The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) paid a visit to CdM from March third to the sixth after their last visit in 2017. Every six years, WASC comes to different schools to validate a self-study reported to them. They seek to evaluate the staff, students, and school in general as well as taking notice on areas of growth. Different factors such as student academic performance, school connectedness, as well as student citizenship are accounted for, deeply tied to the CdM behavioral matrix. Students are expected to cultivate integrity, develop resiliency, and model empathy both in and out of the classroom. The reflection of the self-evaluation leads to the acknowledgment and celebration of successes, as well as the formulation of goals for ongoing improvement and growth.

Some may have noticed the people walking around with clipboards, that would be selected members of WASC from different districts. One representative in particular is high school principal, Jason Jacobs, who’s visiting schools for the second time on the WASC committee. When asked what WASC looks for on campus, Jacobs responded, “we verify the report that the teachers and the staff wrote, so we are looking for evidence to prove that.” During a meeting held with two student representatives from each class, Jacobs mentioned something he commonly heard was that “students see they have many opportunities, but want a bit more than just rigorous courses. This could include classes like woodshop or getting to do some hands-on courses to kind of balance out their workload.” Jacobs made sure to add that something he noticed specific to CdM was that “CdM is a 7th-12th school, and [he] found out through the student meetings that middle school students feel comfortable speaking out and talking with their highschool peers.” This is important as he believes that it made the transition from eighth grade to freshman year of high school generally smoother sailing compared to other places.

Junior Tessa McRae attended the WASC meeting and stated that their visit is “very crucial when deciding whether schools are accredited or not.” McRae thinks CdM “has amazing teachers and resources” but something she would like to see changed is “more student interaction between social groups!” Overall, WASC’s visit to CdM was a chance to showcase the improvements made from the last time they stepped foot on campus as well as set some new milestones to improve on, until next time. See you in 2030 WASC!