PARKER, Colo. — Legend High School’s EDGE program teaches students how to prepare for life after graduation through an interdisciplinary, project-based learning model. The program uses learning experiences like professional internships, travel, and skilled mentorships along with core disciplines like English and math to develop transferable skills for the real world.
Mari Farley is the director of the program and she said when they started the program 7 years ago, they were looking for a new approach to keeping students engaged.
“We were looking for something different to do with schools, so we traveled around the nation and researched 12 different [innovation] schools,” Farley said. “We took the best parts of those schools and tried to bring them here.”
EDGE, which stands for explore, discover, grow, and engage, is a project-based interdisciplinary learning approach based on memorable learning experiences and experiential learning. The student’s learning combines English, humanities, science, math and technology with job shadowing and industry-related field trips to develop a well-rounded student.
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“We just wanted to do something different for kids to keep them engaged,” Farley said. “We know that we need to keep kids engaged to keep them in school a lot of times and we thought that we could offer something that was really outstanding.”
Farley said the 4-year program serves 275 students with about 70 students in each grade level. The students are taught by teachers, who also serve as mentors, helping guide students through their chosen education pathways. The students pick projects and try to solve real-world problems like water conservation and ecology in national parks with the help of their mentors as part of their curriculum. Debbie Rabideau is an English teacher and mentor. She said it’s part of an unscripted plan the staff comes up with each school year.
“We meet and figure out what our guiding questions are, what standards we’re going to address and what project we think could best demonstrate the learning in those areas,” Rabideau said. “I think that’s what this program is all about, building a better understanding of who you are and exploring some of your interests and your passions and seeing that through the reality of people who actually do the work.”
EDGE program also includes camping and backpacking the Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming backcountry, overnight trips to Colorado colleges, and national overnight trips to cities like Washington D.C., New York, Boston, and San Francisco.
Summer Short is a senior at Legend High School and is part of their EDGE program. She’s been in the program since she was a freshman and said the program gives the students a sense of ownership in wanting to succeed.
“The students in the program really strive to do their best,” Short said. “EDGE has prepared us to do job interviews, apply for college, we’ve put together resumes we’ve put together portfolios of all of our work that we’ve completed the past 4 years.”
The program partners with more than 140 business partners throughout the metro area as part of their professional internships. Farley said she wants the students to have fully immersive experiences so they’re able to serve their communities and live their best lives.
“I hope they’re ready to conquer the world, I hope that they’re informed,” Farley said. “It’s loud, its messy and not everybody is comfortable with that style of learning so we’re just really grateful that Legend allows us to be here.”
More information about the Legend High School EDGE program can be found here.
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