Juno1
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed
Big Screen — Movie commentary
Blurt — Music's inside track
Booze News — San Diego spirits
Classical Music — Immortal beauty
Classifieds — Free and easy
Cover Stories — Front-page features
Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes
Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts
Feast! — Food & drink reviews
Feature Stories — Local news & stories
Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore
From the Archives — Spotlight on the past
Golden Dreams — Talk of the town
The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it
Letters — Our inbox
Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites
Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans
Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists
Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news
News Ticker — News & politics
Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated
Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna
Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated
Poetry — The old and the new
Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers
Reading — The hunt for intellectuals
Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails
San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds
SD on the QT — Almost factual news
Sheep and Goats — Places of worship
Special Issues — The best of
Street Style — San Diego streets have style
Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves
Theater — On stage in San Diego this week
Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative
Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work
Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego
Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads
Your Week — Daily event picks
Is High Tech High at Liberty Station smoke and mirrors?
I also am a parent of both a graduate and current student at HTHI. While my boys are very different from each other, the school met, and continues to meet, their unique needs. Truly, for my older son the school was life changing, as a matter of fact, his college essay was about how much HTHI helped him evolve into the passionate, engaged, learner that he has become. Certainly, the project based environment, where there is less structure, is not for everyone...but it worked for him. As an example, when he was in the 11th grade he asked if he could sit in on the 12th grade calculus class while he did his art projects. He was welcomed to do it as long as the art got done. He spent the second semester in his junior year sitting at the back of the room on the floor during art class listening to a teacher who inspired him. Turns out that my son’s passion for neuroscience came from this teacher in this less than traditional way. In his senior year he spent his month internship at a world renowned lab where they are doing research on stem cells and Alzheimer’s. What an experience! ( He was, btw asked to come back and intern over the summer, which he did.) Talk about project based learning and real world connection at its best! He is now at a CSU, majoring in Biology, and he is struggling along with the rest of them!! In other words, he is doing just fine. My other son is driven. His intellect and soul are being fed beautifully at HTHI. In 11th and 12th grade they are offered honors classes and he will be taking the AP test this year in history. In addition, they offer college classes in the 12th grade...visiting professors come in to teach and college credits given. The beauty of a project based environment, the sky is the limit as far as learning goes. This, is a key piece of the puzzle. These kids are expected to own, and be an active participant, in their education. Are there kids that do the absolute minimum and don’t really care? Yes, just like in any school. Although I have seen the HTH system work its magic on my eldest, it is not a magic pill. I think that is what some people expect it to be. It is our responsibility, as parents, to be on top of things. HTH has always been very open about what gets covered, or not covered, in project based learning. What the kids learn, they learn in depth. But, it is impossible to ‘teach’ 548 pages of textbook information in a semester with project based learning - and so there will be holes. Here’s the thing, we all knew that going in. Anyone, parent or student, who is surprised simply wasn’t listening. If you want to fill in the holes it is up to you to supplement. For my family it is well worth it.— September 29, 2013 3:47 p.m.