I love to be able to move
the desks up and down so we can either work sitting or standing."
Bella Onori, sixth grade

"What I like so much about the Innovation Lab is how it has been designed. We're in rows,
which makes it much easier to work with a partner because you can see what they're working on
and vice versa. There's so much more interaction. It's Robotics Central in there, too!
We set up our robots, test them, fix them and build them in the space."
Cole Raschke, eighth grade

"I love how 'techy' this school is; there are Chromebooks everywhere, SmartBoards, iPads,
and so much interaction with all of it!"
Ethan Williams, seventh grade

"I actually got to work on the Innovation Lab with my dad over the summer and help build it! We set up the tables, did all the wiring, installed the apps on the computers - we pretty much did everything!"
Zachary Johnson, eighth grade

"At Legacy, the teachers are always making sure we are very well prepared for high school. The teachers are amazing and the education program is really, really advanced. The Innovation Lab is part of all that."
Alexander Patrus, eighth grade