Speedway High

My project called Speedway High School was a small group effort with Warren Mills, Will Wilson, Pam Kramer and Nureka Smith in Dr. Brown’s EDU 512 class called Teaching in the Secondary School. This project’s work I think best represents my improvement in valuing/affirming human dignity and expanding human relations skills in that the assignment was given to build the school of our dreams that upheld all we studied in the class that was best for high school students. In that endeavor our group wanted to create a school that fixed the problems that already existed in the typical high school. 

As we designed we thought of valuing/affirming human dignity issues that we felt like we could not personally fix at our own school and how to address those in the school of our dreams. So that the school cares for all students, we address class size so that each student’s need was easier to meet. The more intimate atmosphere creates better student/faculty interaction and helps the teachers be able to reach their students. Individual care and a child-centered perspective is our goal as we addressed ways to meet underclassmen needs verses upperclassmen needs. Our students are organized into two groups; freshmen and sophomores are in the Silver Cup Series and the juniors and seniors are in the Gold Cup Series.  Each team works on issues and concerns for their age students. Students are placed in interdisciplinary teams of teachers that all share the same group of students. Teams will meet weekly to discuss student issues and concerns with the administrator. Students stay with their team for two years so they get to know the student as an individual.  A counseling program will also be in place to address needs that the teachers cannot address. This program goes beyond the responsibilities of the typical school counselor.  This program will pull out students so they can have the opportunity to talk to a social worker, a psychologist, a dietician, a nurse or a counselor about any school or personal problem that they might be encountering.  Students also have an Individual Education Plan that will be reviewed by a small group of staff that acts as their advisor to uphold the value we put in care for all students. The school also places all students in college-prep classes reaffirming the belief that all students can learn and a promotion requirement that each student will have an average of a C or better in all classes. 

Human relation skills are also a part of our design at Speedway High.  To help ensure we had a multicultural global perspective we set up our ideal school with a student population that would be 23% of the student population will be white.; 23% of the student population will be black; 23% of the student population will be Hispanic; 23% of the student population will be Asian and 8% of the student population will be other. We understood as students that in reality it would be difficult to achieve this idea but Dr. Brown asked us to design the ideal school. To combat problems and to ensure that everyone was sensitive to diverse perspectives and cultures we created the Human Rights Squad.  This council is made of 50 students, who are in charge of dealing with student issues of equality.  The students are appointed on this squad by the administration, faculty, and peers.  This council deals with equality issues of race and gender.  This squad will ensure that Title Nine issues and concerns are met.  

Speedway High also understands the importance of a collaborative community. To affirm and teach that belief to each student is required to perform 15 hours of service learning to be promoted to the next grade. Each teacher will be given a project and a group of students to monitor and so they can be involved in the service to the community. Community involvement is also addressed in the school’s sponsorship. Like NASCAR, our school plans on using the help of corporate sponsorship in order to operate at maximum efficiency.  This will enhance the school in several ways.  It will allow the school to interact directly with the community.  It will also minimize the budget strains that plague many schools and lessen the tax load on the community.  Finally, this cooperation between school and community will enrich the learning process of the student. View Speedway High School.