Small, Rural Central California High School Continues To Defy Standardized Education

20 years ago, a small, rural K-8 school district in Central California was told to build a high school or be dissolved. That was the impetus that the Chawanakee Unified School District board and superintendent needed to create what would become the innovative and award-winning Minarets High School / Minarets Charter High School. 

The Challenge

The vision began with the desire to create a very different learning experience than the typical high school.

“We needed to create something that the surrounding high schools didn’t offer,” said Board Member Barbara Bigelow. “We wanted to be as digital as possible, while also offering a student-driven, project-based program.”

Retired Superintendent Steven Foster said students already had two high school programs available and the challenge became how to bring a diverse community together to pass a bond and build their own high school. 

“The board and I believed that we had to offer a clear and unique choice in order to compete,” said Foster. “We wanted to design a choice-based school that would truly be a model for the 21st century.”

Early Success, Forward Learning Approaches

Minarets opened in the Fall of 2008 as one of the first all digital, one-to-one laptop public high schools in California. Beginning with just 27 ninth graders, the school grew to over 500 in a few short years and has been recognized more than once as an Apple Distinguished School and as a California School Board Associated Golden Bell winner. Additionally, students, staff and programs have been recognized by diverse entities such as Google, Future Farmers of America, International and California Student Media Festivals, the National Scholastic Press Association, CUE and many others.

Minarets established two primary career pathways – Arts, Media & Entertainment along with Agriculture & Natural Resources.

However, according to school founder Jon Corippo, it was the forward-leaning instructional approach that really set the stage to be different and successful.

“We really aimed to be a student-first school in every way,” said Corippo. “This included making an explicit departure to get away from the lecture/worksheet model that permeated education.”

But Corippo said he and school staff also set out to create a culture that would support the instructional model.

“We wanted to build a place where some kids were not  ‘more than’ others – where freshmen could make an immediate impact,” said Corippo. “We loved hearing 9th graders say ‘I made 100 new friends’ at the end of the first week of school.”

In addition to digital learning, Minarets was also an early adopter in innovations that would later become more commonplace. These include, but are not limited to a later start time (closer to 9 am than 8), SmartStart, project showcases, portfolio projects, graduate defense, Community Days (also known now as Lame Duck Days), a Media Lounge instead of a Library, a school farm and unique class offerings. 

Personal Brand Equity, Senior Legacy Experience

In an effort to have students share their best work publicly and develop a portfolio program, Minarets established two key foundational culminating learning experiences.

First was the Personal Brand Equity (PBE), which became the year-end portfolio presentation for all 9th, 10th and 11th graders. Students prepared a final presentation that showcased key learning from all eight classes, as well as examples of personal growth, goal setting and career development. 

“The PBE demonstrated what students are doing and where they are going,” said Corippo. “We need to ask students to show how they’ve grown – a report card is not gonna get that done.” See More Here. 

The Senior Legacy Experience (SLE) is a multi-year, individualized passion project that offers all students an opportunity to connect their learning, skills, interests and goals to an applied community-based project. 

“Early on it became apparent that this project represented the start of the rest of their lives,” said Corippo. “Spreadsheets, calendars, meeting with stakeholders, sharing on social media and then telling the story are all things they will do in their professional lives for the rest of their careers.”

SLEs have now included hundreds of projects aimed at educating and transforming both the campus and community. See Examples Here and Here. 

Unique Course Offerings

Minarets created unique elective offerings open to all students. In Music for example, they offer courses such as Singer/Songwriter or Show Band (a band that allows the formation of performing rock bands aka the ‘School of Rock’). Over the years, there were courses such as a Business/Entrepreneur course called Kickstarter or an upgrade to the traditional teacher’s aide called Student Project Coordinator (where advanced students co-facilitated teaching and supported learning in the classroom). There was even a math course called Freakonomics. 

“Where many high schools would simply do the same old classes (out of tradition or ease of work), we actively created and adapted courses for maximum student options,” said Corippo.

Student Voice

During the inaugural year, Minarets established the Student Bill of Rights, as well as quarterly student surveys about all of their learning experiences, according to Corippo. 

“If we don’t know what our consumers like…how can we grow? Interestingly, teachers were worried that kids would be rude on their surveys. (They were not),” he said. “But this concern led to a talking point: if you are worried about kids being rude…maybe you should treat them with dignity all quarter.”

Current Principal Rhonda Corippo said the school has a well-established open door policy in all offices.

“Students can bring us any of their thoughts while we also continue to survey students as well,” she said. 

Going Forward

In an effort to continue to push innovation and creativity, Minarets will not rest on the standard metrics of the dashboard, according to Principal Corippo. 

“We will continue to ask ‘why not’? If we can’t come up with a good answer and if it supports post secondary success, we will continue to find a way,” she said. “We will listen to student voices and pay attention to research about the future of careers. This may require future bold moves.”

She said that she and the staff are constantly pushing back on the inclination of the teacher in front of the classroom. 

“It’s the easiest thing to retreat to when things get hard,” said Principal Coriippo.

It’s this collective internal challenge that the staff has embraced. 

“We originally housed this philosophy with a general question to all teachers,” said Jon Corippo. “If The NY Times showed up to review our school…what class would we send them to? What’s unique or different they would see?”