Reno’s new alternative high school seeks students

Teens looking for an education that’s a bit removed from the mainstream may want to check out a new charter school in Reno—Rainshadow Community Charter High School.

At Rainshadow, students will learn less from textbooks and more from guest speakers like local entrepreneurs and university professors. They’ll go on field trips and embark on intriguing hands-on projects. In one learning activity, students will adopt a “quality-of-life” indicator and monitor it in the Truckee Meadows.

“The idea is to get kids out of the school and into the world to get things done that are worth doing,” says co-founder Stephen Lafer, associate professor of education at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Rainshadow is now accepting applications for the 80 student openings for high school freshmen through seniors. The school offers small, personalized classes with a 20-1 student-teacher ratio. Like other publicly funded charter schools, there is no charge for tuition or books.

Lafer and Stephen Tchudi, former chairman of UNR’s English department, teamed up with Jerry Keir, director of the Great Basin Institute, to create what they expect will be a new kind of interactive learning environment.

The school was put on hold for a year after its initial charter was rejected by the Washoe County School Board. In April 2002, the school board denied an application for Rainshadow, despite the qualifications of founders Lafer and Tchudi, who literally co-wrote the book, The Interdisciplinary Teacher’s Handbook, on this mode of instruction.

The educators resubmitted a curriculum for Rainshadow last May and the school’s charter was approved.

To find out more about the school or download an application for enrollment, visit the Rainshadow Web site, www.rainshadowcchs.org or call 322-5566.