A LETTER FROM THE FOUNDING SCHOOL LEADER
Dear New Harmony Family,
Welcome to the fourth year at New Harmony High School! We are thrilled you’ve decided to return to, or to become part of, the New Harmony family. While we spent most of last year learning virtually, we are excited to be rolling toward a careful, safe return to in-person learning this year. Thank you in advance for your patience, your trust, and your belief in us as we get to know each other, ourselves, and our community. We can’t wait to spend the year together.
This coming year will mark a very special occasion for New Harmony: our first graduating class of 2022! There is so much buzz surrounding this momentous occasion. We can’t wait to celebrate our seniors!
In this handbook you’ll find resources and information to make your experience the best it can be. First you’ll find our vision and mission– the piece that binds us to our greater community and each other. Next you’ll find Board Member and Staff/Faculty information that will allow you to get in touch with teachers and helpful staff members. The calendar as we currently know it is published too, but always check newharmonyhigh.org for the latest version. You’ll get to read our Graduate Profile– our greatest hopes for skills our students will have when they graduate from New Harmony. Academic policies follow. You’ll find a matrix for our planned credit progression for students who enter as 9th graders with no high school credits. We recognize our students have individual needs, and will conference with families around individual graduation plans. Our school policies should clear up any other questions you may wonder about, especially dress code, attendance and technology use. Finally, we address behavior norms and discipline, including state law that keeps us in compliance as a Type 2 public charter school in Louisiana. We have included all of our COVID policies, following all recommendations from BESE, the CDC, and Louisiana Department of Health.
Please reach out if you have questions or concerns. My door is always open for conversation!
Looking forward to a beautiful year,
Sunny
Our Vision
New Harmony High School empowers each student to actively direct their own learning. As our name suggests, students will work to find new harmonies in order to restore balance that has been lost in our coastal communities, finding new ways of sustaining ourselves in an uncertain future.
Learning at New Harmony happens through the lens of coastal restoration and preservation. Each student works on relevant, rigorous projects, and engages with the community through interest-based fellowships, working alongside mentors on real problems.
Students graduate as individuals who practice resilience and understand ecology – the interconnectedness of people, land, air, and water. They are prepared for college, career, and beyond, knowing they have already made a significant impact here in Louisiana.
Our Mission
New Harmony High School educates diverse problem solvers rooted in their communities and informed by a greater social and environmental context.
Our Values
We are connected to the environment and each other.
Our work is relevant and rigorous.
We value relationships.
We seek balance.
We prepare for the future.