1. Minarets High School and
Minarets Charter High School
Paving the way for the 21st century

2. History of Minarets
✤ Minarets is the first and only High School in Chawanakee
Unified School District. Before the school was built, students in
district would travel 45 minutes to Sierra High school or 30
minutes to Yosemite High school. For more than 20 years there
was a push from the community to build a high school of their
own. In 2008, that dream was realized with the creation of
Minarets High School.
✤ The permanent campus was built and began housing students
in the Fall of 2009.
✤ In 2011, Minarets Charter High School was created in order to
facilitate the growing number of inter-district transfers.

3. School Profile
✤ Minarets High School is a comprehensive public high school that is project-based, tech-
centered (one-to-one laptop program), student-oriented and career-focused. Minarets
High School is an extension of the commitment of the current Chawanakee Unified
School District policies that emphasize innovation and creativity along with rigorous
academics.
✤ From its inception, Minarets High School was to be unique—a school based on
individual learning and truly being student-centered in all aspects. The rural school’s
curriculum is technology and project-based. Class time is spent according to student
needs and is shaped by student opinions, thinking, sharing, collaborating and
researching. All students will be successful and will know the adults care about them.
Learning is challenging and represents real, professional work. Students work toward
higher order thinking skills as they ask questions, defend their answers, and apply their
understandings.

4. School Mission
✤ Mission: Minarets High School is a new type of school for a new type of student, where
21st century digital learners are individually welcomed. These students are challenged
through a project-based, high-tech, career-focused and student-oriented educational
environment.
✤ Vision: While incorporating the guiding principles of Rigor, Relevance, Relationships
and Engagement, Minarets High School will continually work towards being a model
21st century high school. Minarets will integrate technology, digital learning models,
student-centered learning and young professionalism.

7. Culture
•We work hard to stress that
our school is not just about
technology. It is about
relevance, rigor, and
relationships.
•We believe in giving students
the opportunity to create,
learn, and make an impact
on their community.
•We spend the first week of
school just on culture.

8. Parent Quotes
From Surveys
✤ Outstanding education begins with outstanding educators. I consider the Minarets administration and
staff to be exceptional. These individuals consistently communicate respect to adolescent students.
The result is "school engagement," an academic variable describing adolescent ownership of the
educational process and culture. Kids with "school engagement" show resilience against substance
abuse, status offenses, risky sexual behavior, delinquent behavior, and peer aggression. Better, they
thrive and become productive members of the academic community, realizing unique gifts and
gaining self-esteem. This single variable captures more statistical variance than any other in research
on positive youth development. Minarets is a national case study on how to promote school
engagement.
✤ Teacher engagement with the students is the best I have seen anywhere in the world. I have six
children and my youngest is attending Minarets. My other children have attended highly rated
schools in Washington, DC, American Schools in Argentina, Spain, and Japan, and several other
regions in the U.S. So far, I also like the balance placed on the "testable basics" and additional
breadth and depth of subjects that will provide a rich foundation for my child's future.

9. Student Quotes
From Surveys
✤ "Minarets is a school were the students are actually listened to and there thoughts are
heard."
- 10th Grader Kristle Wilson
✤ "Looking towards the future is what most people aim for; Minarets has made us look
into ourselves. That is where OUR futures lie."
– 10th Grader James Gonzalez
✤ “Minarets is preparing us for the world ahead and providing us that world today.”
– 11th Grader Chelsea Green

10. Recent Awards
Finalists for the National
Championship in Parliamentary
Procedure in FFA

11. Tools Used

12. Demographics
✤ General School Breakdown
✤ Enrollment: 490
✤ Free and Reduced Lunch: 39%
✤ Socioeconomic Disadvantaged: 39%
✤ Students with Disabilities: 13.3%
✤ English Learners: 0%
✤ 48% Female; 52% Male

13. Ethnicity Breakdown
✤ American Indian 9.6%
✤ Asian 1.4%
✤ Hispanic/Latino
16.5%
✤ African American 1%
✤ White 71.1%%

14. English 9th Grade

15. English 10th Grade

16. Algebra 1 9th Grade

17. Algebra 2 9th Grade

18. Geometry 10 Grade

19. World History 10th Grade
World History 2012
MHS- 62% Proficient and
Advanced
MCHS- 78% Proficient and
Advanced

20. ✤ We interrupt this presentation to bring you a real and
relevant historical experience for students.....

22. Biology 9th Grade

23. Earth Science 9th Grade

24. ✤ 2011 Comparisons to Madera County and
the state of California

25. English 9th

26. English 10th

27. Algebra 1

28. Algebra 2

29. Geometry

30. World History

31. Biology

32. Earth Science

33. Language Arts AYP 2009-2011
There were no hispanic or
American Indian students
tested in 2009-2010

34. Math AYP 2009-2011
There were no Hispanic
students tested in 2009-2010

35. 2011 API Results
Information found from the California
Department of Education

36. API Ratings
✤ California State
Average API for
9-12 was 742.
✤ The API of
Minarets was 754.
✤ The Average for
Madera County
(Six large high
schools was 751.66.
✤ Preliminary results
show that 2012
brought significant
growth for MCHS

37. Response to Intervention

38. Tier 1- Be Proactive
✤ Students at Minarets are taught and have to review the school
philosophies during culture week at the beginning of the
school year.
✤ Minarets is public. Parents and students are always informed
as to what is going on and how students are doing.
✤ Project based learning enables students to use creativity and
their talents to succeed. This counteracts the frustration of
students manifesting itself in the classroom.
✤ One on one time is maximized because teachers are often free
to help students instead of lecturing for the majority of the
period.

39. Tier 2- A Team Succeeds
✤ Yellow Group- You are limiting
yourself.
✤ SST/504
✤ Peer Mentoring
✤ Teacher communication/
planning
✤ Call home
✤ Academic Rehab

40. Tier 3- Lets Do This!
✤ IEP- Time with specialized staff. Plans personalized and presented
by students to staff and parents.
✤ Intense individual focus with student.
✤ Regular meetings with the Director of the Charter, Principal and
counselor to check progress.
✤ Work/Behavior Contract
✤ Red Group

41. Sources
✤ edresults.org
✤ cde.ca.gov