Windsor High School (California)
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Windsor High School
| Principal | Patricia Law |
|---|---|
| Established | 1995 |
| School type | Public |
| Location | Windsor, California |
| Campus | Suburban |
| School colors | Black and Gold |
| Website | http://www.windsorhs.com |
Windsor High School or WHS is a public secondary school in Windsor, California. It is part of Windsor Unified School District.
Contents |
[edit] Education
[edit] Day system
Windsor High School has a unique education system compared to most traditional secondary schools. Rather than having a traditional a school day divided up into six or seven periods, WHS divides its days into what it calls "A" and "B" days. Each day consists of four total periods each lasting one and a half hours and students usually take anywhere between two to four periods a day. This system was put in place because the administration believed that it was a much more efficient educational model because this allows a teacher to go more in depth compared to the traditional 50 minute per period model.
[edit] Cores
Windsor High School also has one other educational aspect that sets it apart from most high schools. WHS employs a "core" system. Rather than following the normal model where each class contains a heterogeneous mixture of students differing from period to period, WHS instead uses the core system to keep students together with the same group of other students in hope of forming close relationships between other students and teachers. During 9th and 10th grade each core consists of an English, Integrated Science, and History or Global Studies class (depending on the year). During the 11th and 12th grade years students join a more specialized core that consists of English, History or Government, and a specialized class completely unique to the core. There are 6 specialized cores consisting of A.P., Arts, Digital Communications, Environmental, Humanities, and the Vineyard Academy. With the exception of Vineyard Academy all the cores have been in place since the founding of the school with the Vineyard Academy being established in 2005. Each core additionally adds a unique perspective on their academic studies. For example, Arts Core may study history and English from an artistic perspective while Humanities Core may study from a humanitarian perspective. Pre-Med Core will be added 2007-2008.
[edit] Core conflict
The core system offers students a unique perspective and learning environment but it also has drawbacks. The core system separates students into groups and creates a sort of segregation among the students. Students often find their peer group limited to students in their core with few exceptions, often creating a "us vs them" mentality. This can also create rivalries between the cores. One example of core rivalry is the rivalry between A.P. Core and Humanities Core. The rivalry often involves stereotyping as many A.P. students have come under the impression that students from Humanities are "touchy-feely" while Humanities students on the other hand sometimes view A.P. students as cold and only concerned with school. Some effort by teachers has been made to bridge the gaps between the cores but these attempts have been met with limited success.
[edit] Projects
[edit] Junior project
The Junior Project is a project that is completed by most juniors. However, it is not required for graduation and the decision to do the project is left to the teachers of the core. Its main purpose is to prepare students for the Senior Project and is structured in a similar structure. The main difference is the amount of time spent on the project is 20 hours, half of what is required for the Senior project.
[edit] Senior project
The Senior Project is a requirement for graduation that must be completed for all Seniors. The goal of the project is fairly open ended however most common projects involve community service, learning a new skill, or creating something. Students are required to put in 40 hours spent working on the task they designate for the project. Afterwards the student is required to turn in a portfolio covering their project. Following this students are required to give an oral presentation in front of three judges normally consisting of another student, a WHS staff member, and a member of the community. There have however been issues involved with the project as some students have cheated the project through either reporting false hours or often sharing an uneven amount of work with their partners.
[edit] Dances cancellations
Following a rowdy Homecoming dance in 2006 Windsor High School's administration canceled further dances for the rest of the academic year.[1] Before entering dances students are required to sign dance contracts mainly to create a code of contact. Despite this many students engaged in explicit forms of dance called freak dancing as well as one reported case of an alcohol poisoning.
Currently the school's administration has worked with parents and police to increase supervision and has dropped the cancellation policy and tentatively scheduled the school's Turnabout Dance for March 24, 2007.[2]
[edit] Awards
Windsor High School is a California Distinguished School for the year 2005 because of its achievement on the STAR tests.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ "Freaking' Leads To Cancelled Dances At Windsor HS", CBS, 2006-10-13. Retrieved on December 1, 2006.
- ^ "Update on Dances at Windsor High School", Windsor High School. Retrieved on January 31, 2006.
- ^ Distinguished School Awards. California Department of Education. Retrieved on December 1, 2006.
