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CityView High School: downtown CRCSD magnet uses project-based learning, small cohorts
Summary
CityView High School, a two-year-old Cedar Rapids Community School District magnet inside the Economic Alliance building, offers a small, project-based alternative to traditional high schools with an emphasis on community partnerships, internships and student-directed learning.
CityView High School, a Cedar Rapids Community School District magnet program located on the ground floor of the Economic Alliance building downtown, markets itself as a small, project-based alternative to traditional high schools.
The school opened two years ago and currently enrolls about 75 students, with leaders saying the intended design is to remain much smaller than other high schools while eventually targeting roughly 50 students per grade level in its model. Trevor Templeman, a CityView teacher, said the open, nontraditional space and partnerships with local organizations let students “learn everywhere all the time.”
The program emphasizes student-directed learning and community engagement. “We could spend a lot of time with students, engaging in the community more broadly, getting students as often as possible to lead the school building to learn from professionals, from people who are doing the work that they're curious about,” Templeman said. He described a mix of in-school advisory and project work, plus outside opportunities such as Kirkwood Community College classes and internships with local organizations.
Student Lisonbee Klosterman said the flexible pace mattered to her decision to attend CityView. “I was homeschooled for 2 years in middle school … I was comfortable learning on my own and directing my own learning. So when I heard about CityView, I was interested by the idea of being able to learn at my own pace and choose what I wanted to learn,” Klosterman said.
CityView leaders cited a range of local partners and projects used as learning sites, including the Economic Alliance (with which the school shares space), Kirkwood Community College classes for college credit, and collaborations with the public library, Grow/Kasemore Farms, Kenwood Elementary and community employers. The school also organizes field visits; Templeman described a recent student-council trip to the Iowa State Capitol where students met legislators, toured the rotunda and prepared questions about legislation as part of government-course standards.
Administrators pointed to an exhibition night scheduled for May 28 when students will showcase projects completed during the year. For parents and students considering CityView, Templeman said the district website and the school’s Facebook page contain enrollment and magnet-lottery information, and encouraged interested families to email him for more information.
