What does a current day at SOAR High School look like*?

 

7:30 AM
• Building open.
• Project Work Time, Seminars  and/or Classes at NPHS.

11:30-12:50 PM
• Lunch - based on  NPHS schedule.
• Project Work Time, Seminars  and/or Classes at NPHS.

# Homeroom (Block Days Only)
Community Building/Activities

Eagle Time
• Advisory
• Book Studies
• NPHS Meetings & Activities

Last Hour
• Project Work Time
• Seminars and/or Classes at NPHS
• Advisor Meetings

*This is a general timeline.  Times are  adjusted to match with NPHS for lunch and class purposes. Students will be given a planning sheet to help them delineate their work times to help them develop a schedule of when they plan to work on math, projects, book studies, etc on a daily basis.

Advisory
Time dedicated to relationship building, goal-setting and personal growth.

Projects
Student-led work time, students determine their approach to achieve learning expectations.

Math
Students use K12/Fuel Education/PEAK or other approved curriculum to study math concepts appropriate to their individual learning level. Students may also choose to take math at NPHS. 

Seminar
Advisors plan lessons and educational experiences to expand student learning

 

What does the yearly schedule at SOAR High School look like?

For the most part, SOAR HS follows the same calendar as the NPSD.  SOAR HS students will attend Monday - Friday unless alternate approval is made by SOAR HS Principal and/or Lead Teacher.

 

How will SOAR High School students become well-rounded graduates?

Each student at SOAR HS has a comprehensive scope & sequence guide used to structure student coursework without limiting student creativity. This shared document for students, advisors, and parents ensures students are meeting the requirements needed for advancement. Students are held to rigorous expectations and will be able to demonstrate their knowledge in and out of the school building. In addition, each student is expected to maintain an E-Portfolio documenting their educational experiences. Finally, advisors provide multiple options for learning including experiential learning, seminars, field studies, guided book studies, job shadows, and NPHS courses. This allows the students and family the ability to tailor an educational experience unique to that student. 

Will SOAR High School students be accepted by 2 and 4 year universities?

YES.  With the emergent of more non-traditional educational opportunities, universities have modified application requirements. Student rank and grade point average are no longer vital pieces in the admissions process. However, a greater emphasis is placed on ACT (and sometimes SAT) scores.

What are the educational requirements for a student enrolled at SOAR High School?

Our graduation requirements are higher than NPHS. Here students  must reach 26 credits to graduate. That is: 4 Language Arts credits, 2 Literacy/Reading credits, 3 Math credits, 3 Science credits, 3 Social Studies credits, 1 Technology credit, 1.5 Physical Education & Health credits. In addition, students must complete  job shadows (1 credit), a senior project (1 credit), 6.5 elective credits, have a letter of acceptance for continuing education and have 80 hours of community service. 

How are credits earned at SOAR High School?

Students and advisors use the Scope and Sequence to guide learning. Based on many of the same Pillars, Essential Learning Targets and Promise Standards as the traditional HS, students document their learning quarterly.  When students have demonstrated and documented a variety of proficient or advanced pieces of evidence under a standard, ¼ credit is earned for that particular standard.

Most projects are interdisciplinary in nature and provide evidence in a variety of subject areas, although they may not meet all aspects of a particular standard. However, seminars and additional projects completed at a later time may help a student meet that standard in a cumulative effect as they build up this additional evidence. Therefore, students can expect to “snowball” their credit acquisition; laying the groundwork and foundation in their 9th and 10th grade years to build up momentum in their 11th and 12th grade years. 

How are electives addressed?

Using the project checklist, online programs, live resources, and business partnerships, students can explore a wide-variety of elective options in any of their projects. Courses at NPHS are also available to those electives best fostered in a classroom setting (i.e. world languages, technology etc. )

 

How do SOAR High School students earn physical education credits?

Physical Education is simply treated like another project. Students log their time and monitor their progress towards their goals. Physical Education (PE) is typically done as homework, but at the end of the physical education period, students need to show evidence of learning and personal fitness growth. In some cases, advisors and/or students can design PE challenges or experiences for SOAR HS students to participate in. Alternately, students may earn credit through participating in NPHS sports: 2 sports seasons equal .5 credit.

 

Can SOAR High School students participate in NPHS extra-curricular activities?

Students may participate in all district organized sports and extracurricular opportunities.  This includes all WIAA sports. Students are held to the same academic standards as traditional HS students and are required to show adequate progress in their learning to remain eligible. 

 

How much homework do SOAR High School students have every night?

Students set daily goals to meet their daily project tasks. If a student uses time wisely at school, it is possible to complete all project work at school. However, even academically mature students - those who can set goals and hold themselves accountable to meet those goals, will find it challenging to complete all of their work within the school day. Most students are able to meet their block expectations by supplementing their daily project work time with an additional hour or less if they are using their time wisely at school.

 

How is hot lunch provided for students at SOAR High School?

Students have the option of providing their own lunch or purchasing a school lunch. Students may eat lunch at NPHS or bring it back to the SOAR HS Union where students have access to refrigeration, stoves and microwaves. In addition, each student is provided a cubby shelf to store food stuffs in the Union to make their lunch. We have a closed campus.

How will SOAR High School students be transported to and from the SOAR High School?

Students may ride NPSD busses.  Students may drive themselves if parents approve. Parking is available in front of the SOAR HS building. 

 

How do I apply for the SOAR High School?

The enrollment window for SOAR HS takes place in January.  If there are more applications than openings a lottery will take place based on the lottery rules set forth by the SOAR Governance Board.  If there are openings after the initial enrollment period all spots will be filled on a first come first serve basis.  Hard copies of our application may be picked up at an informational meeting or on our website.

 

Do SOAR MS students automatically get accepted at SOAR High School?

No, SOAR MS students have to go through the same procedures as any student from within or open enrolling into the district.

Are there other steps in the application process?

After attending an informational meeting and submitting an application, families are encouraged to set up a school visitation day where the prospective student is immersed in the SOAR HS educational experience to provide him/her a more authentic look at project-based learning and the SOAR options.  In addition, if a student is coming to us from outside of the district, an open enrollment form will also need to be submitted.