ASD recently decided to ignore the numbers provided by the PARCC exams, the ACT, and CMAS tests, in order to ensure students enjoy their high school experience.
Usually the second week in March is allotted to standardized testing; however, this year students will spend that week traveling to Crestone for a meditative yoga experience in an effort to bring down levels of stress.
“I think traveling to Crestone will be fun for the students, which is important considering in high school there are few opportunities for fun,” Superintendent Mohn Jaloy said. “Our high school has been number one in Colorado before, and after a calming experience I had recently on Ski Day, I realized we don’t need to worry about numbers. We just need to calm down and start focusing our energy towards happiness. People need to stop being inside for hours doing homework and get outdoors!”
Last year the Board of Education required all students in non-AP or IB math classes to take math every day.
“It was an interesting experiment,” school board member Bob Marolierce said. “We found that some students don’t like math all that much, so this year we were just thinking how crazy of us to require students to do something they don’t like!”
College Counselor Yhtak Gulk has also moved her focus off the numbers, and has started encouraging students to follow their passions instead of attending college.
“I used to spend all my time worrying about students and whether or not people were getting into top tier schools,” Gulk said. “But now my perspective has changed and I don’t want students spending afternoon after afternoon in the seminar room or weeks writing college essays. I want them to find something like rock climbing or ski bumming and pursue it passionately.”
The high school will also expand ExEd into a two-week program, and start dedicating Mondays to de-stress days where students are encouraged to get outdoors and experience Aspen.
“In the past we have had far too many five day weeks; last year we had four in total,” Jaloy said. “Hopefully this way students will be less stressed and they can make sure they are fully having a fun high school experience.”