| SAIL High School | |
|---|---|
| Motto | "Where the individual counts" formerly "Where artists thrive" |
| Established | 1975 |
| Type | Alternative Public Secondary |
| Principal | Dave Crandall |
| Students | 315 |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Location | 2006 Jackson Bluff Road (Formerly 725 N. Macomb Street), Tallahassee, Florida, USA |
| District | Leon County |
| Colors | Black and Gold formerly Rainbow |
| Mascot | The Pirates formerly The Unicorns |
| Newspaper | The Jackson Bluff Times |
| Website | http://www.sail.leon.k12.fl.us |
SAIL High School was founded in 1975, partially with the assistance of its former principal, Rosanne Wood. Formerly known as "School for Applied Individualized Learning" and now called "A School for Arts and Innovative Learning", SAIL is a magnet school located in Tallahassee, Florida.[1]
SAIL emphasizes free speech and creative learning, and has an academic focus on the various disciplines of the Humanities, particularly the visual and performing arts. 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 is known for high graduation rates and a very low dropout rate. SAIL was the first winner of the College Board Award for Excellence and Innovation in the Arts in the southern region,[2] and was recognized by former governor Jeb Bush for achieving the highest Science FCAT scores in Leon County. The primary criteria necessary for admission to SAIL is a stated desire on the student's part for a creative, nontraditional learning environment.
Contents |
When SAIL was founded in 1975, it was originally intended for students from grades 7-12 who found that they had difficulty achieving success in other public high schools. The school was brought up in such a way in Rosanne Wood's 1989 article "SAIL: A Pioneer For Schools of Choice in Florida", which was printed in a book called Public Schools by Choice, edited by Joe Nathan.[3]
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. Some preferred the idea of a smaller or more intellectual environment while others wanted a school that lacked the social isolation or excessively strict school policies found in a standard high school setting. As SAIL evolved through the late 1970s and 1980s, the school developed a higher focus on creativity and enrolled students in grades 9-12 rather than 7-12. 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."
Since 1975, the school had been located at North Macomb St. in Tallahassee, FL at the former campus of Old Lincoln High. However, in 2007 it later moved to a campus previously occupied by the Caroline Brevard Elementary School on Jackson Bluff Rd., in closer proximity to both Tallahassee Community College and Florida State University. The current campus includes 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. This is noteworthy as many of these features were absent from the original campus. In an attempt to retain some of the school's old school feel, the original Gazeebo from the old campus was reassembled, and moved to the new location. SAIL now also has an Iraq War memorial fountain dedicated to SAIL alumni Julian Woodall, who died in combat while serving in the military in Iraq.
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 first period, which students must attend on a daily basis.
In addition to elective art, drama, music and social science classes, some popular electives at SAIL have typically included Gardening, Mythology, Weightlifting, Juggling and T'ai chi. SAIL is unique in that it allows students to enroll in Juggling or T'ai chi classes in order to fulfill the Physical Education requirement for graduation.
SAIL allows students to dually enroll at other high schools to take electives or participate in extracurricular activities not offered at SAIL. Juniors and Seniors at SAIL who have taken and passed the CPT may also dually enroll at local colleges, such as Florida State University, Florida A&M University and Tallahassee Community College. However, if a student is unable to provide his or her own transportation, SAIL offers dual enrollment courses on its own campus: these include college-level Psychology, Sociology, Microeconomics, National Government, Algebra, Liberal Arts Math, and Photography, as well as both college English Composition requirements. The dual enrollment classes offered at SAIL allow students to complete the state college and university system's Communications requirement, as well as part of the Mathematics and Social Science requirements (as of yet SAIL still does not offer dual enrollment classes which fulfill the Science and Humanities requirements). Each dual enrollment course is worth three college credit hours and it is possible for a student at SAIL to complete as many as 24 college credit hours tuition-free directly through their high school campus. In order to accomplish this a student must plan his or her schedule extremely carefully with the supervision of SAIL's guidance counselor and should take the CPT as early as possible.
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 outdoor activities such as sailing and camping. Intensives may take place locally and/or out of state, and in the past international intensives were also offered. Out-of-state intensives have traditionally included trips to such places as Georgia, Colorado, Puerto Rico and New York. With permission, some students may be allowed to design their own personalized intensives and report back to their guidance counselor about their experiences.
SAIL High School can be said to incorporate many elements of Service Learning in its emphasis on combining academics and community involvement. For example, students are allowed to enroll in a Student Aide class, which allows them to receive class credit for performing clerical duties in the school's administrative office. Similarly, the school's signature garden is tended by students in a Gardening class. Students who wish to write for the school newspaper, The Jackson Bluff Times, must enroll in a Journalism class, which will count towards the school's English credit for graduation. Those who wish to edit and design the school yearbook must enroll in a Digital Design class, and those who participate in Student Government must enroll in a Student Government class. Some extracurricular activities, such as Theatre, may also be counted towards class credit. Students who are currently employed may count their work experience towards high school credit as well through SAIL High School's personalized DCT (Direct Career Training) program. SAIL's emphasis on service learning and community involvement also extends heavily into a number of local volunteer activities coordinated through the school's faculty, most of which may be counted towards the community service requirement for a Florida Bright Futures scholarship.
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.
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.
Before the school's relocation, and subsequent acceptance of a larger student body, the school prided itself on its focus on individuality, an uncommon theme in many public High Schools. The school was known for having a large percentage of its student body involved in the Gothic, Punk, Hardcore and Hippie subcultures. It's also widely accepted in Tallahassee that the student body has a much higher use of marijuana than other high schools in the area. It is also not uncommon for SAIL students to self-identify as Gay, Lesbian, or Bi-sexual. With its wide range of lifestyles, SAIL cultivates a highly respectful and accepting student body that was very active in the community and the Activist scenes.
SAIL offers such extracurricular activities as drama, art, photography, juggling, basketball, cheerleading, archery, 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, in addition to 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.
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 film director Victor Nunez, British Reggae artist Pato Banton and the Californian Reggae 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.
SAIL offers support groups for students struggling with personal social or psychological issues such as sexual identity, anger management, depression, or developing social skills. At one point in SAIL's history, students were required to attend mandatory meetings for their choice of support group.
SAIL, because of its emphasis on Freedom of Expression, does not have an official dress code, although spiked collars/bracelets, skimpy outfits, nudity, and anything considered offensive are all forbidden.
SAIL's faculty are very active in the community in the Tallahassee area. Many coordinate local volunteer activities and many participate in Tallahassee's local art and music scenes. SAIL faculty often teach multiple subjects in different disciplines or are qualified to teach at the college as well as high school level.
Due to its innovative learning programs and cultured, collegial environment, admission to SAIL is somewhat competitive. The school has traditionally been selective. Admission is determined by a student's character, career goals, and intellectual prowess. These are assessed through an admissions essay and an interview with SAIL's administrative staff. Students who are admitted and fail to comply with SAIL's behavioral policies and/or academic standards are placed on an Exit List. However, while a number of people in Tallahassee are familiar with SAIL and its purpose, those unfamiliar with the school sometimes have preconceived notions about its status as an alternative school. Many people believe the school is only for drop-outs, the disabled, or "bad" students. This is largely due to the school's origins. This may also stem from the school's reputation for illicit drug use among students and its location in a low-income district of Tallahassee. SAIL's students and staff are heavily active in combating these misconceptions of SAIL's purpose.
SAIL alumni have both been accepted into and graduated from such colleges and universities as Bard, New College, Ringling, MIT and Penn.[4] SAIL graduates have gone on to work in such fields as Music, Art, Publishing, Literature, IT, Education, Game Design, Cosmetology, Video Production, Web Design, private business, Law Enforcement, Private Security, and the United States military at both the officer and enlisted levels. Many SAIL alumni report that their positive experience at SAIL has helped them adapt more readily to the professional and academic communities than their peers who have attended traditional high schools. Some notable SAIL alumni include: