Credo High School is a tuition-free, college prep public charter school in Rohnert Park, California, inspired by Waldorf education and serving students in ninth through twelfth grades. The school will open with a ninth grade class in the fall of 2011, and will add a grade each year until it is fully enrolled through twelfth grade in the 2014-2015 school year.
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As an alternative public school of the Cotati Rohnert Park Unified School District, Credo offers a rigorous academic curriculum that exceeds University of California admission requirements and includes a full complement of specialty subjects, including foreign languages (Spanish, Mandarin), visual arts (painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, photography), practical arts (media arts, blacksmithing, woodworking, bookbinding, ceramics) theater, music (choir, American music, orchestra) movement, dance and physical education, and biodynamic gardening and farming. Credo is beginning with a substantial garden, which will later grow into a farm campus with a significant sustainable agriculture component where students learn science, respect for the earth and practical skills particularly relevant in agricultural Sonoma County. Sports, clubs and extracurricular programs are offered after the academic school day. Credo is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).[1]
Credo aims to deliver a truly alternative education, and include holistic elements in its curriculum that address the student as an entire person. These alternative additions, such as practical arts and biodynamic gardening, differentiate the school from traditional public and private schools. It also aims to be a feeder school for Waldorf students from the six North Bay Waldorf public schools including Sonoma Valley, Novato, Napa, Petaluma and the two schools in Sebastopol. The school still accepts students from traditional public schools as well, but primarily will give students the option to complete their education in the Waldorf system. According to Chip Romer, Director of Development, “The six Waldorf schools in the county all give students an incredible foundation for high school. But without a public Waldorf high school, many students haven’t been able to finish their education the Waldorf way.” [2] By offering a solution to this gap in Waldorf education, Credo hopes to expand the experience of high school education, reaching beyond established academic standards to teach critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration; in an engaging college preparatory environment.
The word "credo" means "believe" in Latin. The name signifies that the school believes in and interweaves throughout its curriculum the following principles:
Credo High School is located at 1290 Southwest Boulevard in Rohnert Park, California, and will remain at this location for its first five years. Built as Richard Crane Elementary School and most recently home to El Camino High School, Credo's facility is centrally located in Rohnert Park, within walking distance of the Spreckles Performing Arts Center and Sonoma State University.
The campus has four main classroom buildings with four classrooms each, an administration building, a gym and a small performance space. Outdoor facilities include a soccer field, baseball diamond, basketball courts, a large paved play area and extensive lawns and garden spaces.
Commuting distance to Credo from our North Bay Waldorf K-8 partner schools is:
For the school year 2016-2017 and beyond, Credo High School is working in close partnership with Codding Enterprises to locate at Sonoma Mountain Village, which is planned as North America's greenest, most sustainable community. Credo and Sonoma Mountain Village presented a Sustainability Day field trip for regional eighth grades in September 2010 as the first of many collaborative learning presentations for student and adults. As Sonoma Mountain Village develops, Credo plans to locate permanently within the development so that Credo students can have the experience of attending school every day in the model sustainable city of the future.[3]