New Vista High School was created in 1992 and approved by the Boulder Valley Board of Education to “break the mold” of conventional secondary school practice and to offer students another option for the high school experience.
Why New Vista?
New Vista serves a broad spectrum of students with the intent of helping them develop their unique talents and interests and prepare them to become fully engaged citizens within our complex and demanding society. We are structured to work with students who are ready to take more responsibility for their own learning. Students at New Vista choose their classes and the order in which they will meet Common Learning and Individual Path requirements. They choose projects within each class that match their interests to the subject matter at hand. They also choose learning experiences in the community which allow them to explore current interests and future options. As juniors at New Vista, students formally select a post-graduation path for which they prepare themselves during the last part of their high school career. In the case of college-bound students, Individual Path is usually connected to meeting college entrance requirements. Finally, each student designs and produces a rigorous Culminating Project which builds a bridge between high school studies and the student’s chosen future. Students work with an advisor throughout this process to develop an understanding of how their choices shape their learning experiences and their future opportunities.
How It Works
Calendar / Schedule
New Vista operates on a quarter system and uses block classes. The year-long schedule includes a week of community service activities each year.
Advisory
Every student at New Vista is in a multi-age advisory led by a staff member. Advisory serves as the primary source of guidance and support for each student from the time he/she enters the school until graduation, as well as where we explicitly teach cultural competency skills.
Grading and Class Rank
Course work only counts toward the school’s Common Learning requirements when students earn a grade of A or B. A limited number of C grades can be applied to the student’s Individual Path. Work of lower quality is not given any credit. Student’s Grade Point Average is calculated on both an unweighted (4.0) and a weighted scale (5.0).
Community Experience
Community Experience is a four-hour block of time built into the weekly schedule. Students are expected to find a placement in the community that allows them to explore out-of-school learning experiences which are of interest to them. Community Experience can take on many forms: service, shadowing, internship, class work in another institution, independent study, and apprenticeship.
Independent Study Contracts
New Vista students can earn credit for off-campus learning experiences outside the school day and year that are supervised and evaluated by qualified community experts. Examples include team sports, fitness programs, language study, music or other private lessons, etc. A staff person works with each student to identify learning goals, devise assessments, and ensure follow-through on commitments.
Course Choice and Relevancy
New Vista students have a voice in class choice and are able to select new and fresh courses every year. Our teachers create high interest courses that are relevent to our current world. Examples include Social Justice in Literature, World History: Modern Global Issues, and more.
