Signature Programs 

Hyla provides an interdisciplinary, experiential, and individualized program for students eager to co-create their high school education through hands-on inquiry and impact. Our program is designed to integrate student learning with the surrounding community through ongoing immersive experience. Our teachers therefore work in partnership with community professionals and leaders to create off-campus experiences in core classes, and also through signature programs. 

Panoramas
Advanced Coursework
Electives
Apertures
DEIJ at Hyla

Panoramas

Twice a year we break from our standard academic schedule for Panorama courses. Panoramas are multi-week, immersive and interdisciplinary courses that explore and investigate a range of topics through hands-on labs, seminars, creative projects, travel, and critical work. Each Panorama focuses on a central theme and core goal to inspire students to discover something new about themselves and about the world. Students input is integral to the process of creating these offerings so that we can include student interests and goals in our planning and final itineraries.

Panoramas also include practical ways for students to integrate new knowledge into their goals and daily lives. True expeditionary learning, Panoramas create trust and community through new experiences that take students into new territory intellectually, geographically and interpersonally. Students emerge from Panoramas excited about new connections and friendships, proud of what they accomplished with other groups and organizations, and hopeful about how they can use new knowledge to improve their own lives and wellbeing. Take a look!

Past Panoramas:

 

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Advanced Options

Because of our scale and model, Hyla is able to offer an individualized approach to advanced coursework with a variety of options for advanced work: 

Hyla Advanced Pathways: Within every core class (English, History, Science, Spanish, and Math), students can pursue the “core” or “advanced” pathway. Hyla’s advanced pathways meet or exceed AP material, and interested students will be supported, prepared for, and encouraged to take AP tests. (While the AP brand is one of many educational products for advanced learning, it is only one of many different approaches to advanced coursework, We welcome conversations about why Hyla, along with leading high school models like Exeter and Lakeside, has intentionally chosen not to use the AP branded curriculum in our core classes.)

UW in the High School:  Hyla is a proud member of this UW program that allows us to teach UW curriculum so students can take college-level courses and earn college credit, right here at Hyla.

Global Online Academy: Hyla is also a proud member of the GOA consortium created by Lakeside School. Our GOA membership provides Hyla students with access to diverse and rigorous credit-bearing courses taught by teachers from 120+member schools across the world that meet high standards of rigor and quality. Hyla is the only GOA member in Kitsap County.  

One Schoolhouse: Hyla students can also take AP classes through our membership to One Schoolhouse, along with many other courses offered through this membership based consortium.

Electives

Students choose 1 Elective per semester (8 total). Our expansive Elective catalog is made up of classes taught by Hyla teachers, community partners, and includes a vast selection of courses available through our membership to Global Online Academy and One Schoolhouse. Elective blocks are built into our weekly schedule and all classes (including online) happen during the school day, fully supervised and supported by Hyla teachers. Hyla handles registration for all students and provides transportation to off-campus Electives.

  • Global Online Academy (GOA) is an online, application-based membership consortium developed by Lakeside School over a decade ago. Hyla is the only GOA member school on Bainbridge Island and in Kitsap County, but there are 150 schools from over 30 states and 20 countries in GOA. As a member school, all Hyla High students have access to over 50 online courses focusing on contemporary topics, project-based learning, and networked collaboration. Membership enables Hyla students to pursue your interests, broaden your horizons, and forge connections to peers and educators around the world. We know our students have broad and diverse interests and GOA helps us personalize your academic pursuits and hone your 21st century skills. Lakeside shares that: "GOA offers diverse and rigorous credit-bearing courses to students in 120+ member schools from the United States to Asia to the Middle East...Courses are designed, developed, and taught by teachers from member schools and meet the standards of rigor and high quality for which these schools are well-known."

 

  • One Schoolhouse (OSH) is another exciting partner that offers Hyla students over 85 online courses including 29 AP® and college-level courses; four-year sequences in Chinese, French, Latin, Spanish and Computer Science; advanced math courses for students who complete AP® Calculus BC; and specialized topics like Neuroscience, Global Health, and Business and Economics. Also a member-based consortium of independent schools, OSH classes are taught by teachers from quality independent schools around the country who know that the foundation for good learning is a trusting relationship between students and teachers. Note that you can choose ANY course offered through OSH, but this packet only includes the ones that correlate to our themes. 

 

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Apertures

Hyla students take one Aperture course per semester. Apertures consist of seminars and learning projects that align with Hyla’s educational and mission-driven focus areas:

  • Expression & Creation (Arts)
  • Wellness & Wilderness
  • Study, Design & Innovation in STEM
  • Global Ed: Culture, Resources & Collaboration
  • Social Sciences: Human Relations Expanded (SEL)
  • Business, Economics, and Entrepreneurship

Each semester students choose from a list of offerings. Here are a few samples:

Climate Change: Every day, it seems, brings news of another weather-related disaster. This course will look at current events and place them in the context of global climate change. It will not be an exercise in "doomscrolling," but rather a means to remain hopeful and increase resilience. After a review of atmospheric processes, we will monitor environmental data (temperature, precipitation, streamflow, snowpack, sea surface temperatures, etc.) at select locations, and will practice statistical analysis and presentation of scientific information.

Green Technologies: Science, Society & Sustainability I: You will investigate the scientific and social context underlying various environmental issues as well as case studies of technologies designed to address these. You will build your critical thinking and collaboration skills through a series of mini-projects and challenges. This course is designed to empower you with a sense of self-efficacy and the conviction that you have the potential to be an agent of positive change.

Direction: The Fine Art of Give & Take: Beyond "telling people what to do," this class focuses on the fine art of being a good director. This class will deal specifically with casting, blocking, and giving feedback & notes. Be prepared to be on both sides of the table as students will learn how to direct each other as well as experience being the performer. These are the techniques to get the best results from your performers and how to effectively bring your vision to life.

Wealth Gap: Where does wealth come from, and why is there such a large wealth gap in the United States? This course will look at the national wealth gap and attempt to understand its roots. We will explore the issue through several lenses, including history, economics, and the social sciences. Additionally, we will learn and practice skills that can help you achieve financial stability and success after high school. We will look at taxes, credit cards, investments, retirement planning, the housing market, the stock market, cryptocurrency, and other topics that will have direct applications in your post-school life.

Learning Resources: Learning Resources is a designated time for learning support and study skills including time management, phasing projects, and tracking work. Study skills will be taught in the context of the content curriculum from students' core academic courses. The goal of Learning Resources is to support students' academic journey and provide extra support embedded into the school day.

Art and Social Justice: Art has been used as a means to record history, shape culture, cultivate imagination, and harness individual and social transformation. It can not only be a means to generate awareness, but it can also be a catalyst to engage community members to take action around a social issue. Students will have the opportunity to discuss, plan and create art that can impact social justice.