MORE THAN EVER. OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE
TO SPARK ADVENTURE AND WONDER, FOSTER INQUIRY AND COMMUNITY, AND BUILD THE CHARACTER AND ABILITY OF STUDENTS TO TAKE ON THE WORLD’S GREATEST CHALLENGES.
It’s time for Watershed’s approach to education. We live in a world that is rapidly changing in many dimensions: environmentally, demographically, economically, socio-politically, and technologically. These changes present great challenges in our world today and in the future. With these challenges come opportunities for Watershed to do what we do best. Opportunities to reimagine education. Opportunities to develop and strengthen connections between people. Opportunities to help young people find and follow their own paths of contribution in the world. Now more than ever, Watershed must lead as we rethink education. This is the time for Watershed.
We future-focused,research-based,are community-centered.and Watershed is a school based on the best research on learning and teaching, committed to focusing on our students’ future, and dedicated to serving the human and ofandcommunitiesecologicalwithinbeyondthewallstheschool.
• We believe that, by partnering with our community, Watershed can make a difference in the lives of those around us. This is why Watershed was founded and this is our focus as we look to the future.
And in a world with too much cynicism, we must help young people build hope.
In a world with complex, systemic problems, we must help young people become creative problem solvers with the passion and vision to solve the challenges of the future. In a world that is increasingly individualistic, we must help young people learn to work toward the common good, making real contributions to the world around them by doing work that matters. In a world too often defined by discord, we must help our students listen, learn, and lead across differences.
• We believe that students can understand, and begin to address, big challenges.
• We believe that students can do work that contributes to the common good.
It’s time to think big about education.
Watershed’s approach to education is more important now than ever.
• We believe that students can deepen their commitment to community, and develop the leadership, courage, and persistence to help build a better world.
At its core, education is about people, and Watershed’s program is a manifestation of our beliefs about how young people learn, how they can best prepare for their future, and how we all can contribute to strengthening our communities. People and Program Our Plan As Watershed looks to the future, we prioritize two broad areas: people and program, and place and permanence. True to Watershed, we view each community-centeredfuture-focused,research-based,throughandlenses.
Watershed’s vision is Research-Based We will deepen our focus on real world learning, learning not just about the world, but from the world, and for the world. Real questions. Real challenges. Real work. Real impact. Our students will be architects of their own education, co-designing courses and completing keystone projects, matching their passions with the needs of the world. Our educators will continue to be learners and researchers, engaging with other educational communities, expanding our impact beyond the walls of our school.
Future-Focused We will strengthen our focus on helping students and educators develop the skills, abilities, and character strengths that the future demands. Our students will engage with future-relevant content, framed and guided by the real challenges of the world ahead. Our students will share high-quality work with community partners. They’ll graduate ready to make a mark in the world and build a better future. Community-Centered We will increase and deepen our network of community partnerships, leading to transformational experiences for students, staff, and partners. Our students will be known as doers and contributors beyond Watershed, making a difference for others by working on community challenges. We will be a national model for community-centered learning, helping to drive the national conversation. We will deepen our understanding and practice of diversity, equity, and inclusion, building an inclusive school community and contributing to this work in the broader community.
It is time for us to set down roots and secure a permanent home. It is time for us to embrace a financial model that secures our permanence, ensuring that a Watershed education will be available to future generations. Place and Permanence
Our new home will serve as a base camp — the site from which we engage the community and the world as an impact-driven organization. Our home will be an anchor in the community, with our new facility serving the community in innovative ways that extend beyond traditional school. We will serve as a laboratory for community research, a think-tank for envisioning a better future for our human and ecological communities.
Watershed’s vision is Research-Based
Our future space will be flexible so that we can challenge traditional, outdated school structures and continue to evolve in response to emerging research on teaching and learning. Our future home will utilize research on how the spaces we inhabit affect the work we do. Our budget will support educators as they engage in research on community-centered learning and teaching.
Our permanent facility will stake a claim for our future, securing our independence and long-term sustainability. Our new facility will be a place for students and alumni to call home — a place they can be proud of and return to Weoften.willcontinue to build support for Watershed, ensuring a mission-sustaining budget for the future through continued enrollment success and Watershed Fund strength.
Future-Focused
Community-Centered
In these times of change and challenge, we must think big about education — we must reimagine what schools can be. We envision… students and educators making tangible contributions to the broader community, graduates ready to engage as creative problem solvers for a better future, and our school itself being a force for the common good in our community. We are committed to working with others to build a future that is more just, more sustainable, and more compassionate. Now more than ever, our world needs this new vision of school. Watershed must lead the way. Our forwardpathisJoinclear.us.
RESEARCH-BASED • FUTURE-FOCUSED • COMMUNITY-CENTERED WATERSHEDSCHOOL.ORG 1661 Alpine Ave. Boulder, CO 80304 Our vision for the future
