Education Reimagined: Salisbury Academy High School

EDUCATION

REIMAGINED

SALISBURY ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL

A DYNAMIC LEARNING COMMUNITY DEEPLY ENGAGED IN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AND DESIGNED TO CULTIVATE A SCHOLAR’S PASSIONS AND PURPOSE.

SA HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION WITH PASSION AND PURPOSE

“In the agricultural era, schools mirrored a garden. In the industrial era, classes mirrored the factory with an assembly line of learners. In the digital information era, what will learning look like?”

- Lucy Dinwiddie Global Learning & Executive Development Leader, General Electric

IN A CHANGING WORLD of immense information accessibility and digitalization, education also needs to evolve.

Up until 1900, human knowledge doubled approximately every century. Today, human knowledge doubles every 13 months.

The work we ask of our students is mismatched to the work of this rapidly-changing world. At Salisbury Academy’s high school, we don’t want kids to simply be good at school. We want them to be good thinkers, to change their relationship with their work, to think and interact with content in a meaningful way.

Our students will complete their four-year journey prepared for what’s ahead of them, possessing the skills necessary for today’s world, and ready to think critically and apply their answers.

OUR VISION

TO PROVIDE A DYNAMIC LEARNING COMMUNITY DEEPLY ENGAGED IN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AND DESIGNED TO CULTIVATE A SCHOLAR’S PASSION AND PURPOSE.

Salisbury Academy’s high school will be designed for students as curious learners, creative thinkers, effective communicators, flexible collaborators, and engaged citizens. For our school, the community is our classroom, community leaders are educators, and students are participants in local service and industry initiatives. The Salisbury Academy learning experience will allow students to engage with their world not tomorrow, but NOW.

WHAT IS THE NEED IN OUR COMMUNITY?

THE NEED IN OUR COMMUNITY Salisbury Academy conducted in-depth survey work within our current school and alumni communities, held focus groups with mixed constituency groups of community representatives, and listened to ideas offered by parents of our community. Data gathered expresses a strong community desire for additional school choice in the high school setting and a need for a high school model currently not offered in our area: a micro high school environment that offers place-based learning and an opportunity for students to find ownership and purpose in educational experiences with real-world impact.

BIGGER THAN SA’S STUDENTS AND STAFF EXPANSION OF EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS for Salisbury and our surrounding area will:

Attract a diverse group of families and individual students seeking ownership, purpose, dimensionality, and real life application in their learning experiences.

Supply youthful energy to Salisbury’s downtown through the fresh perspective of high school-aged students.

Fuel partnerships with local businesses and uplift the many cultural facilities that Salisbury has to offer through student visits, projects, internships, entrepreneurial endeavors, and more. The downtown location of the high school will further support creativity as our students utilize facililities such as the local library, galleries, and theaters.

GROWING OUR VISION The vision of the Salisbury Academy high school is a familiar one, as the Salisbury Academy we know today was founded over 25 years ago on a dream of creating a different kind of school; founder Georgi Goss envisioned an environment where children could be creative and open to explore new and interesting ideas through hands-on learning.

This approach translates beautifully into the high school setting and will provide purpose, ownership, and a fascinating dimensionality to the learning experiences of students in ninth through twelfth grades.

THE MINDSETS APPROACH In the real world, life isn’t separated by learning categories with algebraic equations on one side and living organisms on the other. This is why our cross-curricular system of learning breaks free from the traditional box of separate subjects taught in separate rooms. Rather, our system models the classroom as the outside world. Each learning module will be taught through Mindset Systems that create critical and analytical thinkers who know what to do with their knowledge: Analytical Mindset - Critical Thinking Design Mindset - Creative Thinking Political Mindset - Thinking About Society

Reflective Mindset - Thinking About Self Philosophical Mindset - Thinking About Thinking

Salisbury Academy students will engage in Seminar Days and Inquiry Days and will be provided the essential space and time to engage in deep thinking and learning.

While covering the full UNC graduation requirements, Salisbury Academy high school students will have a multitude of additional opportunities to further their learning. From opportunities in service learning and entrepreneurial exposure to fascinating electives, students will be empowered to pursue their interests and passions while finding purpose and meaning in their experiences.

COLLEGE TRANSITION PREPARATION Our team has the expertise to work side-by-side with students to transition to college while carefully considering next steps. In addition to the transcript and school profile support, our counselors personally know each student and will advocate for them.

The world of college admission is also changing. In addition to traditional indicators of student progress (grades and test scores), colleges are seeking authentic evidence of student accomplishment. To this end, students will each develop a portfolio of work with rich examples of their learning journey and the impact they have made in their communities.

Salisbury Academy’s high school has a targeted launch date of fall 2020 for grades ninth and tenth.

Learn more about Salisbury Academy’s high school by contacting Beverly Fowler at bfowler@salisburyacademy.org