Virtual Open House
FAQ
So sorry! Nova students currently aren't available to answer questions through the Contact Us form. Please attend one of our live zoom orientations/Q&A sessions to find out more and have your questions answered!
Covid Safety?
Thankfully, Nova gets to be back in person this school year, and hopefully from here on forward. There are a few differences now than before the COVID-19 pandemic. One of which is the mask mandate, which all Seattle Public Schools have currently. Absolutely stay home if you feel sick, and contact your coordinator to figure out what to do from there.
Do Nova students get into college?
Yes, Nova students get into college!! Thanks to the individualized, competency based, inquiry and project focused classes at Nova, students graduate with the skills necessary to succeed in higher education. Oftentimes, the community involvement, activism, inquiry, and engagement that Nova students partake in will interest colleges. Please check out our explanation of College and Career at Nova in the Integral Parts of Nova section of the Open House to learn more.
Is Nova limited because of the small size of the school?
Nova offers a wide variety of classes that cover many different subjects. While Nova does not have a huge number of teachers, the teachers at Nova are truly passionate about what they do and teach, and help foster a welcoming and supportive environment. Several have taught advanced classes about their subjects. Teachers also teach multiple subjects.
Nova High School is without walls, so although we don’t offer all of the electives that might be offered at a comprehensive, large high school, students can find opportunities outside of our building and can earn credit through them (through independents). Teachers and staff at Nova are passionate about helping every student achieve their goals. While we might be small, the breadth and strength of our community reaches beyond the walls of the Nova building.
How is discipline at Nova different from other schools?
We try to avoid “punishment” and instead support learning and community stewardship through restorative justice. One of our major goals at nova is to help students grow in many different ways, not just academically. For this reason, we take a transformative approach to issues of discipline and justice, asking students to reflect on what happened, who was harmed and how that harm can be repaired. One of the options is to be part of a peace circle. Coordinators, who know and understand students’ individual experiences, act as advocates during these processes. Our goal is to create a more cohesive community and more reflective members of society.
Will my student be able to do Running Start?
Yes! Students at Nova who are sixteen and have earned twelve credits (per the eligibility requirements of Running Start) are welcome to enroll in Running Start and take community college classes for credit!
Are there honors or AP classes at Nova?
Yes and no. We don’t have classes that are specifically for honors credit. Students are eligible to receive honors credit for any class that they take by working out a plan with their teachers individually. The student and teacher will come up with a plan to get honors credit, which normally involves the student taking on more projects, taking on a bigger role in the class, or doing some/all of their work at a more advanced level.
Nova does not offer AP classes. Nova uses a competency based teaching and learning philosophy that differs from the focus on test preparation of AP classes. If a Nova student wishes to take an AP test, they have the option to set up an independent with a teacher to help prepare themselves for it (you don’t have to take an AP class to take the AP test). Our teachers are not AP certified, so any independent study done in preparation for an AP test cannot be labeled with an AP title. However, any letter of recommendation written when the student applies to college would discuss the extraordinary lengths the student went to earn high marks on an AP exam(s).
Does Nova have a gym, or sports teams?
Nova does not have a gym in the building. The Garfield community center has graciously allowed Nova to use their gym, if an activity is done that requires it. In addition, there are several PE classes that are offered that do not require the use of a gym.
Nova has had various sports teams in the past, such as track and field, cross country, and ultimate frisbee. Sports teams at Nova are formed and disbanded as student interest changes and grows.
How can my student participate in sports and band activities?
While Nova does not have either sports teams or band, students can participate in the sports and band at their neighborhood high school. If a student wished to do so, their coordinator would help them through the process. Students can still earn high school credit for those activities, as well, even if the activities are not directly linked to Nova.
How would my student get to the school?
Students have the option to drive, be dropped off, or take the public bus. Seattle Public Schools provides a free, unlimited ORCA card for any high school student in attendance, including Nova. There are several bus routes that go either directly to, or very near to Nova, and that link up with many other routes along the way.
What kinds of students go to Nova?
Nova is a school that supports any and all students who wish to attend and contribute to our learning community. Nova’s supportive, open ended, creative education leaves a lot of room for diverse learners, so a Nova education can be very appealing to students who have struggled in traditional school settings. However, many students who succeed in traditional school settings also attend Nova, and find incredible benefit in an education that allows them to explore outside the bounds that might’ve been set in traditional schooling.
Many people mistake an education without grades or tests to be “easier”, but the work that Nova students do is no less difficult then the work done by students in a traditional system--the work is just challenging in a different way.
Nova works to support students through challenges and personal growth. Every student will leave Nova having grown, both academically and as a person.
“My experience at Nova has been very positive. I came here my junior year, after almost going to Garfield. I found out about Nova through a friend, and went in almost completely blind. A lot of people seem to have the idea that Nova is for “bad kids”. I have had adults say this to me, which is wild. It really isn’t.”
-- Nova Student