Public Magnet Schools
Public Magnet Schools
You are a teacher who wants to have a magnet class, or offer up information to your school on what magnet schools are all about. What do you do? Open your mind, and look around you. The best magnet schools used themes from their own community.
If your town is centered around tourism, or on technology, maybe even on a water park, or kayaking use this theme first to see how well you can integrate it into your school system. Boating could also be the center of your town. Military could also be what makes your town tick.
The best magnet schools used the resources in their own neighborhoods. They created a theme based on those resources, and then opened the door so that the theme could come to them. In other words, business based on their theme came to them with help on financing, and integrating the theme into their school.
All magnet schools have a theme. You live in Silicon Valley? They have a magnet school called Hacienda Science/Environmental Magnet School, located in San Jose, California, which is a public elementary school.
Some themes to consider are:
- Arts
- Journalism
- Engineering
- STEM
- Science
- Gymnastics
- Sociology
- Criminology
- Technology
- Health
- Environment
- Zoology
- Conservation
- Networking
- College prep
- Linguistics
- Government student-run
- Water – because you have a body of water, river etc. that your city/town put emphasis on.
- Parks and recreation
- Agriculture
Think of what your town has the most pride in having, and then see if you can come up with a theme around it. You will be surprised at how easy people come out to help those that base a theme on them, or a community area, or city project. You need not to base a theme because everyone else is doing it. You base it on what your town is most proud of. Here are some more ideas from Scholastic.com 25 coolest schools for 2012. Don’t be surprised if you see your community come and help you. Magnet schools are magnets because there is community participation from all levels, and backgrounds related to your theme. The community takes pride in sending their child to the magnet school because the theme has a personal meaning to them.
