In 2012, Jeff Hopkins started constructing the foundation for a new independent high school. In 2013, that became a reality with the opening of Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry (PSII for short, pronounced “sigh” for even shorter) beginning a new chapter in BC education. Flash forward 11 years and PSII has grown from 36 learners to over a hundred, has attracted teachers and community mentors who embrace the PSII values of meaningful, personalized education, and has seen over 2600 visitors from all over the world coming to Victoria to soak up the brave new model of what school can be.
“That was our intention all along,” says Hopkins. “Our goal has always been to create a living model and proof of concept, wanting to help others adopt our approach and supporting structures and to take it all into the public mainstream. What we do should not be ‘alternative’; it should be the norm.”
Walking into PSII today might feel like you are walking into a tech startup, or an arts collective, or a writers’ workshop, or a research facility. Because PSII builds individual curriculum for each learner based on the questions they have about the world and the things that they are passionate about exploring, the school can look like many things depending on when and where one is looking.
“What we do should not be ‘alternative’; it should be the norm.”
Jeff Hopkins, co-principal
“School needs to be different if we are to truly meet the needs of adolescents, based on what we have learned through the years since schools were first conceptualized during the industrial revolution,” says Hopkins. PSII embeds best practice based on modern adolescent psychology and research about engagement, motivation and learning, helping learners of all kinds thrive. But this school model is not just about helping individuals. It is also about helping the world by playing a part in creating individuals who can think beyond a static curriculum and can ask the big questions that lead to positive change.
So far so good, as many graduates have stated that PSII has played a significant role in helping them discover their true selves, making it easier for them to choose pathways beyond high school that are fulfilling and meaningful.
Looking ahead, PSII is excited to welcome its next cohort of learners. Through its consultation arm, it also sees opportunities to help schools and education jurisdictions ready to make the leap.
For more information about the school, visit learningstorm.org.
