*Vision-Narrative+Draft

This statement is the "What" -- the things that we must accomplish in order to meet our purpose (our Mission). It gives us our direction.
===Below is a draft of our "vision narrative." Group leaders are invited to make changes based upon the Sept. 8 20/20 meeting. Our challenge is to make important additions while limiting the overall length of the statement.===

Heritage High School 2013 Katie and her mom park their car in the spot labeled “Visitor” and prepare to enter Heritage High School. They had heard about Heritage’s reputation through family riends and added it to the list of schools to consider for Katie’s high school education. A student-prepared video called “Eagles that Soar” about every day life at Heritage whetted their curiosity; it was one of several intriguing features on the school’s webpage. Now t hey have decided to visit the school in person. As they exit the car, they see a well-manicured lawn with students enjoying the afternoon sun. The kids seem to be in a class, discussing the different perspectives found in creative writing. They are sharing their ideas with their teacher and fellow classmates. A few students were discussiing uploading their own example pieces. Katie smiles at her mom, walks past the group, and heads for the front doors. As they enter, they are immediately greeted with welcoming images. The front display case is filled with students’ photos and their academic accomplishments centered aroud the six week theme of Character is Destiny. It is evident that these students, from all grade levels, are being honored for having one of the top academic accomplishments of the year. Included in the display case are art projects, science experiments, students’ poetry, statistical arguements, original screenplays and songs, historical figures’ biographies. Katie and her mom stop to look at the work and realize the importance Heritage places on superior academic performance. They continue into the main office. The person sitting behind the desk immediately greets the mother and daughter with a friendly hello. She asks for identification and reason for the visit. This friendly yet professional interaction gives them the sense that safety is a priority for the school, yet visitors are welcome to interact and observe. They provide the information and are immediately matched with a student guide, Jack. He is going to provide the tour of the school; Katie is excited to hear about the school from a student’s perspective. They put on their visitors’ passes and walk out of the office. Because it is during a passing period, the halls are flooded with students. They pass a television running the Heritage High School news of the day. Katie’s mom is impressed to see how respectable and appropriate the students’ clothes look. The students are clearly free to express themselves through their clothing, but appropriateness is evident. Katie is excited by the amount of college and high school logos she sees. Actually, Katie has never seen so many students wearing Heritage apparel. Everywhere she turns she sees scarlet, silver, and blue. It is obvious that these students are proud of themselves and their school and their conversations and behavior reflect it. As their guide, Jack leads them through the halls while Katie’s mom notes how many students say hello and smile. She is surprised by the friendliness of these teenagers, but it isn’t just in regards to her. As a bystander she notices how many of them say hello to each other by name. Despite the large public school setting, the atmosphere feels like a place where everyone knows each other. Amongst the kids, Katie and her mom notice an adult greeting students. Jack heads in his direction and introduces them to the assistant principal. He is welcoming and excited to share his knowledge about the school. He gives them some details about registration and informational meetings, but he also invites them to attend the weekend’s theatre performance. He explains that it is something the large group of students has been preparing for months, and it has already received rave reviews by students and parents alike. It was a packed house on opening night, and this weekend’s show is to be just as exciting. Katie is thrilled to accept the invitation to the play and experience an award-winning high school performance. _ Leaving the assistant principal and the group of kids conversing with him, the tour continues down the second floor hall. Katie and her mother admire the student artwork found all over the walls. They also notice three words used not only in this area but in the other places they had already been in the building: Pride, Character, and Excellence. In every classroom that they enter, they see the Heritage Mission Statement posted for all to see. These are obvious values for the people working and learning at Heritage High School. Passing by the theater Katie and her mother witness a large group discussing the recent achievements of several freshmen who are being honored. Told that these meetings are frequent and designed to motivate and recognize students for their commitment, Katie imagines how good that recognition must feel for students who don't always get noticed. Katie and her mom are then escorted into one of the classrooms where they expect to see a teacher lecturing in front of the class. Such is not the case. As they enter the room, they notice the day’s goal written on the white board: “Students will evaluate the predicted effects of a tax cut on the economy. They’ll argue for or against such a tax cut.” Katie’s mom recalls seeing something about this topic on one of the Social Studies teachers’ web pages. As she remembers, the topic formed part of a joint effort between Social Studies and a math class studying statistics. Katie looks around for the teacher, but does not see her at first. It turns out that the teacher is sitting in a seating area where a group of ten students on couches and easy chairs are opening their lap top computers to explain their research on a tax cuts’ effects on the economy. Other students are working quietly at tables, laptops humming. Several students are excitedly pointing to the Denver Post, where their letters to the editor regarding a recent congressional vote on a tax cut are printed. Another student is putting the finishing touches on a letter to their state representative on the issue. Meanwhile, a different adult works with two students at a computer. When Katie’s mom chats with him, she learns that the adult is a parent volunteer who is tutoring students who asked for extra help. One of the students pulls out a list on a sheet of paper titled “Economics – The Essentials.” He points to one of the items on the list, grins at Katie, and explains, “You know, I realized that I wasn’t really getting this when we first worked on it a few days ago, so I asked for some extra tutoring. Now I really get it!” Heading toward a lower floor of Heritage the two visitors are immediately attracted to the cacophony of sounds coming from the music area of the building. Stepping into the choir room they witness a student director working on a piece with twenty five performers, all of whom are intensely engaged in the rehearsal. Moving toward another room they see several students composing a work for string quartet on a computer and sound equipment. The band is belting out a march and several are working on their solo parts in small rehearsal rooms. Judging by the numbers of students, they sense that music is seen as an integral part of the Heritage curriculum and Katie hopes that she can join a musical group when she enrolls. _  As they leave the classroom, they head down another hall and find the Study Lab. Students and teachers are working with one another on the most challenging lessons of the day. All are free to come and go as they please, based on the amount of help they need. Katie’s mom is impressed to see not only teachers but also upperclassmen tutoring the struggling students. One senior is explaining the concept of cell reproduction to a sophomore who seems to appreciate the help from a peer as opposed to always going to his teacher. Jack explains to Katie and her mom that after school this room also serves as the Accountability Room, a place where students face their teachers, administrators, and peers when they have chosen to act in a way that is in direct conflict with school rules. Heritage holds students accountable for their actions, and when they make mistakes, such as cheating, they are asked to speak to the group of people directly affected, explaining how they will remedy the situation and change their behavior. Each student faces different teachers, students, and administrators based on the offense and on who is closest to the individual. Katie’s mom is impressed by the seriousness given to appropriate behavior and the accountability placed on the students. After touring the second floor, the group ventures down to the first, in hopes of seeing the students in a social setting as well. They first see the Senior Pit. Katie had heard about the privileges students earn as they excel through the years at HHS, and the Pit is just one example. Seniors are allowed to study and socialize in this area only if they have the grades to earn it. Those who have not achieved high grades are not rewarded with off-hours and do not have time to be in the Pit. Katie is excited to see students working on laptops here, connecting with her classmates and other people all around the world. Jack introduces her to the Student Body President who uses his time to blog to students in Heritage’s sister school in Sierra Leone. She loves the relaxing atmosphere with comfy couches and beautiful art on the walls. There are huge recycling bins where students responsibly take care of their trash and their environment at the same time. She hopes to one day enjoy the privilege of hanging out in the Senior Pit. Suddenly another student hurries into the pit, summoning three of his friends. “Sorry to rush off,” one says to her, “but we are scheduled to skype the students at the Escuela Secundaria José Martí in San Juan!” Jack leads the two to the Student Center where they are immediately greeted with classical music playing over the speakers. Students are socializing in one area while working together on a project in another. They stay on campus and enjoy nutritious food brought in from favorite local restaurants and grocery stores. They watch the student-produced television show, highlighting the accomplishments of teams, groups, and individual students. They also actively meet with their clubs and extra-curricular groups. Katie is happy to see that there are sign-up sheets posted in the Student Center for a variety of groups, reaching so many different interests. She reads the many names of members in each of group, and she looks forward to making so many new friends. She knows she will stay active and challenged at Heritage.

As the tour comes to an end after observing the third floor and the teacher-student collaborative learning, they head back to the main office. Katie's mom chuckles as she sees teh Starbucks kiosk in the old copy room. Apparently teachers need caffeine more than they need the out-dated copying machines. They are using technology in their classrooms, reaching the 21st century learners more effectively. She knows, however, that teachers will never advance past the need for caffeine. As Jack answers final questions and invites them to tonight's soccer game, Katie's mom grabs a copy of the May edition of the high school newspaper, the //Pioneer//. She turns to the pages recognizing the valedictorians and is amazed to see over 100 students listed. Another headline reads "Graduation rate soars to 100%" and as she reads the lead she notes that the rate is based on students from their freshman year to their senior year. This astonishes Katie's mom. Heritage is the kind of place where teachers, counselors, and administrators care about every single one of the students and will prepare them for life outside of the high school walls. They will be global citizens, prepared for technology that has not yet been created, while maintaining the fundamental focus on core values and knowledge. Katie and her mom know that this is the place for her.