Gitche Gumee became a well-known name of the Great Lake Superior for many Americans when Henry Wadsworth Longfellow used it in his epic poem Hiawatha. While technically it is an incorrect misrepresentation of the Ojibwa name for the great lake, it has come to be associated with Lake Superior and the natural beauty and wilderness of the area. The name Gitche Gumee was chosen for the academy in order to identify the academy with the unique mix of culture and nature that exists in northern Wisconsin. For founders of the academy, this name represents the many and varied communities of learners found in Northern Wisconsin as well as the strong relationship these communities have to Lake Superior and the influence it has on the lives of people in this area.

The Gitche Gumee Academy was founded in 1998 as a partnership between CESA #12 and WASDI. The academy will be held during the week of July 27-31, 2009 and includes the additional partners of Northland College and CESA #12 school districts.

The Gitche Gumee Academy was created to provide a week of in-depth training in Wisconsin Academic Standards, performance assessment, and content area knowledge. In the first year, Gitche Gumee hopes to combine the excellent, research-based model of staff development created through WASDI and the CRAY Academy with the cooperative effort of CESA #12 schools and communities in building a new vision of successful students and teachers.