Redefining the High School Experience

My love for Orange Lutheran extends far beyond my professional role as Headof School, and what I love most may be summed up in just two words: Purposeand People - and Christ and His love are at the heart of both.

Dr. Leslie Smith, Head of School at Orange Lutheran High School

Photo provided by Leslie Smith

Preparing our students for college is an important objective, yet we recognize that we have a much greater role. Committed to the health and psychological well-being of all learners, redefining the high school experience is about people not just building profiles. By engaging students through the integration of social emotional learning and a focus on increased emotional intelligence, we are preparing healthy, strong, caring people to thrive in life beyond graduation. As a result, empathy, respect, mindfulness, resilience, and connectedness are key ingredients in The OLu Experience. These qualities produce healthier outcomes and ensure positive social interactions, stronger relationships, greater school spirit, and higher achievement.

Because the culture of American education today has become so hyper-focused on building the perfect college profile, most schools place an emphasis on grades, test scores, and awards to the exclusion of people skills, values, and character; the results have not been good. In fact, excessive achievement pressure to build the perfect profile has resulted in higher rates of stress, sleep deprivation, anxiety, and depression, and as students graduate from high school and college, many have learned how to “do school,” but they are not necessarily well-prepared for life.

During the 2017-2018 school year, we continued our ongoing efforts to redefine the high school experience by increasing emotional intelligence, also known as EQ. Research indicates that more than any other factor, including ambition, IQ, and academic achievement, EQ is considered the greatest single predictor of success after graduation. Emotional intelligence is about being smart with emotions - our own and how we respond to the emotions of others. As a result, our efforts to increase EQ, including self-awareness, self-management, empathy, and social skills, are reaping rewards daily.

Specifically, this past year, we focused on self-awareness and empathy, which is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. All of our students, faculty, and staff took a personality assessment, so they are better able to understand their personality traits and strengths, as well as their communication and learning styles. By first understanding ourselves, we are better equipped to respond and empathize with others. At Orange Lutheran, we recognize that empathy evokes good feelings and positive emotions, including curiosity, openness, appreciation, and gratitude, all qualities that enhance health, well-being, personal strengths, and relationships. We also see that empathy reduces stress, fosters resilience, unites, and breeds courage. On our campus, empathy is transforming conflict, creating stronger interpersonal connections, strengthening teams, and increasing collaboration and negotiation skills.

Concerned that today’s teens are recognized as the most anxious, stressed, and sleep-deprived generation ever, this year, we charted a new course by changing the school start time from 7:30 to 8:25 a.m. In addition, we created downtime, margin, and connection through World Council, our unique, innovative campus-wide program that drives social emotional learning and is specifically designed to increase emotional intelligence. We also added yoga to our course offerings, and we welcomed a new member to our Lancer Family - Marty, a beautiful golden retriever, professionally trained as a service dog to provide comfort to our students.

Marty, Orange Lutheran's professionally-trained comfort dog.

Photo by Kathy Christensen

For me, redefining the high school experience is about personalized authentic learning and equipping students with the tools needed to thrive in life. It is about replacing fear with hope and the blessings unique to our Christian faith. Orange Lutheran continues to be the best high school for my family, and I believe it is the best for yours, too. Together, our sons and daughters will change the world, as they serve people and solve problems all for the glory of God.