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Knightdale redesign will offer richness, depth, flexibility for students
Knightdale High School aims to be one of the best high schools in the state within just a few years. A school brimming with pride among students, teachers and families. A school where talents are cultivated and creativity is the order of the day.
Walk into Knightdale in the next several years and you might feel more like you’re on a Google® campus than a high school campus. You won’t see many desks. But you might see students working together in an iPad huddle on an engineering project. Venture around the corner and you could run into several students parked in front of a giant screen, tapping away on handhelds as they tackle organic chemistry.
School and community leaders have met for months molding and shaping their vision for the Knightdale High School of Collaborative Design. That vision spans from careful crafting of seriously engaging coursework right down to fun and functional furniture, with the James B. Hunt Jr. Library motif as inspiration.
Sound exciting? Wait until you talk to Jim Argent.
“We are determined to infuse Knightdale High School with new energy, new enthusiasm and stellar learning opportunities for our students,” said Argent, who was named Knightdale principal earlier this year. “We are engaging our entire community in this effort and we know that we can accomplish anything with a revitalized and fully supported staff and faculty.”
Skill building, problem solving, leadership
From the Knightdale group’s work has emerged a plan that focuses heavily around skill building, problem solving, leadership and an array of opportunities for students to chart their own course for success in college and the workplace. The WCPSS Board of Education Student Achievement Committee heard about the plan from school officials representing the team on Jan. 12.
The use of a “design thinking” model will be prevalent. This means motivating students to actively participate in their own learning through selecting courses of interest and relevance, and working closely with each other to solve complex problems.
It also means that teachers and other staff members will strive to know their students and their learning styles and needs on a more individual level. And, they will be supported in their efforts to do so.
Beginning in fall 2015, all ninth-graders will participate in a Freshman Leadership Institute, which will include a camp to ensure a smooth transition into high school, along with leadership courses and foundational math and reading help. This will differ from some ninth-grade academies currently in place mainly to accommodate large numbers of students. The Leadership Institute will be a year-long proposition, focused around coursework and activities through which students can truly see themselves as leaders.
Sophomores will be asked to choose from one of four Institutes to finish out their high school experience: Innovation; Government and Global Inquiry; Entrepreneurship or Creativity. While planners are working on detailed offerings, all of the Institutes will feature a heavy emphasis on building solid and relevant skills that lead to success after high school.
Thought and purpose in collaborative design
Offerings will include strengthened honors and AP courses, career readiness certification, internships and service learning. Knightdale teachers, university professors and community stakeholders will work together to design the new courses. Classroom experiences will be reinforced with real-world workplace samplings offered by partners from business and higher education.
A keenly defined level of professionalism is a key component of the new Knightdale. This will require teachers who will have a greater role in making decisions around teaching and learning. They will receive ample support from the WCPSS professional development team.
The Knightdale planning team is working with NC New Schools to develop the new structure. Local businesses, colleges and universities are coming forward to take part in the redesign and to offer resources, such as internships and other types of support to the school.
The Knightdale High School of Collaborative Design also stands to serve as a model for how other WCPSS high schools might look in the future.
“The encyclopedic redesign of Knightdale High School is a great example of the school and community working together to create the best possible learning opportunities for their students,” said Deputy Superintendent Cathy Moore. “This sets an impressive standard for what might inform our work as we look ahead.”
“Thank you all. Thank you for all of the work that has gone into this. It is no longer a dream, but a tangible plan," said Board Member Tom Benton. "It is something that has been drastically needed.”