Renaissance School of Art and Reasoning (Sammamish, Washington)
Encyclopedia
Renaissance School of Art and Reasoning is a public
middle school
located in Sammamish
, King County, Washington
, USA
. It is a choice school operating in the Lake Washington School District
. Renaissance, located on the campus of Eastlake High School
, has an arts-based curriculum and a maximum enrollment of 90 students, 30 in each grade. Renaissance accepts student applications from all grade schools in Lake Washington School District, but as there are currently many more applications than there are available spaces at the school, all incoming seventh grade students are chosen by random drawing.
and performing arts
. The learning environment is one of "artistry, rigor and warmth," and students are encouraged to take multiple approaches and perspectives as they learn to think and act for themselves. The school's total enrollment is deliberately kept small, encouraging teachers and students to get to know each other well.
Renaissance has a four-pronged approach to student learning and achievement:
and contributing to the greater community of which one is a part. Students and their parents are expected to find ways to improve the community in which they live. In addition to school fees, parents agree to volunteer their time and talents to help the school for a set number of hours every school year. Students are given an early-out day each Wednesday, with the expectation that they will use some of this extra time to complete a long-term volunteer project.
Public education
State schools, also known in the United States and Canada as public schools,In much of the Commonwealth, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, the terms 'public education', 'public school' and 'independent school' are used for private schools, that is, schools...
middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
located in Sammamish
Sammamish, Washington
-Surrounding cities and communities:-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 34,104 people, 11,131 households, and 9,650 families residing in the city. In 2007, the population is expected to pass 40,000....
, King County, Washington
King County, Washington
King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is a choice school operating in the Lake Washington School District
Lake Washington School District
The Lake Washington School District #414 is a public school district in King County, Washington. it is the fifth-largest school district in Washington. It serves the region to the east of Lake Washington, one of the wealthiest in the Puget Sound area...
. Renaissance, located on the campus of Eastlake High School
Eastlake High School (Sammamish, Washington)
Eastlake High School is a public high school located in Sammamish, Washington in the United States. The school serves students in grades 10-12 as part of the Lake Washington School District...
, has an arts-based curriculum and a maximum enrollment of 90 students, 30 in each grade. Renaissance accepts student applications from all grade schools in Lake Washington School District, but as there are currently many more applications than there are available spaces at the school, all incoming seventh grade students are chosen by random drawing.
History
Renaissance was founded in 2006 by teachers who wanted to create a supportive but challenging academic environment for junior high age students. The school held its first commencement for its graduating ninth grade students in June 2009.Curriculum
The Renaissance curriculum is based strongly in the visualVisual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
and performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
. The learning environment is one of "artistry, rigor and warmth," and students are encouraged to take multiple approaches and perspectives as they learn to think and act for themselves. The school's total enrollment is deliberately kept small, encouraging teachers and students to get to know each other well.
Renaissance has a four-pronged approach to student learning and achievement:
- Critical thinking
- Artistic development
- Community building
- Public alliance and contribution
Community involvement and volunteering
Renaissance cultivates a strong culture of volunteeringVolunteering
Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity, intended to promote good or improve human quality of life, but people also volunteer for their own skill development, to meet others, to make contacts for possible employment, to have fun, and a variety of other reasons that could be...
and contributing to the greater community of which one is a part. Students and their parents are expected to find ways to improve the community in which they live. In addition to school fees, parents agree to volunteer their time and talents to help the school for a set number of hours every school year. Students are given an early-out day each Wednesday, with the expectation that they will use some of this extra time to complete a long-term volunteer project.