Welcome Message from the Principal

Welcome to the High School & Collegiate Institute at Prospect Hill Academy, where we work with our oldest students  and their families to meet PHA’s mission of preparing each student for success in college, inspiring a lifelong love of learning, and fostering responsible citizenship.

 

Instruction in all content areas of the high school is student-centered, anti-racist and grounded in authentic and engaging projects.  Anti-racist instruction means believing that all students can access and engage in rigorous and complex thinking and can produce high-quality work. We also believe that anti-racist instruction means cultivating student identity, criticality, and agency by providing learning opportunities that allow students to learn deeply about themselves and their communities and empowers them to take action. We believe that collaboration is an essential skill for success after middle and high school and that learning does not have to flow through the teacher. Learning experiences are more powerful and valuable when they are co-constructed and incorporate a variety of perspectives. Students are provided with regular opportunities to reflect and self-assess that empower them to take ownership of their learning.

 

At the High School, we have three distinct programs. When students enter high school they are part of the 9th Grade Academy, where we provide a strong foundation in core literacy and math skills by keeping our ELA and math classes as small as possible and engaging students in interdisciplinary learning and projects. We focus on supporting the development of the academic skills and habits of learning that will be essential as students progress through high school. Each student has an Advisor and a small Advisory group allowing us to provide the support and guidance that they need as they transition from middle to high school.

 

In 10th grade, our students build on those foundational skills as we increase the rigor and academic expectations.  In addition to math, English, science, world language, and social studies, all 10th graders also take their first  Advanced Placement course; AP Computer Science Principles. We require this class because we believe that every student should have access to both computer science courses in this century as well as access to AP courses. In their Advisory groups, students begin their college and career readiness journey with specific programming led by our College Counseling Team that guides them through early envisioning of their post-secondary lives.

 

As students transition into the Collegiate Institute (grades 11 and 12) they are given much more choice and independence to select courses that appeal to them and to manage their own time and learning. There are several courses in both STEM and Humanities for them to choose from, including 10 additional AP classes.

 

We are also dedicated to educating and supporting both students and their families through the college and financial aid application process. All students take a College and Career Readiness class in both years of the Collegiate Institute and families are provided with unprecedented individualized support from their student's college counselor. We are very proud to prioritize this work and boast that each college counselor has a caseload of only 25-30 students each year.

 

We are also very proud of our focus on relationship development, restorative practices and meeting each student where they are. We strive to ensure that our students graduate with the habits, skills, and knowledge that they need to transition into and succeed in college, as well as in all of their future endeavors.