Our mission, vision, and values are spoken to the student:

Mission

Where it’s okay to be who you are while discovering your place in the world.

Vision

Our school will be a place where you can come as you are and we’ll meet you there. We will help you embody your authentic teenage self through creative expression, wild nature, community collaborations, real-world youth leadership opportunities, and rigorous academics that will challenge any doubts that you are intelligent, capable, and creative. We want to help you step into the adult world with confidence, passion, and perspective. Our vision is to help you define your vision – who are you, what brings you joy, and where are you going from here?

Four Core Values

(1) Youth Leadership Grows Genuine Confidence

On the threshold of adulthood, teenagers deserve real-world leadership and ‘adulting’ opportunities that let them test drive their grown-up selves. Youth voices matter and should have a seat at the table where decisions are being made, including the school boardroom, classroom, and within the larger community. Youth also have the right to make mistakes as they practice becoming leaders and adults, and we’ll be there with empathy, meaningful consequences, and tools for self-awareness and self-assessment.

(2) Creative Expression is a Human Right

Every human has the right to express themselves through song, dance, writing, performing, painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, and other modes of creativity. We support both the creatives who choose artistic careers, competitions, and performances, as well as those who creatively express themselves for merriment, catharsis, or just because. 

(3) Rural Communities Count

Be proud of the starry night skies, towering trees, quiet places, and rushing waters of our valley. Learning the cultural and natural history of our bioregion deepens our connection to place, especially when the knowledge is gained through botanical hiking, backpacking, monitoring our streams, counting migratory birds, learning the innovative ways our community has generated economic value in our rural region, interviewing community elders, acknowledging forgotten and suppressed histories, volunteering, and exploring other ways of being in community.

(4) Multiple Perspectives Build a Better World

A 21st-century education is civics-minded, culturally responsive, reflective, and seeks to understand the world from multiple points of view. Practice valuing the strength of differing opinions, especially those that differ from your own, as you improve your ability to debate, critically engage with the past, present, and future, and find common ground to build a stronger community.