Chaffee County High School (CCHS) is undergoing a facelift that is revolutionizing the way students are educated by preparing them for the real world in ways few schools are able to do.
With Principal Christine Bailey at the helm, CCHS is remodeling its approach to helping students not only graduate from high school but succeed in life outside the classroom.
Chaffee County High School new main classroom site is still awaiting alarm system sign-off. Photo by Landon James.
With a newly renovated schoolhouse located beside the football fields and behind the Buena Vista High School awaiting its opening day, Bailey is taking the original CCHS model and tailoring it to fit the specific needs of her students.
Although the new structures are ready to go, CCHS is waiting on review approval for their alarm system which would allow them to occupy the learning space. The plans have been with the Colorado Department of Fire Prevention since March of 2022 and just made it to the reviewer last week, according to BV School District Superintendent Lisa Yates.
In the meantime, CCHS has been meeting in various local locations including the BV Community Center and spare classrooms inside the Buena Vista High School to allow their students to begin the school year on time.
“They’re ready to come back to school because we’re a familiar place for them,” explained Bailey.
Despite the red tape, CCHS’s mission of education beyond the classroom is assuredly in full swing.
Called “the Sprung”, this large, temporary structure for other school activities is connected to the main CCHS building. Photo by Landon James.
CCHS has three full-time staff members; a Dean of Students, Campus Manager, and Principal. Bailey says that CCHA is offering a style of education that, she says, should be commonplace in more middle school and high school classrooms throughout the country. With an educational model designed to help students excel at life, instead of relying simply upon grades and test scores, the CCHS model appears to be an alternative education resource that students in Buena Vista are lucky to have.
With 20 students currently enrolled, CCHS offers incredibly specialized one-on-one education and counseling that, according to Bailey, seeks to unearth each student’s passion and run with it, as well as provide a core education consistent with contemporary learning models.
CCHS’s learning model consists of two modules: 1. Online classes, and 2. Competencies (with leadership levels). Students participate in online classes for no more than two periods a day and then spend the rest of their day engaging in what Bailey calls “competencies”.
Competencies are designed to teach key personal and life skills Bailey says are necessary to succeed in the real world after graduation from CCHS. These classes include a range of skill sets; from how to balance a budget, tailoring a resume, basic automotive maintenance, and various other skills that are often left out of standard education models and schools.
The Competencies learning module is broken down into six categories, each teaching a different competency:
1. Discovery
2. Advisory
3. Post-Secondary Readiness
4. Community Service
5. Colorado Department of Education (CDE) Approved Assessment
6. Projects
For instance, “Discovery” involves teaching students effective group skills including communication, problem-solving, anger management, and more. “Advisory” challenges students to “demonstrate executive functioning skills, personal wellbeing, interpersonal skills, and real-world connections,” according to Bailey.
Post-Secondary Readiness is designed to help students “demonstrate readiness for life after high school through interest surveys, postsecondary and workforce goals, resumé building and postsecondary opportunity applications, a financial plan and budget, goal monitoring, and a transition plan,” said Bailey.
Students are required to complete at least five hours of community service each semester they are enrolled at CCHS. Community service opportunities offered during school include Ark Valley Humane Society, the BV Heritage Museum, Adopt-A-Grandparent, Food Backpacks, Mini Blessings, and more.
CDE-Approved Assessment requires students to “demonstrate competency by meeting benchmarks on the SAT, ASVAB, and/or Word Keys assessments” according to Bailey. Each student is given the opportunity to take these examinations at CCHS.
The final Competencies category is called Projects. It involves four sections designed to be completed in sequence as students progress through CCHS’s program:
101 Stretch Yourself Project
201 Life Skills Project
301 Community-Based Projects
401 Passion Project
The Stretch Yourself Project is often done within the first month of school at CCHS and requires the student to choose something they would like to learn more about and independently explore. Through goal-setting and time-management guides, students will effectively learn about their topic of choice and execute their project within a month. Students typically complete several of these Stretch Yourself Projects throughout their time at CCHS.
The Life Skills Project involves students picking one of five pre-planned projects selected by Bailey and her staff. Each project will last one to two months and will be designed to develop and hone an essential life skill. The project categories include technology, business, construction, cooking, and automotive.
The Community-Based Projects last two to three months and requires students to choose a Buena Vista community partner with which to execute a project. Mentors and teachers will help guide the students as they use their Life Skills Project as groundwork.
The Passion Project is the final project students at CCHS are required to complete. This involves students choosing a topic they would like to pursue after graduating from CCHS. Students design the project from scratch, find necessary resources and give status reports to their mentor along the way.
To instill confidence in learning, the Competencies section involves no grading system, but rather a rubric that awards points based on the completion of each section/class in the program.
“We’re doing as much as we can to get away from graduating by just checking boxes”, explained Bailey.
Each Competency is divided into four colored advancement levels:
1. White – The Coachable Student
2. Red – The Engaged Participant
3. Yellow – The Independent Learner
4. Green – The Leader
All CCHS students must complete all of their Competencies through the green level in order to graduate.
In order to graduate, students must complete their Competencies as well as 30 credits in four academic and educational categories:
1. Core Academic Credits
2. Life Skills Credits
3. Wellbeing Credits
4. Elective Credits
Bailey emphasizes that the whole point of CCHS is to connect students with classes and projects they’re passionate about, while simultaneously educating and preparing them for the real world outside of their school walls.
This building will serve as a CCHS gymnasium and additional classrooms for topics such as science. Photo by Landon James.
Along the way, she explains, regular mentor and advisory meetings are scheduled to check in with students and their progress on both their core classes and competencies. Even more, these advisory sessions seek to understand the students on a deeper level so their learning experience can be tailored to their specific passions and needs.
“We remove excuses and provide opportunities”, said Bailey, She adds that in addition to the core academic and competencies learning modules, CCHS strives to make all students effective critical thinkers, problem solvers, empathetic, and effective communicators.
As of now, CCHS consists of two buildings. The first building is a small black and grey, metal-sided schoolhouse located directly beside the football fields, behind the Buena Vista High School. This is the main schoolhouse where classes, advisory sessions, staff offices, and some group activities will occur.
Located beside the schoolhouse is a large, white, bulbous building called The Sprung. This building will serve as a gymnasium and additional classrooms for topics such as science. Together, students will have ample space for learning and activities without requiring interaction with the Buena Vista High School.
As Bailey and her staff await review approval to officially open their doors in their new space, CCHS will continue to deliver its remarkably unique and effective brand of personalized education in whatever spaces they can find within town that suit their needs. Without a doubt, the students that enter CCHS leave with an education far beyond their books and learning modules.
Christine Bailey says she and her staff are preparing their students to be successful in a world where lessons are often never taught or must be learned the hard way. In many aspects, CCHS isn’t offering an alternative education, but one that students everywhere deserve the opportunity to try, regardless of grades or test scores.
Editor’s Note: CCHS was at the center of parental concerns last year, when the Buena Vista School District sold the building where the school had been located. It is hoped that this marks a new and successful chapter in the life of the school.
CORRECTION: Chaffee County High School Principal Christine Bailey was incorrectly identified in this story as Christine Taylor. Reporter’s error, for which Ark Valley Voice apologizes.
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