SAIL High School
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| SAIL High School |
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| Motto | "Where the individual counts" |
| Established | 1975 |
| Type | Alternative Public Secondary |
| Principal | Rosanne Wood |
| Students | 315 |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Location | Tallahassee, Florida USA |
| District | Leon County |
| Colors | Black and Gold |
| Mascot | The Pirates |
| Newspaper | The Macomb Street Journal |
| Website | http://www.sail.leon.k12.fl.us |
SAIL High School was founded in 1975, partially with the assistance of its current principal, Rosanne Wood. Formerly known as "School for Applied Individualized Learning" and now called "A School for Arts and Innovative Learning", SAIL is an alternative magnet school located in Tallahassee, Florida.
SAIL emphasizes free speech and creative learning. SAIL runs on a block schedule and has a population of about 315 students and a substantial waiting list of students from other Leon County schools who wish to enroll. The school has a high graduation rate and a very low dropout rate,[citation needed] as well as the highest Science FCAT scores in Leon County, for which it was recognized as top high school in the county by former governor Jeb Bush.[citation needed] The only criteria necessary for admission to SAIL is a stated desire on the student's part for a creative, nontraditional learning environment.
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[edit] History
When SAIL was founded in 1975, it was originally intended for students from grades 7-12 who found that they had difficulty achieving success other public high schools, and was brought up in such a way in Rosanne Wood's 1989 article "SAIL: A Pioneer For Schools of Choice in Florida", printed as the tenth chapter of a book called Public Schools by Choice, edited by Joe Nathan[1].
However, SAIL gradually evolved into a school for students who had average or above-average success in public school but desired an alternative environment for any combination of reasons, including but not limited to having been subjected to peer pressure or excessively strict school policies in a standard high school setting. As SAIL evolved through the late 1970s and 1980s, the school's Smoker's Club was disbanded, the school developed a higher focus on creativity, the school became for grades 9-12 rather than 7-12 and the bean bag chairs with which it had originally been supplied were replaced by standard school chairs and long college desks at which groups of students could sit and assist each other with group projects.
In 2007, in recognition of its changed purpose, SAIL changed its official name from "School for Applied Individualized Learning" to "School for Arts and Innovative Learning."
[edit] Location and facilities
SAIL has been located on North Macomb street since 1975, but in the 2007-2008 school year it will move to a campus formerly occupied by the Caroline Brevard Elementary School, in closer proximity to Tallahassee Community College and at a longer distance from Florida State University. The new campus will include a black box theatre, a tailoring room, a music studio, science laboratories, an art room, a drama lab, a darkroom, and a variety of physical education facilities.
[edit] Free speech board
SAIL has a free speech bulletin board near the front office at which students may post illustrations, writings or newspaper clippings that reflect their personal interests or beliefs. However, on an almost yearly basis students have used the board to post incendiary and insulting comments.
[edit] Academics
[edit] Schedule
SAIL runs on a block schedule in which students attend their even-numbered class periods on even-numbered days of the month and their odd-numbered class periods on odd-numbered days of the month.
This does not apply to the optional first period, which students who sign up for it must attend on a daily basis.
[edit] Dual enrollment
SAIL allows students to dually enroll at other high schools to take electives or participate in extracurricular activities not offered at SAIL . SAIL students may also dually enroll at local colleges, such as FSU, FAMU and Tallahassee Community College. However, if a student is unable to provide his or her own transportation, SAIL offers dual enrollment courses such as college-level psychology and sociology on its own campus.
[edit] Electives
SAIL has a strong focus on its electives and offers, among others, classes in fiber arts, stringed instruments (such as guitar, banjo, and mandolin, although students may request other options), MIDI, sculpture, 2D art, photography, media production, film, journalism, and drama (including a program for upperclassmen that incorporates Spanish into theatre arts).
Electives that are unique[citation needed] to SAIL in that they are not offered by other schools in Leon County include mythology, Tai Chi, and Spanish/drama.
[edit] Intensives
In addition to a variety of other school events, every year, in a tradition unique to SAIL, students are required to take week-long workshop classes known as Intensives in the spring. The topics explored by Intensives range from cultural studies and community service to film studies and camping.
In past years, SAIL has provided a variety of out-of-town, out-of-state, and even overseas Intensives, but due to a lack of funding, SAIL's staff has considered the possibility of canceling some of the out-of-town Intensives they have previously provided. Recently, SAIL's faculty have discussed the possibility of canceling intensives in general because of what they feel to be a lack of interest from upperclassmen who have delayed turning in their Intensive permission forms.
[edit] Alternate exams
SAIL allows students who have earned an A or B both semesters in any given subject to take exams in that subject early. Sometimes the exam may be the same as the regular exam taken by students who have earned lower grades, or it could be an alternative to the exam, such as a brief paper or essay question.
Students who have taken alternate exams are allowed to be absent from the classes in which they are exempt from exams during the days when Regular Exams take place.
[edit] Student life
[edit] Transfer students
A significant percentage of SAIL's population consists of transfer students. SAIL's largest draw of in-county transfer students is from Lincoln High School.[citation needed]
[edit] Student government
- President: Jessie Moon
- Vice President: Patrick Hendershot
- Head Judge: Geoff Mendicino
- Secretary: Carly Langston
[edit] Extracurricular activities
SAIL offers such extracurricular activities as drama, art, photography, juggling, basketball, cheerleading, girls' volleyball, a writer's guild, and a music ensemble with a focus on bluegrass. The instruments consist of mandolins, banjos, guitars and a stand-up bass and female vocal talents. Interest clubs also include anime, gaming and science fiction. Some of SAIL's clubs host schoolwide lock ins built around various themes.
[edit] Events
Major school events include theme days such as Fall Festival, Healthy Decisions Day, World Awareness Day, and schoolwide field trips, as well as various senior-specific events. SAIL is often visited by a variety of guest speakers who hold panels on major issues both in and outside of the community. Attendance at guest lectures is often, but not always, voluntary, and in the past SAIL has been visited by such notable guests as British Reggae artist Pato Banton and the California band Mystic Roots.
SAIL also often holds student talent shows every other few months on Friday, called Funky Fridays. Funky Friday is similar to a small-scale version of Tallahassee's monthly First Friday events held at Railroad Square. Students interested in performing on Funky Friday must sign up at the office in advance.
[edit] Support groups
SAIL offers support groups for students struggling with personal social or psychological issues such as sexual identity, anger management, depression, or developing social skills.
[edit] Dress code
SAIL, because of its emphasis on Freedom of Expression, does not have an official dress code, although spiked collars/bracelets, skimpy outfits, and nudity are all forbidden.
Exemptions to the school's policy on skimpy outfits are often made during major school events such as field trips and Healthy Decisions day.
[edit] Reputation
False notions exist in Leon County regarding SAIL's status as an alternative school. Many unfamiliar with the school mistakenly believe, largely due to both the school's origins and its location in a low-income district of Tallahassee, that it is a school for troubled students or underachievers, and to be home to a large amount of vandalism and drug use.[citation needed] SAIL's students and staff are heavily active in combating these negative misconceptions of SAIL's purpose.
