For anyone considering attending Eagle Rock School, you should know that the number of days that remain to apply for spot in our May 2015 trimester is now down to the single digits. To be specific, Nov. 30 is the final day to get the paperwork in.
You should also know that gaining admission to the myriad classes, programs and life experiences offered students within the Eagle Rock community isn’t at all about filling out a checklist of the requirements necessary for entry. Fact is, if you or a teen you know is seriously considering applying to become a part of our campus life, our primary “requirement” is proof of a potential student’s willingness to jump in with both feet.
It’s not a matter of “What do I need to do to get in here?” The more important question is, “Are you happy with the direction your life is taking?” and more to the point, “What are you willing to do about it?”
Willingness is the key. We’re looking for students between 15 and 18 years of age who are willing to make the most of their high school experience — not just hang around for a diploma. Our applicants must display a willingness to actively pursue intellectual and personal growth, and must also be willing to persevere when faced with difficult personal and emotional challenges.
A secondary criterion is a willingness to attain personal achievement outside the classroom in a range of pursuits, including community service, creative and performing arts, athletics, working with educators through our Professional Development Center, and other extra-curricular areas.
If you’ve done any research on us at all, you know that Eagle Rock is not your average run-of-the-mill high school. A tip-off might be our location high in the Colorado mountains, adjacent to national forests, lakes, rivers and hiking trails.
But the biggest difference between us and say, Pocahontas Public High School in Peoria, Illinois, is that our unique setting enables students to participate in a unique method of learning that is pretty much stripped of traditional trappings. And while this can be very attractive to students who don’t fit a particular mold and wouldn’t consider marching to the sound of any drummer, there are some things you should know before applying:
- First off, despite what appears on the surface to be a lax, laissez faire atmosphere, entertain no doubt that we are a high school — not a therapy or treatment program. We place great value of academic rigor and personal growth and character.
- By the same token, we’re not a college prep school. Instead, we are a ‘prep for life’ school. We want our graduates to use their learning to better their immediate community and, by extension, their society.
- Nobody comes here who doesn’t want to be here. We don’t accept youngsters who are forced to be here by their parents.
- Eagle Rock isn’t the last house on the block. We aren’t an option in lieu of incarceration. We don’t need to fill seats, because we have the good fortune to have a large applicant pool that enables us to choose those we think best the school’s needs and mission at the time of application.
- Also not appropriate for admission are young people who are dependent on medications to modify their behavior in a significant way; have a mental health history; substance abuse history; eating disorder; suicide attempt; behavior management problems; or, a history of cutting.
What we’re looking for here at Eagle Rock are prospective applicants who will benefit most from our school’s resources — those who show a potential to contribute to our community, grow personally and academically, finish well and proceed to a lifetime of intellectual, personal and societal accomplishment.
Ready to apply? Remember, there are only nine (9) days left to get your application in for our next enrollment (May 2015). Application materials can be found online by clicking here for Eagle Rock School Admissions.
