Personal Effort in a Chosen Discipline
We make sure that each teenager puts in the effort to attain a level of excellence in some part of life. Everyone has different talents, and it should be the role of the high school to help students identify these areas of interest and then provide the support to develop these talents. In this way, each teen can establish a meaningful basis for self-confidence and respect, tools that are essential in contending with the strong currents of peer pressure they face. The possibilities are as varied as the students and have included everything from cooking, to mathematics, to caring for animals, to philosophy.
Standardized Testing
Before we switched to an international, online format in 2019, we had 20 years of very high test scores on the SAT and IOWA tests (see data). Both of these tests are closely aligned with our approach to academics in that they focus on the development of overall math and language skills rather than the memorization of specific pieces of information. Since both tests are normed primarily with students whose native language is English, our influx of international students made school-wide comparisons relatively meaningless. We continue to use these tests, however, since they help us measure year-to-year improvement in our students. Our average gain over these past few years is about 7 percentile points per student per year (i.e. a student who tests at the 55th percentile one year will improve to 62 the next year).
A Personalized Schedule, Suitable for All Time Zones
Every student, in partnership with their advisor, designs a personalized, balanced program with experiences in self-discovery, academic excellence, creativity, connections with others, and service-learning adventures. The result is a unique learning plan based on each student’s interests, long-term goals, educational aspirations, and abilities.
History
2.5 hours online with 2-3 hours of homework
Sample Topics (Offerings change from year to year)
History of World Religions: a study of the impact and commonalities of the main religions
World History that Matters: events from the past that have an impact on today’s world
English
2.5 contact hours online with 2-3 hours of homework.
English (4 years of classes): Focus on literature, composition, self-expression & communication.
Science
2.5 hours online including labs with 2-3 hours of homework
Chemistry: composition, structure, properties and reactions of atomic and molecular systems; with lab
Physics: finding out how the world of matter works through interesting investigations and fun experiments; with lab
Anatomy & Physiology: understanding how your body works and how to keep it healthy; with lab
Math
2.5 hours online, with 3-4 hours of homework
Math (4 years of classes): Students progress at their own pace at levels from pre-Algebra through Calculus.
Language Other than English
2.5 contact hours online with 1-2 hours of homework
Exploration of language and culture
Languages include: Chinese, Spanish, German, and others
Arts
1.5 hours online with about 2 hours of homework
Digital Arts: comparison between digital and traditional art forms, the role media plays in our society and cultural conditioning, the use of AI in art creation, ethical and legal considerations
Independent Study: topics in visual arts and music of the student’s choosing
Personal Advising
1 contact hour online with personal advisor
Counseling support in time management, skill development, self-discovery, and college & career readiness. Go over extra-curricular activities, life skills, and personal well-being. Explore centering tools including meditation and yoga.
Wholeness
2.5 contact hours with about 1 hour of homework
Sample Topics (Offerings change from year to year) Non-Violent Communication, Ethics for Daily Life, Raja Yoga
Personal growth courses designed to help students gain a deeper understanding of themselves, explore interests and inspirations, and learn how to manifest these changes both within themselves and in the world around them.
Personal Expertise
5 hours of personal expertise/independent study monitored by advisor
Each student identifies an area of interest or passion in their life, and are then supported to research and develop a project related to that interest. These projects have included the study of neuroscience, poetry, computer science, art, music production, photography, and more.
Service Projects
3 hours monitored by advisor
A key element of our high school curriculum is to provide opportunities for students to get involved in solving some of the problems we face on our planet today. Our students have created service projects in their local communities at places like animal shelters, homes for the elderly, and preschools that serve special needs children.
Physical Exercise
5 hours
Students work with their advisor to implement a program of physical exercise that is aligned with personal interests and talents.
Work Experience
3-5 hours
Making Things Happen
Students work with their advisor to find ways of earning money to develop self-confidence and to help pay for the annual Service Adventures. Past projects have included: providing childcare, a car-care business, supplying firewood, and creating crafts for online sale.
Service & Adventure
Along with the teenager’s growing awareness of larger realities, comes the realization that our planet is filled with problems such as wars, lack of food and water, and homelessness. Left unaddressed, this realization can easily lead to cynicism and a rejection of the adult society that allows these conditions to exist. A key element of our high school curriculum is to provide opportunities for students to get involved in solving these problems. On a local level our students have helped at places like animal shelters, homes for the elderly, and preschools that serve special needs children. Farther afield, our students have helped at orphanages in Mexico, protected endangered Sea Turtles, and attended an international conference on Climate Change and Consciousness. Read Shanti’s Story
