City As Our Classroom
KCS believes in partnerships and in fully exploring the learning opportunities in the city of which it is a part. Students have the opportunity to participate in Internships, Service Learning, and specific elective courses offered at different grade levels:
Internships in the City
In 11th or 12th grade, each student works with their Learning Coach to build an internship that helps them move toward their vision of themselves. Internships could be in such settings as research labs, businesses, schools, theaters, and museums.
Service Learning in the City
Each student has the responsibility to make the world a better place through active involvement and engagement in the community. To this end, each student is expected to complete 20 hours of service learning each year.
Courses in the City
Museums of the City
Four different museums will be visited on multiple occasions from one of each of the following categories: Art, History, Culture, and Science. Students will work on specific assignments relative to the exhibits seen and lectures heard at each museum.
Architecture in the City
Working with local architects and historic preservationists, the students will partake in a series of tours of the City during which time they will see and hear about the architectural context, history and evolution of the City’s residential dwellings as well as its major structures. Students will use digital media to capture the many elements of each tour, and work collaboratively, in small groups, to produce multi-media reflections of the City they have toured.
City History
The course commences with an overview of the history of the City, supported by the City’s Historian. Subsequently, each student will work in a small group to create a multi-media report on a topic of its choice in the City’s history. Students will spend an extensive amount of time at the City’s Historical Society.
City Government
Students will have an introduction to the City’s form of government, and have the opportunity to meet with a range of government officials, as well as visit the City’s governmental chambers. Subsequently, the course will shift into a debate format where three important City issues will be debated by the students in small group teams, with City officials serving as the judges.
Urban Planning and Sustainability
Cities across the nation are striving to reduce their carbon footprints. Students will first hear from the City Planner and his/her staff and gain an understanding of the sources of the carbon footprint, followed by a study of what other cities across the country are doing. They will then work in small groups, and write a to-be-presented report that provides recommendations and guidance for the City.