Written by PPHS Chief Academic Officer Krista Primrose, Ph. D.
Published: August 9, 2022
Neil Armstrong took one small step, yet is remembered in history as the first man - and the first Purdue Boilermaker - to walk on the moon, ushering in a new era of “what’s possible.” Like Armstrong, PPHS has been taking small steps in recent years that contribute to a giant leap in our students’ academic experiences. As we continue to reinvent high school for our students, we’re excited to see how high they can fly as they strive to achieve the PPHS Graduate Aimes and develop into socially conscious citizens.
Inside of a PPHS school, this means that our academic day has been reimagined. There is little to no Edmentum coursework these days. Instead, authentic projects lead the way, allowing students to master the content area outcomes that lend themselves to academic credits in courses such as Integrated Math, English 12, and Chemistry, while also solving real world problems that require them to learn and apply the skills associated with each credit. Within these projects, community partnership is highly valued, and engaging with businesses, community members, and others allows our students to both contextualize their learning and make social connections to propel their futures.
In addition to our academic-content projects, which we call Immersions to emphasize the immersive learning experience provided during these experiences, PPHS also continues to offer Design Teams and Passion Projects. These provide the same exciting opportunities they have in the past, with just a few minor tweaks to increase their value to our students and community.
Design Team projects continue to incorporate industry partners and lead students through the design process as they problem-solve, innovate, and prototype solutions to relevant issues. During these projects, students also earn credits in Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways. CTE pathways also provide students an opportunity to fulfill an Indiana Graduation Requirement, should they choose to continue their learning beyond Design Team in a given pathway. Exciting updates to Design Team will continue as we shoot for the moon and increase the CTE pathways available to our students as PPHS’ grows.
Finally, Passion Projects bring together students and coaches to explore shared interests. Students study subjects such as graphic design, weight lifting, community service, and more. These projects emerge organically based on what our students and coaches determine to be timely and relevant, allowing students to earn elective credits in a broad variety of areas while also learning and reinforcing the PPHS Competencies.
We’re excited to continue the evolution of high school at PPHS as we plant our flag in uncharted territory and watch our Techies, Lynx, and Explorers discover how far they can go and how they can apply their learnings to new contexts, ensuring they’re ready for jobs that may not yet exist.
Published on 8/9/2022