Crosswinds East Metro Arts and Science School

Crosswinds East Metro Arts and Science School is a year-round arts and science magnet school located in Woodbury, Minnesota. Crosswinds focuses on cultural diversity, alternative learning styles, and environmental science as the foundations of its education. It provides academic and artistic opportunities for students from urban and suburban neighborhoods to achieve continuing success in a year-round program. The school district to which Crosswinds belongs, called the East Metro Integration District (EMID), consists of 10 school districts in and around the Saint Paul area. Crosswinds is certified by the International Baccalaureate Organization for the IB Middle Years Program. As a certified IBO MYP school, Crosswinds teaches students from ages 11 to 16 (grades 6 through 10). The head of the school is Bryan Bass.

Houses

The student body of Crosswinds is divided into six houses. These houses are called Sun, Sol, Earth, Pangaea, Water, and Aquarius.

• Sun: As of 2004, Sun House contains only students in sixth grade.
• Sol, Earth, Pangaea: The Sol, Earth, and Pangaea houses contain students in 7th and 8th grade. The students are sorted into their houses randomly.
• Water: The Water house contains students in 9th grade.
• Aquarius: Aquarius contains students in 10th grade.

Schedule: The Crosswinds calendar is divided into four quarters, and each quarter is separated by a month of break. The effect of this is that crosswinds is a year-round school, with school in June and July. Instead of a traditional summer vacation, Crosswinds students have the months of November, February, May, and August off. Students have the option to take elective classes called "intersession" during these break periods.

Mission

Crosswinds aims to offer artistic and academic opportunities to children from urban and suburban neighborhoods. Crosswinds strives to create a culturally diverse environment where each student's individual learning style is recognized. The school also places emphasis onto the study of the environment.

Art

Crosswinds teaches art as the primary way in which its students interact with the world. Crosswinds has two major art classes, called classical art and technical art. The school has four music classes, called world music, computer music, songwriting, and 20th century music. It also has a band, choir, and orchestra, and a drama class.

Science

Crosswinds teaches science with hands-on, inquiry-based experiments. Each house of crosswinds has its own science lab.

Administration and faculty

The head of the school is Bryan Bass. There are 41.5 full-time teachers at Crosswinds. Ratemyteachers.com has rated Crosswinds' teachers at 4.5 out of 5.

Environment

Crosswinds is located next to a farm in Woodbury, MN. The building is surrounded by forest and wildlife.

Statistics and Data

Crosswinds has a student body of 536 students. It has a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.9:1. The student population by race is divided into 52.2% White children, 26.7% Black, 11.2% Hispanic, 8.4% Asian and 1.5% Native American.

International Baccalaureate

Crosswinds has been certified as an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program School since July 2007. The school teaches the IBO Areas of Interaction, five themes that appear within all curriculum. The Areas of Interaction are as follows:

1. Approaches to Learning -- (how we learn and communicate information). This Approach focuses on learning styles and is informed by the theory of multiple intelligences
2. Community and Service -- (our relationship with and responsibility to other people).
3. Human Ingenuity -- (how and what we create, and its effect). The study of art and creativity.
4. Environment -- (our relationship with and responsibility to the world around us)
5. Health and Social Education -- (our physical, social, and emotional well being) Deals with the preservation of physical health and mental health.

In addition to working in all five areas of interaction, International Baccalaureate students are taught to be well-rounded people by developing a set of values called the "Learner Profile" Students who follow the profile strive to be:

• Inquirers: They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. The actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.
• Knowledgeable: They explore concepts, ideas, and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.
• Thinkers: They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.
• Communicators: They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively to in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.
• Principled: They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice, and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups, and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.
• Open-minded: They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values, and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view and are willing to grown form the experience.
• Caring: They show empathy, compassion, and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.
• Risk-takers: They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought. They have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas, and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.
• Balanced: They understand the importance of intellectual, physical, and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.
• Reflective: They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.

History and Facilities

While its core curriculum and values have stayed the same, Crosswinds has gone through many structural changes in its history.

In 2001, Crosswinds moved to its current location — A $17 million 34.5-acre (140,000 m²) site in Woodbury, Minnesota. At that time it was known as the Crosswinds Arts and Science Middle School. Before 2001, classes were held in the Science Museum of Minnesota. During the first several weeks of the 2001-2002 school year, classes were held in the 3M headquarters in Maplewood, MN. From when the Crosswinds building opened and up until 2004 the houses of Sun, Water, and Earth each taught students from the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades in one integrated classroom. The Sol house was created the year after, to accommodate more students. As such, Sol house had only sixth and seventh graders during the 2002-2003 school year. At the beginning of the 2004-2005 school year, the school was reorganized and the Sun house was re-purposed to contain only sixth graders, while Sol, Earth, and a new house called Pangaea became for the seventh and eighth grades only. The 9th grade was also added in the 2004-2005 school year, and the Water house was re-purposed to accommodate the high school students. In the 2005-2006 school year, the tenth grade was added and given a portion of the water house that was christened the Aquarius house.

The new building received the international annual design award of the Council of Educational Facilities Planners International for 2002, the James D. MacConnell Award for outstanding new educational facilities, as well as awards from other organizations such as the American Institute of Architects^[1]

External links

• http://www.emid6067.net/crosswinds/index.html
• http://www.ibo.org/school/003196/
• http://www.ratemyteachers.com/schools/minnesota/woodbury/crosswinds_middle_school
• http://www.publicschoolreview.com/school_ov/school_id/42991
• https://gpa.me/?r=public&s=MN&sdn=626067&county=WASHINGTON
• http://wikimapia.org/2390855/Crosswinds-Arts-and-Science-Middle-School-Woodbury-Minnesota
• EMID
• boe.spps.org/sites/d2185aad-4cc0-4554-afd4.../January_22__2002.pdf
• [www.cefpi.org |CEFPI website]

References

1. ^ Project info and awards