VIDA

01 / Design element

Clear Identity

VIDA's mission is: We dare to ignite the creative genius of each student as they discover their unique strengths, hone their interests, and understand their value. We utilize the Design Thinking process as a common framework to solve problems across all disciplines.

The Core Values of VIDA are referred to by the acronym, GILLS. This is important because it follows the narrative around "life" at VIDA. Sharks are the mascot at VIDA and the way that sharks breath is through their GILLS. Without a sharks gills, they do not have life – just like at VIDA, there is no VIDA without our GILLS:

G: Grit & Gratitude: We never give up I: Integrity & Responsibility: We take pride in doing the right thing L: Love & Understanding: We connect and accept L: Leave it better than you found it: We respect ourselves, others, and our community S: Sparking Creativity: We inspire innovation

As a Design Thinking focused school, students become familiar with the Design Thinking process and use it in all of their classes to solve real-world problems.

03 / Design element

Real-World Learning

Design Thinking is a creative framework for solving problems on campus that is taught explicitly both in parts and as a whole across the campus. One of the central ways this happens is through school-wide and Grade-Level Design Challenges that take place throughout the school year. Design Thinking is also built into aspects of core content instruction, and is a central component of Design Labs and Rotations.

“The whole purpose of the redesign was to breathe life back into a struggling school, with the same student body and staff, and provide life-changing learning opportunities for youth in the community, a majority of whom are Latino.”

As a response to engagement being VIDA's first intervention, a structural component of the school had to be designed to protect students in ELD and with IEP's who typically lose a traditional elective class in most schools. VIDA educators were committed to ensuring that every single student had a kick ass experience to look forward to every single day at school. Design Labs are the only class that students attend 5 days a week. It is part of a 90 minute Block Period that is split with their Lunch. Because the Design Labs are connected to Lunch, no student can ever lose their Design Lab because then they would also be losing their Lunch Period based on VIDA's innovative rotating, hybrid Block Schedule.

These Design Labs are unique in nature. The founding faculty knew that it was not just students who needed to be engaged, but that a highly functioning school also has a culture of highly engaged adults. So the following proposition was given to teachers: What have you always wanted to be able to do for students in school, but haven't been able to? Let's do that. The guardrails for these classes are threefold: They need to intentionally foster the creativity of students, they need to provide students technical skills so that they can actually innovate, and it needs to dig into the Design Thinking process.

Teachers get to share their passions with students and students select their electives based on interests. For example, students in the Design Lab, Curiosity Hacked, will invent awesome gadgets and gizmos using Arduino microcontrollers, Micro Bits, and components like LED lights, motors, buzzers, and sensors. You'll learn how to code in C++ and Code Blocks to program everything from simple robots to your very own video games. Other Design Labs include Creative Making and Automation and Robotics.

A core component of Design Labs is Rotations.

Every Quarter students attend a rotation in:

Public Speaking - Where they learn how to speak to groups of varying sizes, navigate social situations like conferences, and manage a job interview with confidence. Branding - Where they build entrepreneurship and learn to make deliberate, professional choices in how they communicate. They craft websites, presentations, and advertising campaigns. Design Studio - Where students learn to construct with cardboard in 6th grade, integrate technology into designs in 7th, then add digital fabrication and entrepreneurship in 8th.

Learn more about Rotations:

05 / Design element

Teacher Collaboration

Teachers have dedicated time to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects every week during late start.