Do Better Series: Academy Edition (BHS)

Do Better Series

April 2012 | Vol. 1

How to Do Better:

How to Do Better: Academy Edition

I know you’re busy.

This won’t take too long…

Let’s get started!

In the beginning…!

Castle View High School


… 40 Million Years Ago

It’s my dream to build a school.

- Lisle Gates, Founding Principal

“ ”

Let’s do this!

- Kevin Gardner, Founding AP “ ”


opened in 2006 to 9th and 10th

grade students. Among other things, the school was home to

four academies or small learning communities.

A Small Learning

Community (SLC), also

referred to as a School-Within-A-

School, is a form of school

structure that serves to subdivide

large school populations into

smaller autonomous groups

of students and teachers.

“

”- Breaking Ranks II

The primary purpose of SLCs is to create a more personalized learning environment to better meet the needs of students.

Academies (SLCs)

E-Media & Business (EMB)!

Humanities!

Math, Science, & Engineering (MSE)!

Visual & Performing Arts (VPA)!

… and now in 2012

Academies (SLCs) Current!

Biotechnology & Health Sciences (BHS)!

Leadership & Global Communications (LGC)!

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)!

Visual & Performing Arts (VPA)!

Aside from the names, what about our academies has really changed?

? �

The academies (SLCs) at Castle View High School minimally address our students’ needs and interests beyond superficial connections.

PROBLEM:

The academies (SLCs) at Castle View High School minimally address our students’ needs and interests beyond superficial connections.

PROBLEM:

This presentation will describe how we can provide purpose and focus for our students by doing better things within our academies.

OPPORTUNITY:

What questions might an eighth-grade student have when

which academy to join? �

What do I want to be when I grow up?


What do I do well?


What do I do well?

What are my friends going to do?


What do I do well?


Which academy has the best

teachers?


What do I do well?


Which academy has the best

teachers?

What do my parents want me to do?

We can make this decision easier by providing more purpose, relevance, focus, and structure in the design and function of our academy system.

“Do better things instead of do things better.”

- Sylvia Martinez (Generation YES … via Twitter)

What steps can we

take to do better

things within our

academies?

A Small Learning








A Small Learning








How can the Biotechnology & Health Sciences (BHS) academy do better things for our students?

Here are 4 steps we

can take to do better

things in BHS …

starting next year!

Grade-level themes and “capstone” projects Simplified class registration process A Student Health Professions Association (SHPA) Partnership with Castle Rock Adventist Health Campus ��

Create & Implement:

#1

#2

#3

#4


Create & Implement:

#1

#2

#3

#4


Create & Implement:

#1

#2

#3

#4


Create & Implement:

#1

#2

#3

#4

Grade-level themes and “capstone” projects… ��

#1

Consider:

broad, grade-level themes that weave

students, teachers, classes, advisements,

parents, and, well, the entire academy

together… �


#1

9th Grade: Health & Wellness�10th Grade: Ethics �11th Grade: Science & Society�12th Grade: Global Perspective �

EXAMPLES:


#1

These themes can be organized

through advisements (if we like) and

can culminate with capstone projects

designed and implemented by grade-

level advisement teachers (small-group

PLCs).

Here are some examples.

Health & Wellness

Trace the items in a typical shopping cart back to the soil. Individual?

Advisement group?

Health & Wellness

“Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan

“Is it ethically wrong for the United States to benefit from scientific and medical experiments or discoveries that cause harm to other human beings?”

“Cheating in School” by Stephen F. Davis

Science & Society

“How will genetics and biotechnology revolutionize medical practices?”

Science & Society

”The Best American Science and Nature Writing” edited by Dan Ariely

Global Perspective

“Organize and conduct a charity drive that benefits children in third-world countries.” Advisement? Entire senior class?

Global Perspective

”High Noon: 20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them” edited by Jean-Francois Rischard


#1

Projects (and other things) can be

organized in a portfolio specific to an

advisement or (even better) to an

individual student – accessible from the

BHS “hub” site.


#1

Academy Site or “Hub”

Student “Portfolio”


Create & Implement:

#1

#2

#3

#4


Create & Implement:

#1

#2

#3

#4

#2 A simplified registration process…

How many classes were in the 2011-2012

Castle View Course Catalogue?

202�


With so many course offerings and electives,

we should help our students choose the

most appropriate classes for their

identified pathways of interest.


With so many course offerings and electives,

we should help our students choose the

most appropriate classes for their

identified pathways of interest.

Which, of course, we already do … but we

can do better.

At some point in time, BHS

students were offered

“pathways” based on their

expressed career interests.





While well intended, these “pathways”

and their respective descriptors

(previous slide) need to be upgraded.


Let’s create a new visual that helps

guide our students efficiently through

their course choices.





One that’s less intimidating and

overwhelming.





One that’s less intimidating and

overwhelming.

One that will .

Let’s take

something

like this and

add detail for each

grade-level.


Let’s work to fill in the blanks on this

image and create a registration

infographic that will help our students

choose their core and elective courses.


We could also create three additional

visuals representing specialization in

Biomedical Research, Health Sciences,

and Sports Medicine.

Here’s an example that specializes science and physical education classes…


Let’s not stop at science and physical

education … let’s specialize (as best we

can) other content areas too. This will

certainly help our students truly

understand their pathway through

the BHS academy.


Create & Implement:

#1

#2

#3

#4


Create & Implement:

#1

#2

#3

#4

#3 A Student Health Professions Association (SHPA)…

A student organization that focuses on the health sciences by providing students with career and educational information regarding what it takes to become a

doctor, nurse, dentist, veterinarian, pharmacist, optometrist, epidemiologist, or hospital administrator.


Guest speakers once a month

representing various health

professions offer

advice for our

aspiring students


“What classes did you take

in high school?”



in high school?”

“How much money do you make?”



in high school?”


“How did you get into medical school?”



in high school?”

“Would you do it all over again?”


“How did you get into medical school?”


Monthly guest speakers … Student Officers … SHPA would be a great addition to our academy!


Create & Implement:

#1

#2

#3

#4


Create & Implement:

#1

#2

#3

#4

#4 Partnership with Castle Rock Adventist Health Campus…

You may have noticed the subtle

construction project going just down

the street.


You may have noticed the subtle

construction project going just down

the street.

It’s a hospital, or rather, a Health

Campus!


Step #4 of how to do better things

for our BHS students is to connect

with Centura Health, the

company behind the new Health

Campus.

BHS students could

volunteer and

work along side

medical personnel.

What a great place to

experience a senior

internship!


It just seems natural and logical for our

BHS academy to seek to partner and

collaborate with a nearby Health

Campus.


It just seems natural and logical for our

BHS academy to seek to partner and

collaborate with a nearby Health

Campus.

Let’s seek this ourselves … remember,

autonomous.


Create & Implement:

#1

#2

#3

#4

There you have it, 4 steps we can take to do better things for our BHS students?

Grade-level themes and “capstone” projects

A simplified class registration process

A Student Health Professions Association (SHPA)

Partnership with Castle Rock Adventist Health Campus

Let’s Create & Implement:

#1

#2

#3

#4

Let’s commit to doing better things in

BHS. Not necessarily by shaving, but by designing

and implementing these steps.

so that future BHS graduates might say…

“I know what to do to become a doctor!”



“Working in a hospital was amazing!”




“Many of my classes and teachers seemed connected.”




Our advisements seemed so united every year..





Our advisements seemed so united every year..


I took hard classes, but I had fun!


Let’s work together to gain a clearer focus of our mission and the steps needed to attain that focused vision.

- Jim Calhoun, CV Principal

“ ”

Thank you!!

Images from

www.freedigitalphotos.net

www.jibjab.com

www.istockphoto.com

www.flickr.com

www.myli<letonhospital.org (with permission)

Education

Do Better Series: Academy Edition (BHS)