Students range from 14-18 and many are learning English as a second language. Located in the sunny Mission, everyday teen moms and babies come to school. Young women can start at our school while they are expecting and continue after their baby is born. Students continue with their academic education as well as learn parenting skills, healthy baby strategies and useful community resources (including jobs and money management).
Until 2014, there was no library at HHS. Our library includes books and electronic resources for academics and a makerspace as well as pleasure reading.
Our students have very busy lives filled with school, homework, jobs and family responsibilities of caring full-time for an infant! When they come to school, they are eager to learn both academic work, parenting skills and work related skills.
For the first time last year, students participated in a citywide bridge building project. Students will learn short and long term project planning, patience and the engineering skills as they design bridges.
Students will read about bridges and engineering skills for background research. Students will translate some of the basic information into Spanish for large bilingual learning posters to help all students. As they use the engineering and bridge building kits, they will learn engineering and physics techniques. They will be able to help peers use the kits and will be responsible for keeping materials organized and intact.
The preliminary activities will help students develop technical vocabulary and skills that they can apply to their individual bridge building project.
After using these kits, students will create bridges as part of a citywide program. They will work with architects and engineers.
In Their Own Words
Last year the seniors got to make bridges. I want to learn the science behind making a bridge and then create one, too. - Blanca
We live where there is one of the most famous bridges in the world, the Golden Gate Bridge. I want to know more about bridges and then build one for the city project. - Magda
When we researched some books and kits I see that the kits have lots and lots of tiny pieces. I will help organize the kits and make sure there are clear directions for using them and then putting things back so students can use them next year. - Blanca
I really like helping with the library so I will help catalog the new books about bridges. I will also make a display of bridge books for students to use for research when they start the project. - Magda
This project is important because it will give us some great books and kits for engineering and bridge building. We need these resources to study so we will have more ideas when we create our project bridges. - Blanca
Students at our school really enjoy learning new things. Bridge building is a fun and interesting project and we are also learning science skills! - Magda
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