‘Freshman House’ groups students into teams
For the first time, Healdsburg High School has taken the entire freshman class and divided them into two groups of 80 students each, known as a “House.” Every freshman is assigned to a specific group of teachers for English, Science and Freshman Seminar. Thus, there are two groups of teachers who will each have their own House of freshmen. This is known as the Freshman House.
Principal Chris Vanden Heuvel describes the Freshman House as “a small learning community.”
“We wanted to have teachers be able to really focus in a team on a group of students and be able to integrate their curriculum,” Vanden Heuvel said. “The end goal is to build community and create a structure in which teachers and students can have stronger relationships.”
A key aspect in strengthening student-teacher relations is that the teachers have a common prep time where they can get together and talk about how they can integrate instruction between the classes, and discuss the students in their classes.
“We talked for a long time as a school and as a district about the best ways to do education and we went and visited certain places and saw where student cores or communities were done and the power that they can have in building relationships and integrating instruction,” Vanden Heuvel said. “We wanted to get away from the hundred plus year old high school model and start doing things in a way that made sense for the 21st century and that was better for kids.”
Dennis Ojeda-Jones, who teaches English in the Freshmen House, said that the new program leaves behind the old way of teaching high school, and allows for teachers to work together to support students, as well as advance their own understanding on how students work together.
“It’s a vibrant and great change,” Ojeda-Jones said. “We’re heading in a progressive direction that will serve the needs of the kids best.”
The program includes community-building activities, such as field trips and an outdoor education component, like a ropes course that will take place in September. Students are also given the option of signing up for “House Help,” tutoring which students can participate in during lunch or after school, depending on the day.
Another part of the program is a new class called Freshman Seminar. The class is designed to prepare students for high school and “instill the 21st Century skills that they will need throughout their educations and into their careers,” Vanden Heuvel said.
Students will learn time management, research and study strategies, technological literacy and digital citizenship, as well as social and emotional skills. They will also be schooled in investigating career options, creating digital portfolios, giving effective presentations and being prepared for life after high school.
“Finally, they will all be guided through the high school and college planning process, creating six-year plans that will help them set goals for themselves well beyond high school,” Vanden Heuvel said.
Liz Deichler teaches Freshmen Seminar. She said that students are excited about the support in seminar. Deichler checks in with her students about their homework load and they have time to form study groups and get help from her.
“It’s not just ‘Go over there and work,’ it’s ‘Why don’t we all help each other finish things together?’ and they’ve really responded well,’” Deichler said.
Vanden Heuvel said that feedback from the freshmen on Freshman House has been positive.
“The kids don’t know what to expect, so it’s all new to them,” he said.
Sure enough, freshman Adele Biehl said that since it’s her first year in high school, she doesn’t have anything to compare Freshmen House to, but she enjoys the program.
“I like having the same people in the same classes because I get to know them better,” Biehl said.
Other schools have been successful in implementing the program through the entire high school, and Healdsburg could be next.
“This is our first step in and we are looking at ways that we can do similar things throughout the whole school, that’s for the future and nothing is pre-determined or set in stone yet,” Vanden Heuvel said.
