Education at WIHS is supported by a system of community allies and elders that bring their unique life experience into the classroom. Intergenerational is when multiple generations come together. At WIHS, elders are valued members of our learning community. They provide social and emotional support, share wisdom, and connect with students both in and out of the classroom setting. Students also learn with elders and traditional providers who share business/trade skills, cultural knowledge, and historical wisdom. With intergenerational support from teachers, elders, and peers, WIHS students:

-Develop skills for college and career

-Plan for a meaningful and fulfilling life

-Learn with and from community

Whatcom Intergenerational High School is an equity-driven, tuition free, public Washington state charter school that opened for 9th and 10th graders in September 2021. WIHS is now serving 9th-11th grade and will start serving 12th grade in September 2023.

WIHS offers a unique and powerful educational opportunity where Whatcom County students are seen, heard, and valued. In collaboration with several Whatcom County non-profit organizations, WIHS is committed to creating a culture of inclusivity that supports students from all cultural backgrounds as they enjoy small class sizes in a positive learning environment.

WIHS’s elder co-mentorship program, the Intergenerational Learning Alliance (ILA), involves volunteer community members connecting with students on a weekly basis. We want to emphasize the co-mentorship aspect, because learning should not be one sided. As a learning community, we want all of our members to benefit from being involved. The elders who volunteer with us will have the opportunity to be involved in the school day, including the morning circles and the open afternoons designated for phenomenon-based learning. All Whatcom County elders are welcome to learn more about getting involved with the ILA!

We also highly encourage family involvement in students’ learning and in our community activities. For more information on the Intergenerational Learning Alliance and how you or someone you know could become a co-mentor, please see our Get Involved page.

WIHS provides a holistic and enriching academic experience to Whatcom County students who want a connected learning community and a say in what they are learning. Our curriculum is built to ensure students experience the personalized learning and support they need to thrive. This is done through a variety of innovative teaching methods, including:

– Phenomenon-Based Learning: Students co-create their learning experience, enabling them to pursue their passions, think critically, solve problems, and be creative. With the support and mentorship of teachers, elders, and community, this approach helps students develop a strong sense of individual and community culture while exploring real-world skills.

– Critical Literacy: This learning approach allows us to expand worldviews and foster better thinkers. Students are taught to understand that no text is neutral – bias is in everything. Critical Literacy is the ability to identify these biases and see the power dynamics in books, social media, music, art, news, and other resources. With this skill, students have a deeper understanding of what they are looking at and are able to design or redesign texts in their own powerful voices.

– FPPL and STI: WIHS incorporates the First Peoples Principles of Learning (FPPL) and Since Time Immemorial (STI) curriculum as a way of broadening perspectives, embracing ethical teaching, and drawing from the wisdom of different generations and cultures. Everything we do here at Whatcom Intergenerational High School is based on these guiding principles. This approach to learning ultimately supports the well-being of self, family, community, land, spirits, and all students’ cultural and ancestral experiences.

– Intergenerational Support: WIHS incorporates community elders into the structure of our school through the Intergenerational Learning Alliance (ILA). This program provides a space where generations can connect and combine life wisdoms to learn boldly together.

WIHS uses a competency-based grading system, meaning that students will receive a grade based on how well they demonstrate a particular skill or content standard. Students are evaluated on a 4 point scale; developing, emerging, proficient, and finally, mastery.

Although WIHS does not use traditional letter grades, our grading system will still translate to a traditional GPA for student transcripts and applications to college.

Yes! As a public school in WA, WIHS is authorized by the state. Therefore, students’ transcripts have the same standing as any other public high school. At WIHS students earn a minimum of 30 credits in order to graduate, and our transcript is recognized for acceptance into colleges and universities.

WIHS has the unique opportunity to be located at the Bellis Fair Mall. Here we will bring life and community to what is gradually becoming more of a community hub and less of a commercial center. We are excited to call the mall our new home and provide the following benefits to our students:

– An easily accessible learning center for students coming from Bellingham, Ferndale, and the county at large

– A non-isolated campus, with increased connectedness to the broader community

– Close proximity to our partnership organizations: the Makerspace, where all creative dreams come true, and Unbridled Spirit, where students and elders can connect with natural world

– Close Proximity to Whatcom Community College for college preparedness activities, community events and Running Start (earning college credit while in high school)

Yes! All WIHS students will receive free Whatcom Transit Authority (WTA) passes in order to bus to school. Ample parking is also available for drop-offs and student drivers.

WIHS is excited to build our small learning community that started as sixty 9th and 10th grade students for the 2021-2022 school year. As we expand the grade levels we serve, we aim to grow into a school of 120 students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2023-24 school year. Benefits of a small learning environment include more one-on-one time with teachers and a tight-knit sense of community.

Yes! WIHS provides all Special Education services identified in a student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP), and is committed to providing these services in the most inclusive environment. WIHS’s Special Education teacher, Erin O’Brien, serves as a Case Manager for students who receive services, and we contract for other related service providers.

Our school week will be Monday through Friday, 8:30am-3:30pm, with a unique daily structure that incorporates time for community building, interdisciplinary learning, and student designed learning experiences. School days begin with the chance for students to check in with themselves, teachers, and elders. Time is then dedicated to team taught core classes and deep, investigative learning. This is followed by time devoted to Phenomenon-Based Learning, where students are guided by teachers in designing their own explorations and learning experiences. These longer blocks of time allow students to investigate content from multiple perspectives, as well as deepen relationships among subjects.

Students and families may apply by submitting an interest form found on our website here. Once we receive your application, WIHS staff will work with your family and student’s previous school to transfer school records.

Enrollment is processed in the order received, as long as the maximum number of students has not yet been reached. Once full, students will be placed on a waiting list if needed. The waitlist functions as a lottery, with certain parameters to ensure equity.

YES! Charter schools are a type of public school. Like all public schools, they are open to all students, tuition-free, publicly funded, staffed by certified teachers, held accountable to state and national standards. In exchange for greater accountability, teachers and principals are given more flexibility to customize their teaching methods and curriculum to improve student learning, and have more flexibility around things like staffing and length of the school day and school year.

Parents and students choose to attend charter public schools. Public charter schools are free and open to ALL students. In some communities, traditional public schools are meeting the needs of local students. But not all communities are succeeding equally.

In Washington, African American, LatinX and Native American Students are scoring between 15-20 percent lower on state assessments. According to initial state-wide assessment data, students at Washington’s public charter schools are making impressive gains in reading and math.

Public charter schools are funded based on students enrollment, just like district public schools. If a student transfers from another public school to a charter public school, the costs and funding associated with educating that student follow that student to the charter school. Like any public school, charter public schools depend on a mix of federal and state funding. Unlike local district schools, charter schools do not receive support from local property tax levies.

Charter public school teachers must be certified, just like teachers at other public schools. Charter public school teachers have the right to unionize and collectively bargain for pay, benefits, and working conditions, just like teachers at other public schools. Teachers at charter public schools earn salaries competitive with traditional public schools and receive state employee benefits.