Watershed curriculum explores universal topics

BOULDER – As the school year starts again, many students dread a return to studious toil and tedium. But it’s a much different picture at The Watershed School, where applied learning both at home and abroad is changing the role and outlook of students.

The first days of school at Watershed’s unconventional habitat at the nexus of Pearl and Canyon in Boulder found seniors outside learning survival skills for an upcoming backcountry outing. Elsewhere on campus, students led their peers in community dialogues civilized enough to echo seminars in ancient Greece.

The independent school, now in its sixth year of operation, is blazing a new trail by using founding principles about citizenship and sustainability to help students make real connections to the world they will inherit.

“It would be irresponsible for us not to provide such a dynamic education when economic and social conditions are changing all the time,´ said Jason Berv, Watershed’s founder. “Citizenship is like driving or sex. They’re all things that are best learned by doing. You can’t just read about them.”

To that end, the school has put forward an innovative inquiry-based model in which students are direct participants in their education. The curriculum centers on “Learning Expeditions,” broad-based explorations of a universal topic that integrate fieldwork, technology, analytical thinking and community service.

A recent class found students investigating the proposed expansion of nearby Gross Reservoir not only by engaging experts from Denver Water, the city of Boulder and Boulder County but also by proposing solutions to water issues and ideas to use water more efficiently around the school.

“The independence and latitude here makes a huge difference,´ said educator Sarah Rebick. “I really feel like we’re educating these kids to be good citizens in different ways. They’re looking at critical issues through a variety of different lenses. By the end of the term, they take these issues seriously.”

Currently, the school is engaged in the local “10 For Change” challenge, competing with larger businesses to reduce its energy consumption. The school invited the city of Boulder to conduct an energy audit and has saved real dollars since the competition began.

“We had students who were very enthusiastic about competing against businesses – and beating them,” Rebick said. “The students really try to educate each other about why they should care about using less energy, and much of what we’ve accomplished has come through changing our behavior.”

Since organizing its high school in 2004, the institution has expanded to middle school and now has more than 60 students enrolled, at a student-to-teacher ratio of eight to one. Many students’ $16,000 annual tuition is augmented with financial aid, while a grassroots fundraising effort aims to draw $250,000 per year for school resources.

“We tend to attract kids who are seeking out a different experience,´ said Rebecca Yarmuth, director of admissions and development. “Our prospective students have a hunch they could be getting a lot more from their education. They are hungry for connection, whether it’s from their peers, or the material we study or the larger ideas they see in the world.”

Students here certainly get to see more of the world. The school conducts extended trips both domestically and internationally to help broaden the scope of its young scholars. Voyages scheduled for next term include expeditions to study the Renaissance in Italy, biodiversity in Hawaii and language in Nicaragua.

“We’re able to offer travel and community partnership opportunities that you won’t find in other schools,” Berv said. “We ask how we can get kids to care about the important issues in the world. If you don’t know about it, you can’t care about. So we’ve designed a curriculum that allows kids to acquaint themselves with the wider world.”

Other academic efforts focus on preparing students for college and the results have been positive. While Watershed has replace traditional letter grades with narrative reports, the school does administer the College and Work Readiness Assessment to students with resulting scores better than 99 percent of college freshmen.

“We’re trying to help the community understand that this is as good an education as you will find anywhere,” Berv said. “I want Boulder to know that Watershed School is a hidden gem right in their own backyard. We want to get the word out that we’re an option for kids here where they’ll be challenged and pushed to be their best selves. The more the community supports schools like ours, the sky is the limit as to what we can give back to the community.”

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