Renaissance High School

RHS Overview
In April 2003, Renaissance High School was designated by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction as one of the 20 Model Continuation High Schools in California. Renaissance High School is the only continuation high school within PVUSD. Our enrollment is 200-220 students. We serve students residing in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District who have attended Watsonville, Pajaro Valley, and Aptos High Schools. Students are admitted after they have completed the equivalent of the ninth grade or are 16 years of age, and are not on schedule for graduation due to loss of credits, behavioral problems, and/or attendance.

The teaching staff consists of 14 full-time teachers (12 regular education and 2 special education), usually working in teams of two. There are five teams of two regular education teachers, one teacher assigned to the computer lab, and one teacher assigned to the Entry (orientation) Class Program. In addition, there is half-time career coordinator. Of the two certificated special education teachers, one full time teacher works with a core of severely handicapped students and the other is a resource specialist. All teachers also function as counselors and carry an additional caseload of student counselees. The homeroom teacher/counselor stays with the student throughout their Renaissance career. The teachers meet with their counselees at least 20 minutes per day (50 minutes on Thursdays). The counselor is responsible for monitoring the counseleesÕ attendance, behavior, productivity, credits, course enrollment, and parent contacts.

An alternative level system of accountability has been in place at the school for the past nineteen years and provides a clear structure for student behavior, attendance, attitude, and academic progress. Each of the possible six alternative levels comes with privileges and/or restrictions. Procedures for determining the various alternative levels are carefully written, documented, and followed. A staff meeting with a round table discussion format takes place each week. The entire staff discusses individual student progress and determines each studentÕs alternative level. The counselor takes this information back to the counselee and his/her parent. In addition, these meetings allow the staff to continue the work of running the school, discussing issues that arise, hosting guest speakers, and completing district mandated trainings and policy reviews.

RHS History
Renaissance was born on September 1971, first opening its doors on Arthur Road in Watsonville. The facility, which is presently Cesar E. Chavez M.S., was purchased by the Pajaro Valley Unified School District from the Monterey Bay Catholic Diocese. At the Arthur Road site, the Renaissance programs expanded by adding four additional teachers, having much larger rooms, a larger gym and an increase in enrollment to 120 students. The new facility enhanced our educational diversity and provided more services to students.

As the school district became much larger, Renaissance had to move again. In the fall of 1981, Renaissance moved to it's present site on 11 Spring Valley Road, La Selva Beach. This facility was originally constructed by the Santa Cruz County Office of Education in 1967, for a special education program commonly reffered to as the "farm school", which emphasized agriculture and animal husbandry.

As the need for alternative education grew, it was necessary to expand our facility. Through a grant from the State Department of Education the school underwent a building program in 1988 that enlarged our school by six new classrooms. This brought Renaissance to its present facility size, 14 classrooms, a multipurpose room, an office, and mini-gym.


Home curriculum Students Faculty & Staff About Us Contact
Identifying Data
Principal	Tom Tatum
Establishment	1971
Year of last accreditation	2006
Grades	10-12
Total enrollment	200 (approximate at any given time)
Mission	Goals
RHS Overview	History
RHS Mission Statement ~~To provide a nurturing school climate in which varied teaching and counseling styles meet the individual learning needs of students. Preparing them for choices in life.~~ RHS Goals Goal #1: Improve students' social, emotional and physical health to increase participation in the learning community. Goal #2: Identify, align and implement curriculum and instruction to support essential state and CAHSEE standards. Goal #3: Codify and modify existing school-wide agreements and procedures. Goal #4: Facilitate active and meaningful opportunities for student, parent and family participation in school and community. back to top RHS Overview In April 2003, Renaissance High School was designated by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction as one of the 20 Model Continuation High Schools in California. Renaissance High School is the only continuation high school within PVUSD. Our enrollment is 200-220 students. We serve students residing in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District who have attended Watsonville, Pajaro Valley, and Aptos High Schools. Students are admitted after they have completed the equivalent of the ninth grade or are 16 years of age, and are not on schedule for graduation due to loss of credits, behavioral problems, and/or attendance. The teaching staff consists of 14 full-time teachers (12 regular education and 2 special education), usually working in teams of two. There are five teams of two regular education teachers, one teacher assigned to the computer lab, and one teacher assigned to the Entry (orientation) Class Program. In addition, there is half-time career coordinator. Of the two certificated special education teachers, one full time teacher works with a core of severely handicapped students and the other is a resource specialist. All teachers also function as counselors and carry an additional caseload of student counselees. The homeroom teacher/counselor stays with the student throughout their Renaissance career. The teachers meet with their counselees at least 20 minutes per day (50 minutes on Thursdays). The counselor is responsible for monitoring the counseleesÕ attendance, behavior, productivity, credits, course enrollment, and parent contacts. An alternative level system of accountability has been in place at the school for the past nineteen years and provides a clear structure for student behavior, attendance, attitude, and academic progress. Each of the possible six alternative levels comes with privileges and/or restrictions. Procedures for determining the various alternative levels are carefully written, documented, and followed. A staff meeting with a round table discussion format takes place each week. The entire staff discusses individual student progress and determines each studentÕs alternative level. The counselor takes this information back to the counselee and his/her parent. In addition, these meetings allow the staff to continue the work of running the school, discussing issues that arise, hosting guest speakers, and completing district mandated trainings and policy reviews. back to top RHS History Renaissance was born on September 1971, first opening its doors on Arthur Road in Watsonville. The facility, which is presently Cesar E. Chavez M.S., was purchased by the Pajaro Valley Unified School District from the Monterey Bay Catholic Diocese. At the Arthur Road site, the Renaissance programs expanded by adding four additional teachers, having much larger rooms, a larger gym and an increase in enrollment to 120 students. The new facility enhanced our educational diversity and provided more services to students. As the school district became much larger, Renaissance had to move again. In the fall of 1981, Renaissance moved to it's present site on 11 Spring Valley Road, La Selva Beach. This facility was originally constructed by the Santa Cruz County Office of Education in 1967, for a special education program commonly reffered to as the "farm school", which emphasized agriculture and animal husbandry. As the need for alternative education grew, it was necessary to expand our facility. Through a grant from the State Department of Education the school underwent a building program in 1988 that enlarged our school by six new classrooms. This brought Renaissance to its present facility size, 14 classrooms, a multipurpose room, an office, and mini-gym.


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· Renaissance High School, 2006. Design by Miguelantoni.