Gibson Ek High School: An Innovative Option for High School

In the fall of 2016, Gibson Ek opened its doors for the first time and welcomed 100 students who wanted a strong learning experience but who wanted that experience to look different from a traditional model. Since then, Gibson Ek has doubled in size, but the heart of the work remains the same. Students’ goals and needs are at the center. They learn by doing and experimenting, with time to dig into real-world work that matters to them and their communities. While the process is different, students still build their skills and knowledge in communication, math, science, and social studies, with an emphasis on personal qualities and building strong communities. Gibson Ek is built around learning that is personalized, real-world, project-based, and focused on mastery.

Personalized Learning

Every student has an advisor who knows them well and guides them through their four-year journey. Advisors and students work together to design a personalized learning plan that starts with that student’s interests and challenges their growth. For example, a student might start with a strong love of science but a need to develop writing skills. The student and the advisor create a plan that might include taking a lab class to learn how to design and conduct experiments, an independent project to deepen scientific knowledge by researching a bioethics topic, scheduled time in the writing center for support in writing a bioethics research paper, and an internship at the salmon hatchery collecting scientific data on spawning habits. The student blends strengths, challenges and experiences to learn science, math, social studies, and communication. Each student’s path will be different.

Real World Learning

One of the most unique features of the Gibson Ek experience is that students spend two days every week in the community at an internship. Internships are all over the region in a variety of fields, including architecture, education, technology, veterinary medicine, real estate, marketing, entrepreneurship, music recording, and much more. In addition, Gibson Ek regularly hosts professional experts on campus to share knowledge, provide students with feedback on their work, and be a mentor for their independent projects. Finally, courses are centered around actual challenges in our community, and students work together to design solutions to those challenges.

Project-Based Learning

While students do take some traditional classes, such as math or other courses through the community college, most of their learning is done through projects. Some projects are independent, and others are done with a small group of students or in an internship with a mentor. Most projects mix different subject areas, so a student might learn science and writing in one project and then social studies and math in the next project.

Learning for Mastery

In a traditional high school, students have certain classes they take, which determine when and how they meet academic standards. At Gibson Ek, students first see what standards they have to meet to graduate and then create a plan to master those standards in a way that is most relevant and challenging for them. They get multiple attempts in multiple settings to show what they know. They then collect all the ways they learned in a portfolio and present this portfolio to show they mastered the standards. They can also choose to do this at an advanced level. Each student’s path and portfolio look different.

Post High School

Like students at other schools, Gibson Ek students have a variety of post-high school goals. Some start businesses or are hired by their internship mentors or other businesses in the field. Some begin an apprenticeship. Approximately 25% of students enroll in a two-year school, and 50% enroll in a four-year college or university. Even though Gibson Ek students do not have grades, they earn mastery credits on their transcripts. This transcript also highlights the courses they have taken and the strongest examples of their learning. (Learn more about the transcript on the Mastery Transcript Consortium website: https://mastery.org/). Gibson Ek graduates are in public and private universities all over our state and country, as well as in Canada, Italy, and the UK. You can see a list of some of the schools where they have been accepted on the College Acceptances page of the Gibson Ek website: https://gibsonek.isd411.org/student-life/counseling/college-acceptances.

Every January and February, eighth-grade students who live in the Issaquah School District service area can apply to attend. A lottery on March 1 determines who is admitted and who is on the waitlist. Families with questions are encouraged to visit the Gibson Ek website (https://gibsonek.isd411.org/) or contact the principal directly.

Gibson EK Students share their experiences:

Maya Gomez (Grade 12)

“In the eighth grade, I was a very timid, quiet kid. In smaller classes I could start to feel comfortable and start maturing, but not in my larger classes. When I started Gibson Ek, and we returned to campus, I finally started feeling comfortable, opening up, and experiencing who I am. The “family” feeling in advisory, the connections with staff, and the opportunities to explore my interests have shown me I’m a leader. Through internships, I discovered I want to be a teacher. I think I’ll be a step ahead of the people in my teacher education classes in college because I’ve already experienced what it is like to be the teacher in the classroom.”

Eli Ng (Grade 11)

“I got to do an internship with an architecture firm. I loved being able to shadow my mentor on projects and then help out and apply the knowledge on smaller parts of the project. I’m interested in architecture, and I gained a lot of knowledge about the field that I didn’t have before. They gave me so many resources, both physical and in people I now know, that I’m still using in my work this year. I’m still leaning toward studying architecture, and the experience affects how I’ll search for colleges.”

Raaz Mostaghim (Grade 10)

“At Gibson Ek you have the opportunity to explore what you want and your interests. In a normal school I would have to stick to the seven classes with almost no choice. At Gibson Ek I can pick. I can focus on dance, I can experiment with new things, and I can focus on what I want. Right now, I’m doing a choreography project. I’ve researched methods and studied contemporary pieces. I’ve drawn from this to create my own work. I usually like to focus on writing and arts, but I’ve also had classes to study mechanics and forensic science that I probably wouldn’t do on my own.”

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a typical day look like?

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, students are on campus in our innovation spaces during student-led exploration and teacher-led labs, with additional time for writing, online math, and other skill development. Students pursue the arts, technology, sciences, humanities, engineering, social justice, trade skills, health and wellness, writing, and more.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, students intern all over the region, mentored by professionals as they observe career options, work on soft skills and tackle a related project. Internship start and stop times vary, so students also build independent project work time into those days.

How do the internships work?

Students work with advisors in the fall to identify and pursue internship opportunities from our menu of community partners, through their own family connections, or through cold-contacting. While the District does not provide transportation, students may walk or take a city bus. Internships typically span four hours each Tuesday and Thursday, and most continue through May.

If there are no grades, can I still go to college?

Absolutely! Most Gibson Ek students attend a four-year university upon graduation. Our transcripts show courses and mastered knowledge but also highlight project work and internships, providing schools with a unique perspective of our students’ learning and potential. See “College Acceptances” on our Counseling webpage to learn where Gibson Ek students have earned admission.

If I want to explore a path other than a 4-year college, can I do that at Gibson Ek?

Absolutely! Many Gibson Ek graduates use their experiences from internships and projects to pursue technical colleges, apprenticeships, military enlistment, or immediate work in a field they experienced during high school.