Update No. 145
At last week’s Superintendent Advisory Group meeting, Jack Russell, President and CEO of OneZone, was our guest presenter. He shared his work with and perspective on our Reaching New Heights initiative. Jack did an excellent job enlightening the group about the program from a business perspective and as a parent with a child enrolled at Hamilton Heights.
I thought this would be a good opportunity to share an overview of this exciting new initiative at Hamilton Heights and its future impact. We are now in our third year of developing and transitioning the educational landscape for Heights students. We began the process by learning how to better align experiences and learning programming with high school graduation pathways. We started with a community conversation around college and career preparedness and the types of experiences, skills, and competencies our students need to truly be ready for success beyond high school.
We involved a strong and growing contingent of community partners to form a network dedicated to supporting our efforts to implement rigorous and relevant learning experiences as an integral component of this initiative. From here we developed a “Portrait of a Graduate” that reflects the expectations our community desires for our students who graduate from HHHS and set forth a collaborative, community-driven approach that engages students with the real-world problems and challenges faced by employer partners.
We created a well-thought-out Master Plan to serve as the Reaching New Heights initiative roadmap. This is our strategic guide as we continue to transform the educational experience for students in PreK through 12th grade going forward. The plan, which we consider a living document, will continue to evolve as we work to ensure all students are well prepared for life after high school graduation. This includes enrolling in college or a trade school, enlisting in a branch of the military to serve their country, or gaining employment in a local high-wage, high-skill, and in-demand profession with an entrepreneurial mindset. Through this initiative our graduates will be ready for the next step.
Reaching New Heights has four core focus areas: Learn, Grow, Explore, and Serve.
- Learn: Provides opportunities for communication in a global world, financial literacy and applied math, and time management and organization. Students learn by participating in hands-on learning opportunities and connecting with industry professionals.
- Grow: Through project-based learning, students learn resilience, collaboration and team building, and personal wellness and mental health.
- Explore: Students get hands-on experience with different professions through onsite and offsite career outreach experiences.
- Serve: Students learn integrity, community service projects and civic responsibility through collaboration with local businesses, organizations, and educational institutions to provide students with real-world insights and opportunities.
The goal of Reaching New Heights is to engage all students by connecting them to their passions and purpose at Hamilton Heights and beyond. This will help prepare them for the demands of the modern workforce empowering them to achieve their full potential and contribute to our community’s prosperity.
Throughout this amazing process, we have had students, staff, administrators, board members, parents, and members from the business community get onboard to help be a part of transforming the secondary school experience using this community-driven approach. It’s working and making a difference! Thank you for your continued commitment to our school’s mission and vision. Together, we are creating a brighter future for our students and our community.
#WeAreHuskies