Headwaters: The Next Stage in High School Integrated Programming

In 2006, the grade 12 program "Headwaters" was initiated and offered the following four courses: (1) Environment and Resource Management; (2) Canadian Literature; (3) Outdoor Activities; and (4) Interdisciplinary Studies. The author has always described the program as simply "school." The teachers teach curriculum courses outlined by the Ministry of Education. They are certified teachers hired by the public school system, and they support students to continue to play sports or music with their home schools. Their integrated programs are not intended to exist in isolation, but rather to support and enhance the educational possibilities for those in their community. The skills and lessons they impart are meant to be "taken back" and used in each student's home school, university or college. The overall theme of the Headwaters program is "A Journey to the Source." They attempt, metaphorically, to journey farther upstream, to the source of environmental and community problems, and to the source of solutions for a sustainable future. (Contains 2 endnotes.) [The full version of this article was first published in "Pathways," vol. 19, no. 3, p14-19 (2007).]