Lunch with a ... Plague Scientist!

On December 6th, 2012, UNC School of Medicine research scientist Rodrigo Gonzalez spoke to Research Triangle High School students about his research into the bubonic plague. He shared some real inside scoops on plague with a description of Yersinia pestis and the biology of plague, epidemiology, life cycle, disease progression, and plague research - from archeology to public health. A graduate of Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, who did his post-baccalaureate work at the National Institutes of Health, Rodrigo is an engaging and fascinating speaker for RTHS's Lunch with a Scientist series!

The Thing with Learning

How do we talk about education? What words can we use to name when a child learns? ‘Education is what happens between a Teacher and a Student’, a wise retired principal once said to me. Our principal, formerly a national award-winning science teacher, likes to tell us that no one knows how children really learn. And yet, I must talk about our school all the time. Local company leaders, interested in supporting educational success, or helping those most in need, or engendering the best in STEM education. Colleagues in other disciplines, of medicine, higher education, non-profit management. “How’s it going?” they all ask. “It is just block and tackle, day by day,"  I answer. They think I am describing problems, problem children.

I am not. I am describing how education happens. But what is that ‘thing’ that happens? What are teachers doing, students doing, together?  We lack a vocabulary to describe what this thing is. We borrow words from the world of business – “project-based learning." Or the stolen 1990’s wordage of “Need To Knows” and “Knows."  The too-broad verbs of our own pasts  - of ‘study and review.'  The words of math – ‘inflection point,' the ‘accelerating curve.' Or of sports – ‘block and tackle.'

We need our own vocabulary to describe – and to talk about – what happens inside a school when teachers are teaching and students are learning. We need a word for ‘started the year doing no work at a 40% and just kept plugging away so she now has a solid C in Biology." How about a word for ‘goes in for help with her favorite math teacher but won’t listen to anyone else’? Or “he and his dad spent an hour and a half at my husband’s office last night, viewing the Flipped videos and scribbling problems on the whiteboard’?

Perhaps we could steal from the vocabulary of mitosis, of cell division. Prophase is when the cell prepares for division. Some students surely are ‘coiling up their chromatins,' getting ready for the hard work of learning.  Metaphase is when centrosomes start pulling towards the two ends of the cell, bringing longitudinal tension from those two ends. Is this what we see when the children pitch a fit, dig in, say ‘this is too hard’? Are they feeling that tension of being pulled apart, between their childhoods of easy learning to the adult world of college preparation? Trying to stretch this metaphor to its end, I find the final stage of cell division, Anaphase, is too lengthy and complex. There is always more happening, the cleaning and mopping up, the next phase beginning anew. 

And although that fits in a way, this is not a linear process we want to describe. It is a series of events, a scatterplot of different moments, the easy, the hard, the brilliant, the infantile, over and over again, every day, every minute of that day. It is indeed ‘just block and tackle.'  But not by us.  By the students, the children. We watch, we feed, we nudge, we present and share. But they are the ones who must coil up, pull towards the opposite ends, endure and take advantage of the longitudinal tension.

And so, we lack the words to describe this work. Perhaps it is as in the ancient Jewish faith, where there are a hundred synonyms for the word God, but no actual saying the name ‘God’. Or perhaps it is as in the words of poetry, not ‘the things with feathers,' but the thing with calluses, with heart, with giggling, with aversion, with questions.  All I know is that our children are doing this thing, the thing with learning.

RTHS Awarded Department of Education Grant

The U.S. Department of Education announced that Research Triangle High School was awarded a $522,000 grant to use over the next three years to directly fund for planning, program design and implementation.  We are honored to be one of eighteen new charter schools to receive the grant.  In the official Department of Education announcement, RTHS is listed as Contemporary Science Center, the founding non-profit organization.

We are also honored to be featured in a Herald-Sun article by Wes Platt that details how ecstatic we are to have received the grant:

Durham charter high school lands $522k federal grant

It just got a little easier for Research Triangle High School, Durham’s first charter high school, to build on what started this fall.

The federal Department of Education has announced that RTHS was one of 20 schools across the nation and one of only two in North Carolina to receive a grant to support planning and development.

Over the next three years, RTHS is expected to receive $522,000. The other Carolina school tapped for a grant was Triad Math and Science Academy in Greensboro.

“Everyone’s kind of ecstatic,” said Pam Blizzard, director of external engagement for RTHS. “It’s funding faculty salaries, our digital media program, (information technology) costs. It will let us keep building the school as a vehicle for outreach around the state. It’s really great.”

The grants, totaling about $4 million for this year, are intended to fund charter developers for planning, program design and startup of new charter schools, as well as sharing best practices and disseminating information about charter schools.

“High-quality charter schools across the country are making amazing differences in our children’s lives,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a prepared statement. “These grantees serve a range of students, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and prepare them for college and careers.”

RTHS, a public charter school, is answerable to the state Department of Public Instruction and receives some state tax dollars, but not as much as traditional public schools. Charter schools receive no state money for capital outlay, for example, unlike traditional public schools.

Blizzard credited Amanda Marvelle, biology teacher and director of digital media for the school, for taking off the month of May to hunker down and focus on the grant application. Sandy Collins, parent of RTHS student Hailey Collins, stepped in for that month to help cover Marvelle’s administrative duties.

“We spent some time planning the grant, but then she just hid and cranked out a 50-page grant application,” Blizzard said. “I wasn’t sure we’d get it, because it’s such a competitive program. We feel really honored to be recognized.” By Wes Platt  wplatt@heraldsun.com; 919-419-6684

Read more: The Herald-Sun - Durham charter high school lands 522k federal grant 

Pieces and Bits: High School

The RTHS Raptor Repertory presents its inaugural show--

Pieces and Bits: High School

Join us for RTHS's first fall show, a musical revue about popularity, grades, and the rest of teenage life.  PIECES AND BITS: HIGH SCHOOL includes scenes from Class Action by Brad Slaight and music from Wicked, High School Musical, 13, and The Fantasticks, as well as Carly Rae Jepson and Justin Bieber.  Come support your fellow Raptors with a night of great performances!

SHOWTIMES
Thursday, October 25 7:30 PM
Friday, October 26 7:30 PM

TICKETS
RTHS students - Free
Children under 12 - Free
Others - $5
Tickets available at the door

Raptor Sports Report

Our cross country team took part in its biggest meet yet when it ran in the Great American Cross Country Festival on September 29, 2012 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. Out of 20 teams in the independent school race, the boys' team finished 10th, with two runners finishing in the top 25 out of 150 competitors in the field.  Madison Daniel and Michal Swepson finished 9th and 24th respectively. The team will compete in the final meet of its successful inaugural season on Thursday, October 11 at Durham Academy.

RAWR!

Lunch with a Scientist

Friday, October 12th, 2012, students had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Ward Peterson, formerly of Inspire Pharmaceuticals, who shared a brief history of his work in drug development for the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis. He talked about his educational background and his current fun job flying to Vienna, Washington D.C. and London consulting for drug companies. The students were very engaged.

We will continue to bring in a wide variety of community members to talk to students during lunch. Be on the lookout for the next topic.  

Meet our faculty - Ms. Marianela Miller, Spanish

We are excited to share with you a little bit about our newest faculty member, Ms. Marianela Miller.

My name is Marianela Miller, but my friends call me Mari. I was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. I came to the United States when I was 17 years old. I graduated from George Washington High School, in Manhattan, New York. I got my B.A. in Spanish Literature from Hunter College, and my Master's in Education and Spanish Literature from Lehman College. I also have forty-five post-graduate credits in education from various colleges and universities of New York.

I've been teaching Spanish and ESL (English as a Second Language) since 1992. It's my passion. I love teaching, and I love young people. The years I have worked as a teacher have given me the opportunity to work with diverse populations from various ethnic, economic and social backgrounds. As a teacher, I have always been dedicated, with the desire to instill in my students the passion to be lifelong learners.

I am very excited to be part of the Research Triangle High School community. Moreover, I am eager to learn more about the flipped teaching program and how I can contribute to the school's overall success. I also feel privileged to be working with Mr. Grunden and his staff. I love his vision for the school and his dedication. I sincerely hope that this new school year will be a success for our students and us as educators.

Meet our faculty - Mrs. Mamie Hall, Social Studies

We are excited to share with you a little bit about our newest faculty member, Mrs. Mamie Hall.

Mamie Hall earned a B.A. in English Literature with minors in History and Secondary Education from The College of William and Mary in Virginia. Most recently, Mrs.Hall taught middle school in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School system for the past seven years. She is excited about working with RTHS students and helping them make a smooth transition into high school. Mrs. Hall is a National Board Certified teacher who has served as department chair, a mentor for beginning teachers, and a supervisor for pre-service teachers. She is passionate about not only providing the best possible education for her students, but also encouraging the next generation of  teachers. Mrs. Hall has been know to read multiple books at a time and has a particular affinity for historical fiction and biography. 

Meet our faculty - Mr. Ian Finley, English and Drama

We are excited to share with you a little bit about our newest faculty member, Mr. Ian Finley.

Ian Finley holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU (where he earned the Harry Kondoleon Award for Playwriting, 2002) and a BFA in acting from the University of Utah.  He has served as Director of Education for Burning Coal Theatre Company for eight years, where he expanded the program to bring hands-on experience with Shakespeare, playwriting and dramatic arts to thousands of students each year.

Mr. Finley is also an accomplished playwright, and currently serves as the 2012 Piedmont Laureate in the field of Playwriting and Screenwriting.  He is the author of several plays including Jude the Obscure - Parts 1 & 2, 1960, Green Square, Suspense, Giblet and the critically acclaimed Our Histories series of plays for Burning Coal Theatre Company.  His writing for digital media includes the award-winning Babel, Kaged and Klockwerk: The Shadow in the Cathedral. 

Mr. Finley has taught for fourteen years for the University of Utah's Youtheatre, Young Playwrights Inc. in New York, Southern Methodist University, and Burning Coal Theatre Company.  He is excited to begin teaching drama and English. 

Meet our faculty - Mrs. Tammy Darden, Exceptional Children

We are excited to share with you a little about our newest faculty member, Ms. Tammy Darden.

Mrs. Darden is joining Research Triangle High School from Wake County Public Schools, where she was the Special Service Teacher Assistant for five years. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Special Education from East Carolina University with a dual licensure in Special Education and Reading for grades K-12.  Mrs. Darden is licensed to teach general curriculum special education, in-class resource, cross-categorical resource and reading intervention, and she has an extensive background in all inclusive programs serving students in Pre-K through 12th grade.

Through her educational studies, she has become proficient in writing and implementing student's individual education plans, six-step lesson plans centered on student assessments, and designing classroom management plans.

She is very excited to be joining the team at RTHS this fall.

Meet our faculty - Ms. Valerie Cosimano, Math

We are excited to share with you a little about our newest faculty member, Ms. Valerie Cosimano.

Valerie Cosimano is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where she received a B.S. in mathematics. Due to the lack of an education school at the university, she worked through the rigorous mathematics curriculum that was expected of all math majors.  In addition, she also had the benefit of taking classes at Saint Mary's College to obtain certification in teaching mathematics.  Prior to switching to the mathematics program, Ms. Cosimano was a biochemistry major, which gave her an extensive science background.  
Ms. Cosimano is certified to teach mathematics in grades 6-12 in North Carolina.  She has had experience teaching all levels of mathematics (Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II/Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, and AP Calculus AB) and has worked with students in grades 6-12, including two years of full-time and one year of part-time teaching experience. She has worked at the Hunting Learning Center doing SAT prep, New York Regent's Exam prep, and subject tutoring.

Currently, Ms. Cosimano is completing her master's project on state testing.  She will complete her master's degree in mathematics education from Buffalo State College by the end of the summer of 2012. 

Meet our staff - Mrs. Mila Presutti, Office Manager

We are excited to share with you a little bit about our newest staff member, Ms. Mila Presutti.

Mila Presutti was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, and a BS in Business Administration from North Carolina Wesleyan College, (Rocky Mount, NC - RTP campus).  

She is trilingual, being fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, and English.  Prior to joining the RTHS staff, she worked as an Enrollment Specialist at the Center for International Enrollment (CIE) for Wake County Public School System (WCPSS).  Mrs. Presutti actively participated in the creation of the WCPSS's Center for International Enrollment from its inception. As part of WCPSS Central Office's administrative personnel, she supported schools, teachers, students, and the community.  Previously, Mrs. Presutti was a teacher at Fred Olds Elementary School, where she taught English as a Second Language (ESL) and Spanish.  She started her career in education as an ESL teacher assistant when her daughter first started school at Wiley International Magnet School.  Mrs. Presutti is a professional with a strong multicultural background, an expert in effective school administrative support, and a professional with a passion for education. 

Meet our staff - Ms. Nicole Wilson, Accountant

We are excited to share with you a little bit about our newest staff member, Ms. Nicole Wilson.

Nicole Wilson earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting, and a Master of Business Administrations summa cum laude from Campbell University.

Ms. Wilson is originally from Clinton, NC where she managed her family's business.  Ms. Wilson is excited to be moving to the Triangle area to serve as the finance officer at RTHS.

Mr. Grunden receives the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching

On June 11th, 2012, President Obama named 97 math and science teachers as recipients of the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. We are excited to announce that our very own Mr. Grunden was one of these 97 teachers.  He will receive his award in Washington, D.C. later this month from the president himself. 

Check out the official news release here.

Meet our staff - Mr. Daniel Eckert, IT

We are excited to share with you a little bit about our newest faculty member, Mr. Daniel Eckert.

Daniel Eckert is a Senior at North Carolina State University completing a B.S. degree in Computer Science with a minor in History.  He enjoys leveraging complementary experiences in web design, web application development, software design/development, network design/engineering, and information assurance, and he is excited to be working with RTHS to design and implement its information technology infrastructure.

Since graduating from Raleigh's William G. Enloe High School, Mr. Eckert has interleaved his studies with work for more than a dozen companies and organizations, including Iowa State University, SAS Institute, Cisco Systems, NC State University, Cigital, and most recently, Microsoft.  He also serves as a private consultant, helping individuals and organizations adopt and update information technology practices, and he develops HostedGroups, an online service that provides management tools for community service clubs and organizations.  He currently holds a CCNA certification from Cisco Systems and plans to complete the CCNP and CCDP certifications in 2013.

As an avid volunteer, Mr. Eckert enjoys contributing his time to student groups and non-profit organizations to help them realize increased efficiency and efficacy in their operations.  Outside of the IT realm, he often volunteers as a backstage technician and production staff member for shows at Raleigh Little Theatre, where he also serves on the Board of Directors.

Meet our faculty - Mrs. Melissa Young Gresham, Math

We are excited to share with you a little bit about our newest faculty member, Ms. Melissa Young Gresham.

Melissa Young Gresham is joining the RTHS team from The Early College at Guilford in Greensboro, NC.  Mrs. Gresham is originally from Garner, NC and is excited to be back in the Triangle area.

Ms. Gresham is a certified high school math teacher with a Bachelor of Science Degree summa cum laude in Mathematics and Secondary Education from North Carolina A&T State University. Mrs. Gresham's other accolades include being a graduate of the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program and holding a certification in Academically and Intellectually Gifted instruction. 

Mrs. Gresham has spent the past four years teaching Honors Geometry, Honors Algebra II, and Honors Pre-Calculus at The Early College at Guilford.  In addition to teaching, she served as the student council adviser and varsity cheerleading coach.

Mrs. Gresham has a lot of energy and enthusiasm that she cannot wait to bring to RTHS and the math department!

Meet our faculty - Mr. William (Bill) Massey, Visual Arts

We are excited to share with you a little bit about our newest faculty member, Bill Massey.

I grew up on a small farm in Northampton County where, beginning at age six, I was reared by my paternal grandmother.  I tell you that because there is not better preparation for life than hard work on a farm, and the guiding influence of a wise and caring grandparent.  Though a native North Carolinian, I lived and worked all over the world in my former corporate career in which I held marketing executive positions with IBM, Exxon, Sheraton, and GE. 

My interest in visual art was sparked while serving as Chief Operating Officer for a large advertising agency in Boston, MA, prompting me to attend the Massachusetts College of Art and North Carolina State University's College of Art and Design where I obtained a bachelor of arts degree.

Combining my business experience with my art education, I subsequently held creative director positions with prominent advertising agencies in Boston, MA, Denver, CO, and Raleigh, NC.

My passion for teaching was ignited when I conducted a series of seminars on the role of art and design in business.  Thus inspired, I obtained a North Carolina K-12 visual arts teaching certification and taught middle school art and AVID in Granville County, where I was a Teacher of the Year in 2009.  

In addition to my educational pursuits at NC State and Mass Art, and in my ongoing quest to constantly learn as I teach, I have taken numerous art or education classes at Barton College, Campbell University, and North Carolina Central University.  

Now, armed with all that I am and all that I know, I enthusiastically embark, with my fellow faculty members at RTHS, upon this journey into the minds and lives of our students, and with our students into their futures. 

Meet our faculty - Mrs. Deborah Brown, English

We are excited to share with you a little bit about our newest faculty member, Mrs. Deborah Brown.

Deborah Brown comes to RTHS from her position as English Department Chair at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School. Mrs. Brown is a National Board Certified Teacher with a Master’s Degree summa cum laude from Syracuse University. She holds four teaching licenses in secondary and middle school English, Speech Communications, and Theater Arts and has over 20 years of teaching experience, including time teaching in New York and Boston, and more locally at Green Hope High School in Wake County. 

Her specialties include Speech and Debate and student journalism, and she has coached Debate teams, Mock Trial Teams and Drama performances to competitions at the local, regional, state and even national levels. She is trained in the New Tech model of Project Based Learning and is one of the original facilitators for the iLead 21 leadership development course, piloting the first national model and serving as a consultant and contributor to writing the advanced levels of the program. She has been a presenter at county and state conferences on topics such as student leadership in the classroom and using social grouping to encourage closer textual readings. Her projects and writings have been published on national platforms, including DailyKos and The Huffington Post. Mrs. Brown has been honored as a teacher-of-the-year nominee at the school level and was named a North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching Scholar in Residence. She is looking forward to many “firsts” at RTHS—first yearbook, first newspaper, first debate team, and more, and is excited to work with a great community of students, parents, and colleagues in this shared vision of a new way to “do school.”

Meet our faculty - Mr. Richard Jowers, PE and Health

We are excited to share with you a little bit about our newest faculty member, Mr. Richard Jowers. 

My name is Richard Jowers. I received my degree in Health and Physical Education K-12 with a minor in coaching from Elizabeth City State University. During my years at Elizabeth City State, I earned three letters while on the football team. I also have held positions on campus such as the president of my fraternity, Omega Psi Phi Inc., as well as serving as a campus photographer for sports and activities. My coaching experience includes coaching football for the 2010 state championship runner-ups 2AA Northeastern High School and the 2011 CIAA Runner ups Division 2 Elizabeth City State University. My basketball coaching experience ranges from high school to AAU girls and boys teams for almost four years.

I have a background in many sports from basketball to tennis. I attended four high schools between Virginia and North Carolina so I believe I have a good understanding of the different demographics, culture and politics. I have a background as a rehabilitation technician and working with mentally and physically disabled children. I have many different certifications such as NCI (North Carolina Intervention), CPR and even Photoshop/Adobe series.

I believe that I can offer RTHS leadership, group cooperation and initiative. I offer students a wealth of knowledge beyond the classroom that will help them in life. I also believe that I have the ability to engage all students and make them value education. I don’t believe I can change the world, but I believe I can help our children do so.

Meet our faculty - Dr. Lara Pacifici, Biology

We are excited to share with you a little bit about our newest faculty member, Dr. Lara Pacifici.

Dr. Lara Pacifici earned a B.S. in Environmental and Forest Biology from SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry, a M.S. in Wildlife Biology from Auburn University, and a Ph.D. in Science Education from the University of Georgia. She has worked on wildlife research projects, including dolphin and gray whale behavioral studies in San Diego, deer and small mammal tracking in the Adirondacks, and black bear habitat and population analyses in Pisgah National Forest. Dr. Pacifici taught biology at Raleigh Charter High School from 2004 to 2007. She was the assistant women’s soccer coach, Student Government co-advisor, and Science Olympiad assistant coach at Raleigh Charter. Research experiences played an important role in Dr. Pacifici’s understanding of science, so when she returned to graduate school in 2007, her doctoral research focused on the expectations and outcomes of undergraduates’ experiences participating in science research. After earning her doctorate, she worked as an Assistant Professor of Biology Education at Kennesaw State University in Georgia from 2010 to 2011. Dr. Pacifici and her family moved back to Raleigh in August of 2011. Since then, she has worked for North Carolina State University as a supervisor for student teachers.   

Meet our faculty - Dr. Amanda Marvelle, Biology and 21st Century Media

We are excited to share with you a little bit about our newest faculty member, Dr. Amanda Marvelle.

Dr. Amanda Marvelle earned her B.S. in Biology with an emphasis in computational science from Wofford College in 2003. Prior to her graduate studies, Dr. Marvelle researched the genetics of pheochromocytoma at the National Institute of Child and Human Development, National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD as a Post-baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow. In 2010, Dr. Marvelle received her Ph.D. in Genetics and Molecular Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill under the direction of Dr. Karen Mohlke. Her research focused on the Genetics of Obesity-related Traits and Lipoproteins in Filipino Women. Dr. Marvelle has ten published peer-reviewed articles (née Nave) and was awarded the University of North Carolina Integrative Vascular Biology Predoctoral Fellowship and the Sarah Graham Kenan and Hobgood Edwards Dissertation Fellowship.  

Dr. Marvelle is currently the Education Director and High School Development Project Manager for the Contemporary Science Center and Research Triangle High School (RTHS). She teaches both day-long inquiry-based field studies as well as a biology lab for homeschooled students.  In addition, she coordinates and manages aspects of opening RTHS. Dr. Marvelle has an extensive background in science education; Most notably, she was an integral part of establishing North Carolina DNA Day and has taught students from elementary to adult in a range of science topics. She loves teaching and science! 

Meet our faculty - Mr. Alex Drake, History

We are excited to share with you a little bit about our newest faculty member, Mr. Alex Drake.

Mr. Alex Drake earned a B.A. in History and Secondary Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2005, and will complete work on his M.Ed. in higher education administration at Auburn University in May of 2012.  From 2005 to 2010, he was a social studies teacher at Robinson High School in Concord, N.C., where he taught U.S. History, AP U.S. History, Civics and Economics, and World History.  While at Robinson he also coached the quiz bowl team and was the Social Studies Department's representative on the School Improvement Team.  He was a finalist for Robinson's Teacher of the Year Award in 2010 and was a nominee for the UNC-Charlotte Beginning Teacher Award in 2008.  An avid trivia enthusiast, Mr. Drake was a contestant on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" in 2008. Mr. Grunden was his phone-a-friend lifeline and helped him answer the $4,000 question.  He also has an interest in athletics and has worked part-time for the Kannapolis Intimidators minor league baseball team as well as the athletic departments at UNC- Charlotte and Auburn. 

In which we respond to the media craziness

There has been a lot of public discussion this week about charter schools in NC and their role in our public education system. Parents of the 33,000 students in NC charter schools may consider them primarily as a choice that allows their children to have an educational environment that better matches their families’ values and students’ needs.

Research Triangle High School (RTHS), a proposed charter school awaiting approval in March, is one new option on the horizon. The Charter Advisory Council, established by the State Board of Education with a majority of Gubernatorial appointees, delivered a recommendation for RTHS’ approval as a new Fast Track school with a unanimous vote in December. RTHS sees the lifting of the charter cap as more than a new option, though. It is an opportunity for a team of people with deep experience from the Contemporary Science Center and some of the Triangle’s strongest schools, both charter and regular, to push innovation in ways that schools cannot. The autonomy and flexibility which charters have been given by the General Assembly allow charters to be unique tools for driving innovation, which benefit the entire public education system. Nationally this has very much been the case. For instance, from KIPP charter schools we have learned the benefits of Extended Learning Time, implemented now at Lowes Grove and Neal Middle Schools in Durham. From High Tech High charters in San Diego we have seen how whole-school models of Problem-Based Learning can raise achievement for a very diverse population of kids, now being implemented in many of our New Schools Project schools.

Research Triangle High School has chosen this focus of driving innovation as its mission. Contrary to public misunderstandings, RTHS plans to offer a unique high school experience to young people from across the Triangle who reflect the great diversity we have in our region in race, nationality, economic background and gender. We are very specifically targeting students in the great middle of achievement – from those who may be a year behind as they enter ninth  grade to those who are a year ahead. At 420 students, working with less than one half of one percent of the teenaged population of any surrounding county, the school will be developing and sharing innovations with public school teachers, students and schools across the state. RTHS plans to open a school that uses the talent and resources of Research Triangle industry as a ‘living museum’ for education, and blend that with local expertise in digital media. RTHS students will learn from a blend of digital materials and hands-on experiences - chosen to enable ‘open sourcing’ of all that we will teach. In-depth experiences with Triangle scientists, engineers and IT specialists will go online, for access by distant teachers and students. Rural and urban teachers will be invited for intense residencies, to learn side by side with our faculty. Educators and visitors will be hosted at workshops and seminars, both locally and virtually. RTHS will be a place where students from a broad background can learn in ways that are truly reflective of our 21^st century workplace. And it will be a partner in sharing that learning across North Carolina.

Charter schools are unique options for families and their kids. And as students switch schools either for choice or family moves, school funding dollars follow all our students wherever they enroll. At Research Triangle High School we are excited to have the support of the many companies and institutions that have supported our plans thus far. But we can do more. By working five to ten years ahead with the newest models, by being the first to take a chance on innovations, charter schools can move the needle on achievement for all children and young people in our entire public education system. That is the mission we have at Research Triangle High School.

A Day in the Life of an RTHS Student

Howard is up early, just like every morning. He can’t complain; it’s only a thirty-five minute bus ride to Research Triangle High School. Some of his neighbors have an even longer bus ride to their base schools, and they don’t have WiFi on their buses like he does. Howard catches the Triangle Transit Authority bus from a grocery store parking lot in West Raleigh every day, which drops him right at RTHS with an hour to spare before his first class.

Once on the bus he takes out his tablet and connects to his playlist. His chemistry teacher has suggested a video and a slide deck that two other teachers have produced to help him learn how to draw organic chemical structures. Last night he watched his teacher’s introductory video, commented on it, and tried his homework. Simple straight chains are easy, but he still isn’t confident with functional groups. The video is short, and knows that he can always use the drawing utility he has downloaded to try drawing structures. The program can name the structure he draws, and tell him if he drew it correctly. He opens his notebook and the slide deck and listens to another teacher’s lecture. Within a few minutes he is sure he can recognize an ether molecule and is able to answer the questions on the practice sheet his teacher handed out at the end of class yesterday.

A short walk from the bus station gets Howard to school, which is open early every day. There aren’t many other students here yet, so there are plenty of empty chairs in the gallery. He usually spends this hour before school finishing homework. It’s great to have that time at school because there is always a teacher in the gallery for help. With chemistry out of the way, his tablet can become his book for English class. His assignment is to post three questions about the reading to the class’ Google document to discuss the next day. He likes this assignment because he gets his questions answered and doesn’t have to worry about volunteering to ask them himself, unless the question is a good one—then he’ll take credit for it.

Off to first period: Government and Politics. He is part of a small group producing a campaign commercial for a made-up local government candidate. They have finished researching the laws concerning campaign ads and are planning theirs. They will shoot the video next week and edit it in time for next Friday’s due date. Part of the assignment is to find and critique four ads on the Internet. Each group member has already found one, and today they are showing them to each other and discussing them. Their teacher spends a few minutes with each group checking and grading their progress. They have checkpoints to meet at certain places in the project’s life cycle as well as a final grade.

Second period is English. Luckily he has finished the reading, as his teacher gives a reading quiz. It isn’t difficult, but just another progress check. The class discussion is lively, and the teacher and his classmates answer his questions about the reading during class.

Third period is his study hall time. Study hall is different at RTHS than at other schools. Rather than quietly sitting at a desk, students migrate to the gallery or to one of several small groups of couches and chairs in corners and hallways all over the school. A teacher is always present at one of the designated study areas (DSA) to take attendance, so students have to find a group with a teacher and check in. The groups stay pretty constant all year as students sit with friends or classmates in similar classes. The teachers are there for help and to keep the period productive, but students are allowed to talk quietly and work together. Students do homework, watch class videos (with earbuds), or read for fun, as long as it’s productive. Gaming and Facebook have to wait.

Fourth period is Howard’s music class, his favorite class. He is studying music composition and production. He and his fellow students use sequencing software to compose and produce music during class. Each student sits with headphones on, editing samples and layering tracks. His teacher spends time with each student, jacking his own headset in to hear what students are working on. It is nice not having to lug around a trumpet to make music. Later in the year his class will upload the tracks for release to the Internet as well as putting on a show for parents.

After lunch he still has geometry, Spanish, and chemistry. Chemistry is work in the lab, making esters. It is nice to do something hands-on after so much computer work all day. He doesn’t mind working on his tablet, and it is nice to be able take all of his work with him anywhere he goes. Spanish is language lab practice, which gives him the time to practice speaking with as well as listening to native speakers his class chats with over the web. By the end of the day, Howard has a new set of sources for his playlist and a few more homework assignments, but he knows his teachers will be ‘going home’ with him, virtually, and tomorrow he will be back in front of them with time to practice what he watched and simulated the night before. He and his friends will be chatting and posting tonight as well. With all the help he can get at just about any time, he realizes, the school day doesn’t really end.