By Julie Benson
Special to the Bellevue Reporter
Ian Weare isn’t your typical ninth grader. Conversations in the car revolve around philosophy or quantum physics rather than soccer or school dances.
He finds himself feeling disconnected in a traditional classroom and craves relevant learning where he can make connections between what he learns in the classroom and the real world.
Ian’s mother, Mandy Weare, worried about him getting lost in the shuffle and becoming disengaged at a traditional high school. Fortunately, a year-long process by Bellevue School District has resulted in the creation of exactly the right environment for Ian and 124 other students: The Bellevue Big Picture School.
Ian will be starting this fall at the innovative new school at the former Robinswood campus. Based on principles successfully implemented at more than 130 schools around the world, Bellevue Big Picture provides a smaller, more personalized learning environment than traditional schools, with a focus on real-world work and community engagement.
Seventy-five sixth graders and 50 ninth graders will start at the school this fall, with new sixth and ninth grade classes being added each year until the school eventually serves grades six through 12.
Teachers will work with the same group of students for multiple years. “Because of knowing the students well, they will be able to tailor and differentiate instruction more easily,” said Principal Bethany Spinler. “It will be a lot easier to guide and direct students deliberately.”
Bellevue Big Picture students will complete a comprehensive college-preparatory curriculum. Students in their junior and senior years will be encouraged to enroll in Running Start courses for college credit. “The curriculum is still rigorous and there are high expectations. This just redefines what rigor looks like,” Spinler said.
Partnerships with businesses and community organizations are essential, she noted. Experts will partner with teachers in the classroom, serving as guest speakers, evaluating student work related to their fields, and assisting with the implementation of project-based units. The focus on real-world work serves as a means to make learning engaging and relevant.
Project-based learning also reaches outside the classroom. High school students will spend two days each week in an internship, working on projects that benefit the organization and connect to the student’s learning goals.
A community partnership coordinator at the school will develop and support partnerships with post-secondary organizations, non-profits, businesses and professional organizations.
The coordinator will serve as a liaison between the school and the Bellevue Business Advisory Board being established by Bill Pollard, Bellevue Schools Foundation trustee. The board will work closely with the school to identify opportunities for partnership with Bellevue businesses.
Spinler describes the school as being “a good fit for kids really looking to engage in their own learning and feeling empowered to make decisions about it.”
Ian is looking forward to the chance to explore his interest in computer science. He can see himself as a leader at a video game company, programming games like the ones he now plays. The Bellevue Big Picture School might just help him do that much sooner than he previously thought possible.
Julie Benson is a member of the Bellevue Schools Foundation
