Our School

Charter schools must meet the requirements of a basic education as defined by Alberta Education and described in the provincial curriculum. Students write PATs and diploma exams, the same as public schools.

A day at the Holden Rural Academy will include in-class learning, as well as practical, hands-on learning.

After a morning devoted to core courses, students of age will be able to choose from a variety of projects, many of them off-campus. The entire afternoon will be devoted to that option. Students will be allowed to try a new opportunity or may continue in the same one.
• Sports: swimming, fitness training, baseball, dance, badminton.
• Fine Arts: Drama, Art Classes, Film Studies, Innovation Lab
• Automotive & HD Mechanics
• Woodshop/Construction
• Culinary Skills – in the commercial kitchen at the community hall
• Apprenticeship (RAP) or work experience, Green Certificate
• Interested in Horticulture, Photography, Accounting? We can facilitate online courses for almost any interest. We are planning to make space, supervision and assistance available to students taking online courses.
• Does your career pathway require a heavier academic load? Find the right balance of academic courses and off-campus opportunities that will help you succeed.

Our staff are working together with students and families to develop an education plan that has clear expectations for academic achievement, and helps students develop career goals.

Senior high students will have access to all courses required for a high school diploma.

Off-Campus Programming: Alberta Education has developed programs for vocational education. The school will facilitate the use of RAP (Registered Apprenticeship Program), Green Certificate, Dual Credit, Work Experience, job shadowing and career internships. CTS courses or locally developed courses will be offered to prepare students for successful off-campus placements.

Future plans include the development of an all-school project that would incorporate trades, technology, engineering, marketing, research and innovation. Students would develop a business plan, and work through complex decisions similar to what a small business owner would make, taking ownership of the business from idea conception to the sale of a physical product. We are developing an Innovation Lab that would incorporate fabrication and design, leading to sales and marketing. Our Ag program is looking at a 12-month greenhouse, providing local, fresh produce to the community.

A charter school is a public school that provides a basic education in a different or enhanced way to improve student learning and contributes to educational choice. They are governed by a charter board that is accountable to the students, parents, community and the Minister of Education.

A charter school is open to any students. The charter board determines an open and fair selection criteria for their school. This would be used if the enrolment exceeds the capacity of the program; an unlikely scenario in Holden!

Detailed information about charter schools is available from the Alberta government website: https://www.alberta.ca/charter-schools.aspx

Place-Based Education is a philosophy that recognizes students’ strong connections to their communities, and capitalizes on local community places and resources to provide an effective context for learning. It is grounded in real-world experience giving students opportunity to apply their learning to the real world.

“What Is Place-Based Learning?” Teaching the Hudson Valley

Learning that brings the students into the community and the community into the school.

Local experts will be invited to share an understanding of their branch of knowledge and the skills necessary for their field, enriching and deepening the learning experience for students.

Work-Based Learning applies the integration of school and community specifically to developing skills for workplace success. The school will cultivate strategies for building strong and productive relationships with tradespeople, businesses and industry, to partner in the education of students.

Links for further information about Place Based Education:

• What is Place-Based Education and Why Does it Matter?

• Knowing Place: Examining the Integration of Place-Based Learning in K-12 Formal Education

• What is Place-Based Learning?

• Place-Based Education – Engagement from the Student Perspective

• Place-Based Education: Improving Learning While Connecting Students to Community and Environment