Studio Design
Slope School's studios are a blend of the old and the new – a return to the community schoolhouses that built America – with the best of modern technology and 21st century organizational design.
In a tightly knit community bound by shared mission, promises and accountability, young people develop deep friendships and the skills to keep them for the long run.
Primary Studio
"Spark" — Ages 3-7
Success in Spark = Grow a unique, curious and independent spirit
The Primary Studio – Spark – is an authentic Montessori environment of whole child development: cognitive, physical, emotional and social. Children in Spark learn and discover through play and exploring natural interests. The Primary Studio also builds foundations of reading, goal setting and independent learning skills that prepare young people to soar in the Discovery Studio.
Elementary Studio
"Discovery" — Ages 7-11
Success in Discovery = Develop a deep love of learning and kindness in relationships with others
The Elementary Studio – Discovery – builds a foundation of learning and discovery through personalized Core Skills, exploratory Quest projects and play. Core Skills – reading, writing, math and computer science – are self-paced and mastery-based using adaptive technology. Students explore the arts, sciences, history and natural world through hands-on projects each afternoon. Simulations require teamwork, critical thinking and creativity. Meanwhile, plenty of free play binds the community together and builds problem solving and collaboration. Basic reading skills are a requirement for joining this studio.
Middle School Studio
"Adventure" — Ages 11-14
Success in Adventure = Work truly hard, develop real-world skills and adventure into the real world
Young people in the Middle School Studio – Adventure – begin to embark into the real world, with the thrilling opportunities and responsibility that come with it, including apprenticeships each year with heroes in the community. As young people grow into adolescence, their impact multiplies. Now, projects have real clients, skills are developed with rigor, and discussions embrace a new maturity. Adventure Studio offers a higher level of freedom, as well as a safe place to test your limits, failing early, cheaply and often.
High School Studio
"Launchpad" — Ages 14-18
Success in Launchpad = Discover a next step in your Hero's Journey so you launch out of high school with a vision and a calling that could change the world
Our High School Studio – Launchpad – will launch in coming years, as founding students from the lower studios mature to build this fast-paced work environment. Launchpadders get ready for real-world success by gaining valuable skills, mastering them through apprenticeships, and launching real startups, businesses and projects – whether that's in business, science, humanities, or the arts. Apprenticeships increase in length and complexity, so by the time a young person leaves Launchpad they have a portfolio of real-world work to prove what they can do.