School Views: Lost and found at Red Canyon High School
School Views
Eagle County School District is committed to meeting the diverse needs of our valley’s students. We understand that at times, a traditional school can leave some students feeling “lost” on their educational journey, no matter the resources and interventions. But we also understand the transformative power of being found and seen for who you are. This is why alternative schools like Red Canyon High School (RCHS) play such a vital role in our community.
I have spent the better part of the last 30 years of my life in alternative schools like Red Canyon High School. The students who attend them are some of the best our community has to offer. They are there not because they are bad, but because they have simply fallen through the cracks. There are a myriad of reasons traditional schooling doesn’t work for everyone, whether working a job or helping around the house, but Red Canyon works because teachers have the independence to create a meaningful curriculum that connects with students’ lived experience. Stay long enough and you will understand what Mark Twain meant when he said, “I never let my schooling interfere with my education.”
Red Canyon High School has a capacity for connectedness that is obvious the second you walk through the door. During my first visit, I noticed a bulletin board advertising unique courses like Ski Conditioning, Fail Army Physics, the Economics of Crime, and Adulting 101. Nearby, a student sat waiting for the bus. They shared that the best part of the school was “THE TEACHERS!” before bolting for the door. In a school of roughly 80 students, it’s hard for kids to get lost; we focus on positive teacher-student connections and thoughtfully designed classes, which form the bedrock of students’ path to graduation. We also work to support our students along the way. Because our school is the home of the Dragons, we have regular meetings we refer to as “Thunders” where students check in with each other and their teachers. These sessions help keep students accountable and motivated in their learning.
RCHS is effective because it adapts learning to meet students where they are and with what they need to be successful. Instead of semester-long classes, the schedule is divided into eight, four-week “Octers.” This prevents students from becoming buried under heavy workloads and allows teachers to design creative, project-based classes that create a more engaging learning experience and combat issues like burnout or boredom. These classes are firmly rooted in the same standards as a traditional high school, but offer a unique experience for those tired of textbooks and note-taking. This structure also provides the opportunity for credit recovery, helping students get back and stay on track. Additionally, RCHS students have the opportunity to earn credit through working part-time jobs.
Step inside RCHS and you won’t find chaos or a magic solution to the challenges facing education in today’s day and age. What you will find is a science teacher demonstrating intermolecular forces with a mason jar, an English class using modern documentary and dramatic films that push the boundaries of a typical classroom to explore justice and racism, and students learning about brain plasticity by juggling. Red Canyon is more than just a school, it is a place where students from all walks of life can call home, where you don’t have to conform but where we encourage you to be just who you are.
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As former Red Canyon principal and teacher Troy Dudley has often said, traditional schools require students to adapt to the school. However, Red Canyon figured out long ago that some learners are better served when the school adapts to them. When schools meet their students where they are, it not only reconnects them with a path to a diploma, but it also gives students who were once lost the powerful experience of being found.
Brian Wood is the assistant principal at Red Canyon High School.
