The first two schools we visited were a part of the Highline School District (www.highlineschools.org/@HighlineSchools). Highline is a diverse, K-12 district outside of Seattle with approximately 20,000 students and 33 schools. The first school we visited was Raisbeck Aviation, a choice high school with an aviation and aerospace focus. The school was formed in 2003 by the Highline district to serve students from the whole Puget Sound Region. The students are selected on a lottery basis and represent 25 districts, although 50% of them come from the Highline school district. The learning environment is entirely project based and has a STEM focus.
After entering the school, which sits right next to the Museum of Flight and a hangar with Boeing aircraft just feet from the building, we were escorted by two AMAZING students who were very patient with our constant barrage of questions. The students walked us through the lab where they learn to create and operate robotic devices, then one of the students, a junior, proudly showed us the solar car that his team has been constructing in preparation for a national competition.
We visited a freshmen class, Physics of Flight, that was completing their first project which challenged them to design an aircraft that would withstand heat and impact testing. In addition to coming up with the concept, creating the design, building the aircraft, and testing their aircraft, the students also presented their designs to a panel of engineers. They openly discussed what they learned from their failures as well as their successes. When students are expected to get up in front of engineers at the age of 14 to discuss complex work and make themselves vulnerable, and then they continue to do that for four years of high school, it is exciting to think about the composure and confidence they will have when they enter college and then the work force! In addition to the amazing relevant curriculum and projects, the students have access to a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities, the senior class builds an actual working plane each year, and they have access to the Museum of Flight throughout their high school experience during the day and for after school offerings. The school environment was extremely calm, inviting, and very conducive to learning. There were spaces throughout the building where students could go to work in small groups or on their own, there were maker spaces with building materials, and the classrooms had large windows with views of airplanes- what better inspiration is there than that? When asked if there were ever any discipline problems or fights between students our escorts said they do not have many issues, but that one time there was kind of a fight that had something to do with Star Wars and Star Trek:-)
I won't go into detail in this blog, but the history of the school, including the early years and the evolution of the vision is very inspiring. The school district and the inaugural principal took risks to make this school a reality and the whole school community had to show a lot of perseverance and innovation to make it what it is today. We need strong, brave, visionaries to keep making new paths for our students!!
After Raisbeck Aviation, we visited the Puget Sound Skills Center, which is a Skills Center consortium hosted by Highline Public Schools. They offer 18 different specialized career and technical learning programs that provide students with high school credits, college credits, certifications, and job-ready skills. Many of their programs offer a semester's worth (15 hours) or more of college credit as part of the program. They have an Aeronautical Science program that produces 60 hours of college credit!! Most of their courses are taught by industry professionals who have chosen to teach and are able to begin teaching right away while taking a couple of courses that allow them to become certified. I love that flexibility shown by the state of Seattle.
We began our visit in their public restaurant where they have their ACF Certified Culinary and Pastry Arts program. Students can receive the Certified Fundamentals Cook and/or Secondary Culinary Graduate through the American Culinary Federation. Their restaurant is open to the public for 5 weeks at a time as they complete 6 week cycles. During the 6th week they switch the restaurant to a different theme and learn about some aspect of science and food.
We also visited their brand new Science and Health building where they have a Dental Assisting program with an on-site dental clinic which allows the students to complete internships and gain experiences so that they graduate from high school short only two classes to begin working in the field. The Science and Health building also houses a Biomedical Research and Global Health program that is taught by a doctor from Seattle Children's Hospital and a Nursing Assistant-Certified program that also serves as a pre-nursing school for students interested in pursuing nursing in college.
We made our way through a parking lot where the Fire & Emergency Services students were using fire hoses and other equipment from a fire engine to visit the Trades & Industry buildings. Our host was making some side deals with the auto body students regarding a dent in his car while we checked out their expansive auto body shop. My HGTV-loving self really enjoyed the tiny houses that they were making in the construction shed. The tiny houses will be used on the district-owned campground that is used for outdoor ed. They were also using kits that were donated by Home Depot to create very small dwellings that will be painted bright colors and lined up in a park for homeless citizens in the community.
Everywhere we went students were HIGHLY engaged and the teachers spoke of their motivation to do their work well and independently. In many cases we were seeing students who were not successful in their home schools for various reasons, yet they are extremely successful in this setting. It is relevant to them and they connect the work to a vision for their future.
The last school we visited was Tesla STEM High School, a choice school in the Lake Washington School District. The Lake Washington School District, located to the east of Seattle, is a K-12 district with approximately 31,000 students and 56 schools. The Tesla STEM school population is made up of students from the Lake Washing School District and it is determined by a lottery system. They use problem-based learning and focus on STEM real world problems related to STEM professions.
We visited multiple classrooms and heard students say that they appreciated the opportunity to do hands on activities on a regular basis, that they enjoyed the collaborative atmosphere, that their teachers were excited about what they were teaching which made them excited to learn, and that they liked coming to school. One of the classes we visited was an AP Psychology/Forensics class. At the beginning of the year, they throw a 50 pound pig into the woods behind the building and do experiments and investigations on it. This same class does an intensive research project throughout the year in preparation for a national competition. One student shared his topic, which was to find a way to prevent superbugs by studying how antibiotics permeate or do not permeate cell walls. I have to be honest- his research was a little over my head, so I am sure I am not explaining it correctly. And this was a JUNIOR in high school!!
One of the things I really liked about the Tesla STEM school was that they had a very clear vision that was developed by their development team and they run everything they do through that vision and they re-visit it regularly. It includes the following, which I agree is absolutely key!
Educate students to be:
Problem-solvers
Innovators
Inventors
Self-reliant
Logical thinkers
Technologically literate
I really enjoy seeing examples of schools that are working to find ways to teach our children in ways that meet their needs and prepare them for the future. Even in these schools, the leaders talk of work they have to do, and I agree- I see room for improvement, and I am glad they want to keep moving forward.
I, for one, refuse to give up on my vision and belief that we can create spaces that work for all students to learn and succeed.
