Making the Grade: New school inspires learning about passions

As the parent of a first-year high school student, Kay Greer searched to find the right fit for her daughter. But the place she and her child liked best required a leap of faith. The independent New School in Inman Park had only opened its doors in 2014 and hadn’t yet established a track record.

“We heard about the school from other parents, but not many were willing to take the risk on a school that was so new,” said Greer, who lives in Decatur. “But when we learned about the kind of work being done there and the projects the kids were doing, we realized they really had something different going on that we wanted to be a part of.”

The difference The New School offers comes from the approach to learning established by its three founders, all former high school and college teachers who four years ago put together the plan for their dream high school.

“We had an incredible itch to create the school we wished we’d gone to, one that let kids do work that really mattered to them and, at the same time, would serve the city,” said co-founder Mary-Campbell Jenkins. “So we crafted a model that allowed kids to do good academic work while using the city as a classroom and resource to engage them.”

That work incorporates extended projects into the lesson plans. Over the course of a year, students may participate in four large-scale projects that tackle serious, real-world issues, such as water quality and healthy living. Last year, an in-depth study of the Little Five Points neighborhood led to some students developing an app to connect homeless people to needed services.

“Our kids spend about a third of the day on these projects and the rest in more traditional classes,” said Jenkins. “Our belief is that they need ways to ask big questions and to figure out what they’re seeing.”

The different approach also involves partnering with enthusiastic professionals who can provide inspiration. The school has teamed with the nearby Horizon Theatre to offer drama classes with a veteran director. Working artists give presentations on their craft. Every Friday features guest speakers who share their passions. Then as seniors, students will take on internships connected to their own interests, said Jenkins.

“By that time, we will have exposed them to areas and interests they’re fired up about, and we’ll find them a mentor to work alongside for 10 hours a week. Our graduates will have been exposed to different challenges as well as strong academics that will serve them in college.”

The school opened its doors with 18 students and currently counts 35 in ninth and tenth grades. Jenkins expects enrollment will stay in the 150 range even when all four years are in place. That scaled-down size, coupled with the project-based approach, appealed to Greer and her daughter.

“It’s not even really ‘work’ - it’s things they’re interested in,” said Greer. “It’s very relevant. We followed what they were doing for the first year and visited a few times to check it out, and we’ve seen that kids are given an active role in their learning. They’re constantly getting out into the community to see what’s going on. The result is they see they’re capable of having a positive impact. And it’s great to have a teenager come home and talk about the exciting day she had at school.”

As word about the school has spread through the neighborhood, interest has surged, said Jenkins. An information meeting in October drew standing-room-only crowds of parents. If they took away just one thing, Jenkins hopes it was the idea that teenagers can do more with their high school years than merely counting the days until graduation.

“Here, high school is not a waiting room where you get your ticket punched before going to college,” she said. “We tell them, ‘Your life starts now.’ ”