Harry S. Truman High School (Federal Way)
Encyclopedia
Harry S. Truman High School is a high school
in Federal Way, Washington
, United States
.
Students are known well by the teachers, mentors, and each other. The students/teacher ratio is 20:1. At Truman high school it is believed that learning occurs best when students feel connected to what they are doing. Advisors are responsible for ensuring that students learn a wide range of skills and take part in rigorous endeavors. Students learn from real jobs and solving real problems with real outcomes and real products that matter to the community. The Internship program is used to help students experience working side by side with adults in the work place. Student work is collected in a portfolio for a long-term assessment. Truman does not run on credits but, instead by state standards. The diversity of people, cultures, experience and curricula are vital elements in educational process.
Supporting students as they discover the world and their passions through an authentic experience is one of the ways Truman sets itself apart from the traditional alternative school. However, a junior or senior is expected to take risks into worlds that are less familiar and intellectually challenging. Students in Level 2 should be testing the inquiry skills they have been honing in Socratic Seminar and leadership skills they have learned in their multi-age classrooms.
Truman High School has three academies:
The design was recognized as a finalist for the 2003 CEFPI
James D. MacConnell Award for Excellence in School Design.
The school shares a campus with the Federal Way Head Start facility, the Truman Garden, and the EX3 Ron Sandwith Teen Center (Boys and Girls Clubs of King County)
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Federal Way, Washington
Federal Way, Washington
Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, United States. Federal Way is located between Seattle and Tacoma. Its western boundary is Puget Sound. It is bordered by Des Moines on the north, Kent, unincorporated King County, and Milton on the east and Tacoma and Fife on the south...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Truman Today
Truman High School has recently changed its face and improved its reputation.Federal Way, WA now looks at Truman in a new light. With the addition of the Pro Start culinary program and the several Museum nights conducted by Truman's own science teacher, Dawn Brown,the community of Federal Way now sees Truman as a respected alternative school and almost all misconceptions about the higschool have been shattered. Evidence of this was seen at the graduation of the 2010 class when former Superintenant of Federal Way Public Schools, Tom Murphy, said,"Truman should be the model school for the rest of the schools in the district." This recent change in Truman's reputation has opened the door to new programs and opportunities for students such as the community garden project that will be on trumans campus starting at the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year.Establishment
The school as it is today was established in 2001 giving birth to the slogan "Making dreams happen... one student at a time". The Foundation provided funds for staff development and support to redesign the school into small learning communities by implementing strategies that exhibit the attributes of high achieving schools.Students are known well by the teachers, mentors, and each other. The students/teacher ratio is 20:1. At Truman high school it is believed that learning occurs best when students feel connected to what they are doing. Advisors are responsible for ensuring that students learn a wide range of skills and take part in rigorous endeavors. Students learn from real jobs and solving real problems with real outcomes and real products that matter to the community. The Internship program is used to help students experience working side by side with adults in the work place. Student work is collected in a portfolio for a long-term assessment. Truman does not run on credits but, instead by state standards. The diversity of people, cultures, experience and curricula are vital elements in educational process.
Truman Features
- Modified School Calendar
- Ability to take online courses through the Internet AcademyInternet AcademyThe Internet Academy is a public virtual school a part of Federal Way Public Schools, approved by the Northwest Accreditation Commission and open to all students in grades K-12....
- Family Involvement
- Individual Learning plan
- Authentic project assessments
- Rigorous academic standards
- College Prep and Planning
- Building and celebrating a diverse community
- Respect for multiculturalism
- Parent involvement in student work
- Support for parents
- Level 1 (freshman and sophomores) & Level 2 (juniors and seniors)
Supporting students as they discover the world and their passions through an authentic experience is one of the ways Truman sets itself apart from the traditional alternative school. However, a junior or senior is expected to take risks into worlds that are less familiar and intellectually challenging. Students in Level 2 should be testing the inquiry skills they have been honing in Socratic Seminar and leadership skills they have learned in their multi-age classrooms.
Truman High School has three academies:
- The Internet Academy
- Career Academy
- International Academy
Facilities
The 23,300 SF building was designed for two semi-independent schools that accommodate 100 students each within an adaptable shell. Large multi-purpose areas for social interaction reinforce a sense of school community. Individual student workstations facilitate personalized activities and project-based learning. The school was designed to serve at-risk students, often one step from dropping out of school, through supporting small learning communities which reinforce personal connections within an open environment. Photos of the facility can be viewed at the architect's website.The design was recognized as a finalist for the 2003 CEFPI
Council of Educational Facilities Planners International
The Council of Educational Facility Planners International is a non-profit association of a diverse, worldwide group of individuals interested in the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of schools and higher educations facilities...
James D. MacConnell Award for Excellence in School Design.
The school shares a campus with the Federal Way Head Start facility, the Truman Garden, and the EX3 Ron Sandwith Teen Center (Boys and Girls Clubs of King County)