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FORT WAYNE — Although the physical building at Wayne High School may seem a little dated, the attitudes and methods at New Tech High School are far from it.
With a freshman class of 94 students, New Tech brings a twist to the traditional high school experience. The school uses a remodeled portion of Wayne High School on Winchester Road.
Teachers use project based learning in order for students to understand how to work on assignments together and turn it in on time. Each student has their own laptop computer to use during school and can check grades or use G-Mail to communicate with group members online. Watch the video here.
“At New Tech we learn to collaborate with people even if we don’t like them because in the real world we’re not going to like everyone we have to work with,” said Mary Cerajewski Tuesday during an open house at the new school.
Cerajewski enrolled at Bishop Luers High School before her parents learned of New Tech.
“My parents were so excited for me to go to here and when they told me I wasn’t sure about it at first,” she said. “But then I saw how New Tech was, what it was really like and it’s a great school.”
Classrooms where integrated chemistry, world studies, physics, environmental science and journalism have large tables with Internet and outlets for the student’s laptops. The tables are on wheels to easily move for working in groups.
Students are able to tell or show what they’re working on, how they’re graded, what the final project should be and how they’ll evaluated they’re group members.
For students like Logan Tino, New Tech offers a much needed change of pace.
Tino said he hated elementary and middle school because it was boring and easy. He bragged about sleeping through math class, while still getting an A.
“It really brings you up to date on what you’ll be doing in the future,” Tino said.
New Tech started in California in 1996 and more than 750 students have graduated from similar programs across the country.
There are no bells or hall passes for the students because school officials treat them like adults from the beginning.
And the lockers — where students keep iPods, cell phones and other valuables — don’t have any locks because the students trust one another. That trust also translates to students helping aiding others while working alongside one another.
“We’re responsible for each other because that’s our culture,” Cerajewski said.
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