Our Design Foundations
Foundational to all we do at Compass is the growth and development of the skills of Effective Questioning, Emotional Intelligence, Design Thinking, and Community Collaboration. Students build this skill set through deep dives into subject-area content standards and community-engaged projects.
Effective Questioning
All students are expected to be ACTIVE participants in exploring their interests, asking questions, and engaging in creating the life they want. Compass is for curious and courageous learners who embrace problems and collaborate with their community to solve them.
Emotional Intelligence
At Compass, we have a full-time social-emotional learning expert on staff and integrate social-emotional learning into everything we do. We KNOW that no matter what the future holds, emotional intelligence and expert self-management skills will help our students thrive.
Design Thinking
What do Apple, Google, Stanford, Harvard, MIT—and Compass—all have in common? They embrace Design Thinking, an innovative method for coming up with creative solutions to complex problems. Also coined Humanity-Centered Design, students learn Design Thinking and apply it to developing Venture Projects and charting their future.
Community Collaboration
We integrate community connections throughout our school—both by bringing partners into the school, and getting our students out and about in the community. It's easier to enter the “real world” if your school is a real part of it.
How You Learn Matters
When you visit Compass, you will find the colorful banners below displayed throughout the building. They are a continual reminder of what we strive for. From "going above and beyond" to "writing with purpose" to "listening openly", we aim high.