The IDEAL High School

In High School, advisory continues to anchor the student experience, providing both structure and meaningful connection each day. Students begin and end their day with a brief check-in and wrap-up in their advisory groups, fostering continuity, reflection, and community. Midday, students reconvene by advisory for a dedicated 30-minute block before lunch — a space that serves as a hub for Health, Life Skills, and Community Time programming, each offered once per week. In their advisory group, co-teachers support student well-being, identity development, and interpersonal growth, while providing consistency in each student’s daily experience. Advisory is more than a touchpoint; it is a trusted space where students feel known, valued, and supported as they navigate high school with confidence and purpose.

IDEAL’s Life Skills Program is a weekly offering built into the High School advisory schedule that supports students in developing the tools they need to thrive in school, relationships, and daily life. Rooted in social-emotional learning, identity development, and executive functioning, the program equips students with strategies for time management, self-advocacy, financial literacy, stress regulation, relationship management, digital citizenship, healthy living, and more. Sessions are interactive and responsive, often grounded in student input and real-time needs. Life Skills reflects IDEAL’s commitment to whole-student development, preparing learners not just for academic success, but for meaningful and balanced lives beyond the classroom.

The three-year rotating Life Skills curriculum features differentiated lessons, discussions, and activities related to the theme of the year.

• Year one: Bodies, Boundaries, and Advocacy
  • Focuses on self-advocacy, sexual education, and drug and alcohol awareness.
• Year two: Mental and Physical Health
  • Student learn about eating a balanced diet on a budget, addressing mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression, and physical health.
• Year three: Adulting 101
  • The focus is on financial literacy, decision making, navigating the world, plus soft skills such as filling out health forms, applications, and more.

ArtBeat is IDEAL’s annual spring celebration of creativity and expression, where student work across all arts disciplines takes center stage. From dramatic performances to music ensembles and fashion design, Art Beat is an inclusive, community-wide showcase of artistic exploration. Each High School student exhibits their unique voice – whether playing in a student band, modeling upcycled outfits from the Fashion and Design class, or unveiling original paintings and sculptures. Rooted in the knowledge that the arts foster confidence, communication, and critical thinking, ArtBeat affirms each student’s identity and growth while strengthening IDEAL’s vibrant creative culture.

IDEAL’s Big Buddy Program builds bridges between divisions, pairing High School students with younger peers to foster mentorship, leadership, and connection. In their roles as “Big Buddies,” older students model empathy, responsibility, and inclusion while supporting the social and emotional growth of Lower and Middle School students. Whether collaborating on projects, helping with transitions, or simply spending time together, Big Buddies learn the power of peer leadership. This program deepens community ties and allows High School students to develop as role models, reinforcing IDEAL’s mission of intergenerational learning and mutual respect.
 

In Upper School, Community Time assemblies, held every other week, feature student-led discussions on current events and social justice. These sessions help students build confidence, leadership, and self-advocacy while learning to respect different viewpoints.

Advisory and Community Time also teach collaboration and respect. In class, students help create rules that emphasize community and kindness. At assemblies, IDEAL Talks, and Senior Speeches, students cheer each other on, and teachers reinforce a culture of respect for every voice.

Each month, Community Time and assemblies focus on a specific value, which we continue to build on throughout the year.

Through IDEAL’s partnership with One Schoolhouse, students gain access to an expansive catalog of online courses that allow for deep academic exploration and individualized learning. Whether pursuing advanced coursework beyond what is offered in-house or diving into niche areas like neuroscience, international relations, or multivariable calculus, students work with virtual teachers and peers from across the globe. IDEAL students enrolled in One Schoolhouse receive on-campus support and accountability while managing the independent structure of the online environment. This opportunity empowers students to pursue personal passions, build self-direction, and shape a path that reflects their unique goals and curiosity.

The Senior Civil Rights Journey is a deeply moving capstone that brings IDEAL’s social justice curriculum to life. Each year, seniors travel to historically significant sites in the Civil Rights Movement – including Washington, D.C., Atlanta, and Birmingham – where they walk in the footsteps of civil rights leaders and experience the places that shaped a movement. Crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge or visiting Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthplace allows students to reflect on their own power to make change. This journey weaves together students' years of learning and personal growth, inspiring them as they prepare to step into the wider world as informed, empathetic citizens.

The Senior Elective is a future-focused course designed to equip IDEAL’s graduating students with the tools they need for life beyond High School. With support from the College and Postsecondary Counselor and faculty mentors, students explore career paths, build resumes, and practice essential life skills like budgeting and professional communication. The highlight is a career shadowing experience, where students partner with professionals in fields ranging from culinary arts to law enforcement. This personalized, experiential course culminates in a presentation to the community, showcasing each student’s growth and readiness to carve out their own path – a powerful affirmation of IDEAL’s student-centered mission. 

Each IDEAL senior delivers a deeply personal Senior Speech to the High School community, sharing reflections on their journey and vision for the future. These speeches serve as a culminating expression of voice, identity, and purpose – highlighting individual growth within the collective IDEAL experience. Whether speaking about overcoming challenges, embracing self-acceptance, or advocating for justice, seniors stand before their peers with pride, vulnerability, and confidence. The Senior Speeches are a cherished tradition that not only celebrates student achievement but also reinforces the IDEAL values of self-expression, community, and meaningful leadership.