The Director's Cut: Working on Designing a Super School

A little over a week ago I sent out an email to staff and students informing everyone about a Redesigning High School Challenge. I was looking for people interested in joining the effort. I was beyond ecstatic to see how many staff and students were interested in taking on the challenge. We now have a team composed of 21 people and 8 of those are students.

We held our first meeting on Wednesday to talk about the positives and negatives of Fairfield High as it is, and what our school could potentially look like if we redesigned it. The central theme that came up from both staff and students alike was that the school needs to be designed around student interests. Listening to the students explain what they want to get out of their high school education was enlightening. The students want relevance, they want purpose, and they want skills that will help them be successful after high school in the paths they choose to take. The students also shared that part of the success of Band and ROTC are that they are composed of like minded individuals all working together towards a common goal.

The team has drafted a concept name for our redesign, "Fairfield High School Discovery Academy," and an idea that will be at the center of this proposed redesign: "A school designed around vibrant participation in a student interest themed environment. We will empower our students to access pathways through exploration of different fields. This access and exploration will allow our students to engage in learning that will prepare them for a life of learning and career opportunities."

We have the opportunity to win $10 million to make this proposed plan a reality. Want to share ideas or join the team? Our next meeting is this Tuesday at lunch! Please let me know if you want to join or share your ideas!