Renaissance School of Art and Reasoning is a public middle school located in Sammamish, King County, Washington, USA. It is a choice school operating in the Lake Washington School District. Renaissance, located on the campus of Eastlake High School, has an arts-based curriculum and a maximum enrollment of 96 students, 32 in each grade. Renaissance accepts student applications from all grade schools in Lake Washington School District, but as there are currently many more applications than there are available spaces at the school, all incoming sixth grade students are chosen by random drawing.
History
Renaissance was founded in 2006 by teachers who wanted to create a supportive but challenging academic environment for junior high-age students. The school held its first commencement for graduating ninth grade students in June 2009. However, in 2011, all schools in the Lake Washington School District decided that children would begin middle school/junior high in sixth grade, and graduate middle school/junior high in eighth grade.
Curriculum
The Renaissance curriculum is based strongly in the visual and performing arts. The learning environment is one of "artistry, rigor and warmth," and students are encouraged to take multiple approaches and perspectives as they learn to think and act for themselves. The school's total enrollment is deliberately kept small, encouraging teachers and students to get to know each other well.
Renaissance has a four-pronged approach to student learning and achievement:
- Critical thinking
- Artistic development
- Community building
- Public alliance and contribution
Community involvement and volunteering
Renaissance cultivates a strong culture of volunteering and contributing to the greater community. Students and their parents are expected to find ways to improve the community in which they live. In addition to school fees, parents agree to volunteer their time and talents to help the school for a set number of hours every school year. Students are given an early-out day each Wednesday, with the expectation that they will use some of this extra time to complete a long-term volunteer project.
See also
- Charter school
References
