MISSION STATEMENT

At WSA, our mission is to develop confident readers, writers, and speakers who feel deeply connected to and supported by our school community.

We prepare our students for college through a liberal arts curriculum focused on writing, critical thinking, and peer discussion, and we give them the opportunity to connect with their passions through elective coursework in the arts, sciences, and humanities.

An underpinning of the WSA model is a nurturing school culture that encourages reflection, collaboration, and experiential learning.

CORE VALUES

At WSA, four key values underscore everything we do. We use these values to inform our decisions, our cultural norms, and our expectations of students and staff.  These values are Community, Discussion, Personal Reflection and Growth, and Collaboration.

Community

At WSA, we will take time to get to know each other and build meaningful relationships with each other. We understand the notion that we all play a vital role in creating a safe, ethical, and values-driven community.  For staff, this may mean we do not have a policy for everything.  Much of our discipline work will be based upon the relationships we develop with our students.  This will give leverage to our expectations of students and one another.

Discussion

Discussion is a non-violent way to resolve conflict.  This means that, as WSA staff, we do not yell or speak to students in a way that will erode their confidence. We also ask that everyone, including teachers, actively listens to one another and commits to resolving conflicts in a peaceful way.  Staff, we must always address the use of violent or hurtful language towards another member of the school community. This might include but is not limited to any form of  verbal or online harassment and bullying.

Personal Reflection and Growth

At WSA, students and teachers will be asked to do meaningful and challenging work, and both should receive frequent and personalized feedback.  We invite everyone to receive feedback with a sense of openness and willingness to reflect  so that we may all learn and grow.

Collaboration

At WSA, as in life, we work together.  Much of our time this year will be spent working on teams, figuring out problems, and working to reach consensus on solutions and plans.  Working together effectively requires a high degree of self-awareness, and we ask you to think about these questions constantly: Am I talking and listening?  How am I coming across to others in the group?  How can I make sure everyone in the group feels valued and included? Is this an issue we need to discuss and resolve now, or should we table it in order to complete more important work Are we doing our best work?