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High School Resource Pages
Mission Statement
Harmony High School seeks to inspire a love of learning in its students that will help them to become lifelong learners. The academic portion of a student's high school experience is guided by our belief that (1) each student should be working at a pace that is challenging for him or her, and (2) students must prepare themselves, with our help, for the job or academic pursuit that they wish to follow after graduation.
We offer "core" courses in the five traditional academic areas: Mathematics, Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, and a foreign language. Each teacher helps, through student/parent conferences to ensure that each student is developing a broad level of experience in the core academic areas. In addition, if a student shows a special interest or talent for a particular subject, he or she is encouraged to take on more advanced work, either through university course work, or by independent study. Students are afforded many opportunities to demonstrate their ability to work independently, and once they have done so, have even greater freedom to design their own work and seek out additional mentors in the community.
Class sizes rarely exceed 15 students. This allows teachers greater freedom to teach challenging material while assuring that if a student needs individual attention, he or she can get it. It also allows teachers to set individual standards for students rather than following a grade-level norm or exterior guideline.
Students have the same teachers over the course of their high school career. These teachers also serve as the students' counselors. This long-term and multifaceted relationship inspires a sense of community both in and out of the classroom, and it is the core ethos of the High School. Students participate in all aspects of governance in the High School, and we believe that our school community thrives when we strive toward consensus. We also believe that students need to develop skills such as listening; facilitating discussion; analyzing issues; problem solving and compromising; and making and reflecting on community decisions.
We often say that Harmony High School is a 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year experience, and we seek to capitalize on this integration of the students' lives outside and inside the walls of the school building. Learning comes naturally to people throughout their lives, and we strive to help our students discover the intrinsic rewards of curiosity, persistence, and commitment to the endeavors they seek to accomplish.
Core Classes and Attendance
The High School Program offers one-semester and two-semester "core classes" in Science, Mathematics, English, Social Studies, and foreign language (currently French). Attendance or daily contact is required. Students are required to call the High School phone (334-8388) if they will be late or absent on any particular day. The student, not by the parent, should make this call. This call should be made before 9:00 a.m. If a student is not in school and has not called in to explain his or her absence, the teachers will attempt to contact the student and/or the parents.
Independent Study
After a student's first semester, he or she may want to propose a program of independent study on a particular topic. These projects are generally done during one of the regular, academic periods of a school day. With permission, they may also be completed outside of school time. Students interested in designing any type of independent study should consult with a teacher about how to proceed.
Classes at Indiana University
High School juniors and seniors may enroll in courses at Indiana University through the Open Program for High School Students. Students are required to pay tuition for these courses unless financial need can be demonstrated.
Homework
Homework in the High School tends to be oriented toward long-term projects, reading assignments, and day-to-day study. It is expected that students will do homework every day. Students are encouraged to read at least an hour a night. In addition, sometimes students are required to get to a library during their after-school hours. We strongly encourage parents to help their children get library cards.Family Meeting
Most Friday afternoons, the High School staff and students meet together for family meeting. This meeting is the core of the democracy in the High School. In family meeting, we do such things as:
Each student has one vote. Each staff member has one vote. Most votes are taken by simple majority. A three-quarter majority is required to change High School policy. In addition, the staff members can change policy if they are in unanimity. Family meeting is often used as a vehicle for discussing more philosophical questions such as what we value as a school, whether we capitalize on the mixed-aged groupings in our building, or whether traveling together is an integral part of the school. Each meeting is run by a member of the community (almost always a student) who was elected at the start of the meeting. Students who want to put items on the agenda do so by telling a staff member, who then puts the item on the agenda.
- make announcements about events at the school and in the community.
- acknowledge achievements of our students and staff.
- give structured feedback to one another on our status as "responsible members of the community."
- approve seniors' graduation project proposals.
- make decisions about school policies.
- discuss issues related to students who are not meeting our standards of community responsibility or who have violated school policies.
- vote on whether or not seniors have met the requirements for graduation.
- organize committees for such things as fundraising, new student admissions, trip planning, and disciplinary review.
Graduation
There are three facets to high school graduation.
1. Each student must complete the academic courses which are necessary in order for that student to successfully transition into his or her next academic or career choice.
2. Each student must design and execute a semester-long graduation project.
3. Each student must be voted by a three-quarter majority of the High School staff and students to be a responsible, contributing member of the community with a sense of humor.
Trips
We begin each school year with a two- or three-day experience at McCormick's Creek State Park. Students from 5th grade to 12th grade come together for this experience, and there are various opportunities for high school students to get to know students in other levels of the school and to get to know one another. During these days, students create their schedules for the fall semester and are introduced to the process of family meeting.
The High School "moves itself" every spring for an 8-10 day trip. During the fall, a shorter trip is often taken. Trips are consistent with our philosophy that school also takes place outside the school building and outside the 9:00 to 3:00 parameter of the school day. Students and staff research possibilities of places to go, present information in family meeting, and a destination is voted upon.
Students raise money and do much of the itinerary, food planning, and budgeting, etc. Traveling, living, and coping with a large group of people instills a great sense of cohesiveness to the program and participants. Past trips have included flood relief work in West Virginia; building a horse corral for the Rangers in the Smoky
Mountains; camping, bicycling, canoeing and technical climbing in the Ozarks; and visiting such cities as Washington, D.C., Boston, and Chicago.
Credit/Grades/Evaluation
We do not use grades as a means of assessment in the High School. Each semester, we have students write self-assessments at mid-semester. Teachers also write evaluative comments on these, and they are sent home to parents. Students often take tests and quizzes and write papers in their classes, and often, these are graded using percentages. Students receive "credit" for any class in which they meet the requirements. These requirements vary from class to class. In general, students receive credit when they have participated regularly in the class and have completed academic requirements of the quality of which they are capable.
The faculty and director assist students in the preparation of any applications necessary in the pursuit of post-High School education.
Parent Involvement
Because we want the students to be empowered about their education, we try to give them as much responsibility as possible for their own learning and decision-making. We invite parents to call any of the High School teachers at home or at school to discuss questions, creative ideas, or concerns about what happens at school. It is very helpful to us if parents keep us informed about their feelings regarding their child's education.
Parents are required to attend parent-student-teacher conferences held at the end of each semester (one in January and one in May). During these conferences, the academic progress and the social and emotional development of each student are discussed, and curricular planning decisions are made.
Smoking Policy
Since state law prohibits the use of tobacco in any form for anyone under eighteen, Harmony is a "smoke-free" school. We provide students with the most current information regarding tobacco smoking in our drug education program and we strongly discourage this practice.
Drug (Including Alcohol) Policy
We provide students with the most current information regarding drugs and their social and medical effects; we believe that education is the best means of dealing with this issue, and we offer a teen health course every year to allow a constant flow of student and community generated information. No student may come to school under the influence of or in possession of an illegal drug. No student may use illegal drugs in the presence of a High School staff member. Violation of this policy may result in dismissal from the High School.
Driving
Students may drive to school. If they intend to do this, they need to get a parking permit from the office. The alley is a ONE-WAY street-traffic moves from south to north. Students should exercise extreme caution in the school parking lot since we have people as young as three years old who attend our school.
High School students may not drive other students (of any age) during the school day (9 a.m.- 12:15 p.m.; 1 p.m.-3 p.m.). They may drive only other high school students or siblings during lunch time.
Harmony Education Center
909 East 2nd Street, Bloomington, IN 47401
ph: 812/334.8349 fax: 812/333.3435
Comments? webmaster@harmonyschool.org
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