What is a student showcase?

A student showcase is simply a showcase of students sharing what they have learned. Every twelve weeks, we ask students to create something they can share with others as a demonstration of the learning they have done. Not in addition to the test—everything they did to prepare for tonight was the test. This is our students’ work: the culminating demonstration of their interest, initiative, struggle, ideas, discovery, learning, and understanding.

We support students on their learning journey, and we don’t ‘prop them up’ by having them do only things we assign: we invite them to create things that don’t exist.

It takes risk. It includes a fair share of failure and, ‘wait, how do I do that?’ Or ‘Um, was I supposed to do that first?’ It is incredibly vulnerable. It is a journey that includes both disappointment and discouragement. And, it is a journey of growth, of building skills and confidence; of discovering interests, and beliefs, and limits; of learning alongside others, and finding friendships and mentors along the way. Sometimes the growth happens really fast. Often it takes time. But it is always good. Because doing things—trying to do things—helps us become the best version of who we actually are.

This is Waterloo. Real. Honest. Difficult. Good. If you know a high school student looking to learn for life, let them know about us.

Waterloo Business Class

What does it take to bring a product to market?

In Waterloo Business, we worked to bring to market items to sell in the Saturday SoCo Farmers Market that gathers every week here on the front lawn. Students developed and pitched business ideas, negotiated funding and repayments, and learned how difficult and rewarding it can be to launch a business. A key question students returned to again and again was the question of how to balance creativity with real world constraints.

She Walks In Beauty

Trinity Collister, Christlyn Bailey, Naomi Rees, Mirabelle Moore, Margaret Dwelle
She Walks In Beauty Website

SoCo Sticker Co.

Caroline Carter, Andrea Mosher, Reilley Noell
SoCo Sticker Co. Website

The Berry Bar

Sam Shortt
The Berry Bar Website

Treats for Texans

Sophia Josephine Gonzalez, Jackson Bonnet
Treats for Texans Website

Hammer & Pickle

Hondo Reilley, Kade Barber, Ethan Simpson, James Christiano

Biology

The Breakdown Podcast

How Does the Teenage Body Work?

Biology students have explored the relationships between cellular processes and the overall function of systems in the body. We took our understandings to create a podcast series dedicated to the biology of a teenager. What is so unique about this time in their development? How does the development of the teenage brain relate to so many behaviors of the teenager? Tune in to our episodes as our class answers these and many more questions.

Link to The Breakdown Podcast

Episodes:

Biology of the Teenage Brain by Elise Ponder and Juliana Casillas

Sleep and Teenagers by Diego Fernandez and Gabe Gomez

Social Media and Teenagers by Sophia Delgado and Eden Riffee

Stress and Teenagers by Freddy Christiano

Drugs and Teenagers by Yassiel Northcutt and Cinco Fernandez

ADHD and Teenagers by Hailey Daspit

A Proper Diet for Teenagers by Henry Smith

Sex, Spirituality, and Teenage Mind by Georgiana Strickland and Olivia Reeser

The Effects of Pornography on the Teenage Mind by Ella Lovins

Capstone Projects

(Video content will be available soon)

What issues and ideas are important to our juniors?

Our students are tomorrow’s leaders, solvers, contributors. We invited our juniors to pursue a topic of importance to them and present it to a small group of peers and adults in a local business conference room where they not only share their learning and perspective, but facilitate a discussion. Junior Capstone Projects culminate a twelve-week focused period of study. These projects will be a memorable and challenging milestone for our Juniors as they prepare for college and for work.

Christlyn Bailley—KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD: 
Advocating Support For Local Austin Businesses and preservation of Austin’s local economy, in light of the increasing pressures on central-Austin commercial real-estate.
Thursday, March 5, Holland & Knight Attorneys

Kade Barber—DATA DUTY:
Exploring the Moral Question of Government Data Surveillance 
Tuesday, March 3, Texas Energy Lobby

Caroline Carter—WATER YOU DOING ABOUT
WATER CRISIS? 
Considering the Crucial Actions We Can Do to Prepare. Raising awareness and calling for improved strategies to handle safe, 
Wednesday, March 4, Cushman Wakefield Realtors

James Christiano—ENCOURAGING ELECTRIC:
Comparing Fossil Fueled and Electric Powered Automobiles 
Tuesday, March 3, Texas Energy Lobby

Trinity Collister–THROWING AWAY THE
KEY:
Shifting the Criminal Justice System From a Punitive Culture to a More Restorative Culture
Advocating a  strategy for teen-criminals.
Monday, March 9, Texas Energy Lobby

Ella Foulkrod—2:19
Protecting Those Who Cannot Protect Themselves.
Raising awareness and calling for increased efforts toward rehabilitation of child sex trafficking victims.
Wednesday, March 4, Cushman Wakefield Realtors

Mirabelle Moore—KNOW YOUR NUMBER: 
How the Enneagram Can Help Your Relationships. Explaining the history and uses of the Enneagram in light of both criticisms and celebrations of it
Thursday, March 5, Holland & Knight Attorneys

Andrea Mosher—WHY 0 FOR 1 ISN’T THE END
OF THE WORLD:
How Growth Mindset can help you achieve your goals. Advocating and promoting a growth mindset among teens and adults
Friday, March 6, 2020, Cushing Terrell Architects

Reilly Noell—BENEFITS OR BURDENS: 
Evaluating the Economics of Employer Sponsored Health Insurance. A look at our nation’s healthcare situation in light of increasing popularity of a single payer system.
Friday, March 6, 2020, Cushing Terrell Architects