Reaching the whole person demands that we engage the entire educational triangle - what students know, what they feel, and what they do.We are intentional about showing students what it means to be leaders, then taking them outside the classroom to put these skills to work in the world around them.
Here are just a few examples of programs developed to help prepare our students for lives of purpose:
Discipleship-Oriented Bible Curriculum: Our recently updated Bible curriculum is designed to inspire, challenge, and equip students to know Christ more intimately, dramatically impacting them from the inside out. Carefully woven into the curriculum are experiential elements that will give our students the chance to put what they are learning into practice, giving them the opportunity to discover firsthand that what they are learning about God is real and applicable to their lives.
Mentoring Program: We are implementing a mentoring program that will support and encourage students' spiritual development, challenging them to grow in maturity and purpose. These mentors will be committed to supporting their students during their final two years of high school and their critical first year in college.
Applicable and Purposeful Leadership Development: Leadership development will occur organically as all of our staff looks for ways to integrate leadership training throughout the curriculum. Our school will be a resource and hub for leaders in the community, providing our students with access to people who will inspire and encourage them as young leaders. Intentional efforts to teach leadership skills will occur in the junior and senior years, capped off with a semester course devoted to servant leadership training and a final project that incorporates leadership principles discussed in the classroom. In the process students will develop a vision for the next four years of their lives.
Westside Outside - Service learning: Westside Outside, a program unique to Westside, takes students beyond the classroom, where they are encouraged to engage in an "open-heart" encounter by serving poor, oppressed, and hurting people in our community and around the world. In the process they develop a heart of compassion, discover what is important in God's economy, and prepare for a greater purpose in their life. Key Westside Outside activities include a yearly three-week mission trip to Thailand, participation in our annual Get Out Serve Day, assistance with Special Olympics, and a one-week adventure serving the homeless right here in Portland with Bridgetown Ministries.
Click here to learn more about our Westside Outside program.