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PEACEKEY Developed Courses

1.1.1. Learning to Learn (9th or 10th Grade)

One of the key goals of WCCHS is to teach students to learn autonomously. Integral to this plan is the Learning to Learn course (based on a similar course of the same name offered at ACLC). Every student in the Notice Division (Division I) takes the Learning to Learn class, acquiring skills crucial to becoming a successful, self-directed student such as organization, time management, and planning. True to current research and the values of WCCHS, the Learning to Learn class also teaches the tools of mindfulness and self-awareness as the foundations for all learning. Below is a partial list of these embedded skills:

• Mindfulness
• Time and Task Management
• Reading to Learn
• Inquiry and Research
• Effective Presentations
• Individual and Team Project Planning
• Teaching Others
• Technology Skills

1.1.2. Leadership Class (10th or 11th Grade)

In order for students to learn how to fully realize their potential as leaders and community members, all students are required to take a Leadership class. The curriculum includes conflict resolution techniques and emotional intelligence. Like the Learning to Learn class, the Leadership class also teaches the techniques and importance of mindfulness. Overall, the philosophy of the Leadership class is that when students are focused on ways to improve the school, and empowered to make those changes, they don’t have the time or the desire to work against the school.

Each semester, a Leadership class will research, plan, implement, and critique at least one school-improvement project. This can range from raising money to purchase a microwave oven for the school to developing new school curricula. The teacher of each Leadership class will have the responsibility to challenge students to dream big and to teach the steps necessary to achieve their goals.

Academically, students will read biographies of individuals who have created change in the world, learn about business and project management, and practice public speaking.

In addition to the curriculum, the students and instructor in the Leadership class utilize class time to discuss the community relationships on campus. They strive to improve and maintain relationships between members of the community in order to create an atmosphere on the campus of respect, mutual support and friendship. Students from the class are expected to mediate disputes and assist parties who are engaged in some type of conflict to find common ground so that they can move forward in a cooperative manner. This role is particularly important since, generally, after some form of dispute, the parties remain in the same learning community and interact regularly in some way. Students from this class, additionally, facilitate part of the school community meetings in order to address the well-being of the community relationships.


1.1.3. Be The Change Leadership Projects

Every year, students are required to take at least one project-based class called the Be The Change class, named for the quotation by Mahatma Gandhi, Be The Change you want to see in the world. These courses last one semester and allow students to pursue their own interests in a hands-on capacity. Students are grouped (in classes no bigger than 15 students) according to interest and guided by a facilitator who helps them with the planning, execution, and presentation of their projects.WCCHS ensures that there are enough teachers to supervise these projects. Be The Change project courses meet twice a week and constitute an additional academic prep for teachers. When possible, WCCHS makes use of existing project-tracking software, like Project Foundry, to assist in this endeavor.

Students choose their own projects, meeting the following criteria:

• Connects students to their passions
• Serves the community, and
• Has components related to every academic subject.

WCCHS develops a Be The Change Guidebook that includes project templates, a planning guide, community service resources, and samples of excellent Be The Change Projects. Prior to the development of the guidebook (and to assist in the development of the program), WCCHS follows the Service Learning model successfully used in many high schools and universities. WCCHS works with a local representative of the National Service Learning Clearinghouse to establish partnerships with local agencies to phase in our Be The Change program as shown in the table below:


PLANNED PHASES OF BE THE CHANGE DEVELOPMENT (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

Phase 1	Year 1 and 2 WCCHS forms a partnership with one local agency that can sponsor 50-75 students in grades 9, 10, and 11 with diverse volunteer opportunities in the evenings or weekends. During this phase, students and faculty will develop better ways to integrate the curriculum and student interest into the volunteer work, streamline parent volunteer assistance, work out issues around insurance and supervision, and develop rubrics and guidelines for final student reports.
Phase 2	Year 3 and 4 Two to three partnerships are developed to accommodate a total of 100 students. During this phase, we will experiment with allowing individual students to develop their own projects more closely aligned with their interests, continue to perfect methods for integrating the curriculum, and continue to improve quality of final student reports. The Be The Change guidebook is completed.
Phase 3	Year 5 and 6 We begin to structure the Be The Change projects so that through their time at WCCHS, he or she gains greater and greater autonomy and choice with regard to the project. Entering students would participate in pre-existing Service Learning projects, while older students would plan, organize, and carry out their own projects. During this phase, we would develop assessment used to determine when students are ready for more autonomy in their projects.
Phase 4	Year 7 and beyond At this point, the Be The Change program is complete. Regular reflection and assessment of the program occurs every semester and changes are made to the guidebook, rubrics, and partnerships as needed to meet the program goals of: Connecting students to their interests; Connecting curriculum to the projects; Serving the community.

The Be The Change projects are supported by a class that meets twice a week. Through activities, lessons, and assessments, students are taught to:

• Develop meaningful, interesting projects,
• Reflect upon, and critically analyze their project,
• Plan and implement improvements to their project,
• Integrate their curriculum into their project,
• Research background information about their project,
• Write an extensive report about their experience.

For example, suppose WCCHS partners with the Parks and Recreation department. WCCHS negotiates 5 different service learning projects for the first year: Weekend soccer league assistant, parks improvement, creation of a community garden, trail maintenance, and office assistance. A student whose passion is sports may choose to assist in the soccer league. He would be required to develop a plan to become a better soccer assistant as well as integrate his current curriculum into his work (for example, a discussion of geometry in soccer strategy). Every week, he would spend time reflecting on his assignment, critically analyzing his experience and finding ways to make improvements. In the end, he would produce a comprehensive report describing his experiences and integrating it with his schoolwork and interests.