• School Without Walls  
     
    School Without Walls Commencement Academy
    Call  Directions  Website
     
    Principal: Coretta Bridges | Coretta.Bridges@rcsdk12.org
    Assistant Principal: Lakisha Wilson | Lakisha.Wilson@RCSDK12.ORG
    Parent Contact: Freda Miller | Freda.Miller@rcsdk12.org
    Board Liaison: Willa Powell | Willa.Powell@rcsdk12.org
    School Chief: Dr. Carmine Peluso | Carmine.Peluso@rcsdk12.org

     School Improvement Plan  DASA Coordinator
     
    Program Information
    Start Time: 8:00 a.m.
    Dismissal Time: 3:00 p.m.
    Grade Level: 9-12
     
    School Without Walls is one of the oldest alternative high schools in the nation. It is a community of learners who hold each other to high standards of behavior, school culture, and academics. Learning is a lifelong endeavor in a community that supports academic excellence and social-emotional well-being. The community we use for learning and we expect
    our students to do extensive community service. Additionally, students are expected to excel in rigorous academics, as well as complete performance-based assessments in all subjects leading to a Regents diploma. Seniors complete yearlong senior projects, hold public exhibitions of their work, and defend their work to a rating/review panel that includes community experts, teachers, and other students. School Without Walls courses are not recognized by NCAA. Students anticipating a Division I or Division II athletic scholarship
    should take this into consideration before selecting School Without Walls.
     
    FACTS
    Uniforms: No
    Busing: RTS
    Foreign Languages: Spanish
    Advanced Placement (AP): English Language
    and Composition
    Health/Wellness Center: No
    Business/College/Faith Partnerships: Yes
    Student-Parent School Compact
    Agreement required: Yes
     
    SCHOOL FEATURES
    • Emphasizes critical thinking andresponsible citizenship with a focus on social justice issues.
    • Practices a learner-centered interdisciplinary philosophy in which the needs and interests of students, as well as the demands of society, form the school curriculum.
    • Supports graduation-by-exhibition in which students must prove, through project presentations and oral defenses, that they are competent and ready to enter college or the world of work.
    • Encourages students to pursue independent study projects and collegiate classes.
    • Requires students to give back to the community through 2.5 hours of volunteer service each week.
    • Provides opportunities for all students to be involved in the management of the school and in the decision-making and problem-solving of important schoolwide issues.
    • Requires all students to have an advisor who conducts personal student conferences every two weeks.

    CAREER PATHWAY PROGRAMS

    NYSED Approved CTE Programs

    • Fire Science at Rochester Educational Opportunity Center
    • Criminal Justice/Police at Rochester Educational Opportunity Center

    Shared-Time Programs

    • Intro to Career Pathways to Public Safety Program (Grade 11)
    • Emergency Medical Services at Rochester Educational Opportunity Center
    • Emergency Communications/911 at Rochester Educational Opportunity Center
    • Cosmetology Program at Rochester Educational Opportunity Center
    • Automotive at Edison
    • Construction at Edison

    Career Majors

    • Geographic Information Systems