Student Life

"I like how the students are given lots of opportunities to do really cool things that they design. I think the most important part of high school is showing students that they CAN do ANYTHING, and ILHS showed students that by having lots of flexibility and opportunities for student input. The flexibility, the emphasis on innovation and creation and potential, and the supportive teachers that want you to think outside the box. I love how the school encouraged agency amongst students like in Flex Wednesdays how students could host their own talk or presentation or workshop." - Class of 2024 Alum

Life at Innovation Lab

Clubs

Club time is built into the Flex Wednesday schedule, which allows students to meet with their clubs once a week, without having to take away from their busy after-school lives. We have around forty clubs, for every Raven’s interests and passions. From music to D&D, and theater arts to Cooking Club, Gardening, and Robotics, every student has a place here. Students are encouraged to join or form their own clubs based upon their interests.

“Clubs at ILHS have allowed me to grow and develop my skills in my areas of interest that I feel will benefit me in the long run through leadership, cooperation, and community.”

Projects

Project based learning has the students asking why is this a problem, instead of asking why do I need to know this?

Project Based Learning is a teaching and learning method where Students are encouraged to direct their learning and take responsibility for their academics. Along with developing future-ready skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, and communication skills.

Students can work alone, but often work in small groups on authentic problems that are relevant to their lives to design and develop solutions to open ended questions, that do not have a clear correct answer like on a multiple choice test.

Students gain research skills, and grow in independence as they make decisions about their learning.

“I like that our projects academically challenge us, that we aren’t doing our projects for a grade but we are doing it to challenge ourselves and our knowledge.”

Crew

“I love the community factor in the crew. It makes me feel like we are closer, that I have people to rely on.”

Crew is a space for students to connect with their peers, and develop vital life skills. A student's crew act more as a family formed of their same-grade peers instead of being a strict class, which helps to foster a sense of community and can spark lifelong friendships. This class will help a student through not only growing as a learner, but also advance their skills as a person and assist them throughout their high-school career and beyond.

Flex Wednesday

"I can explore my interests and I look forward to school on Wednesdays"

Members of the ILHS community look forward to student-led presentations, guest speakers, community service opportunities, and work rooms every Wednesday. Instead of attending the standard classes, every Wednesday at ILHS we have forty-five minute enrichment options, called "flex slots" where students can attend a variety of activities dedicated to encouraging growth as learners and people. Ravens benefit from our weekly flex Wednesdays as a time to improve a variety of skills outside of the classroom.

"Offers a great opportunity for student leadership and for students to take advantage of their learning."

Perseverance Time

"You can catch up on anything that you missed and put effort into things you wouldn’t otherwise have time to complete, like passion projects."

Perseverance Time (PT) is similar to office hours at universities. PT is offered three times during the week where students can meet with their teachers or group members to work on projects, complete graduation requirements, or create passion projects.

“Perseverance time is a time where I can relax and get my assignments done in the comfort of my own work time.”

Community

Our graduates overwhelmingly say their favorite part of ILHS is the community.

The teachers and students share ownership of how they want their school, and education to be. The people are welcoming, and combined with the emphasis on leadership/community, Crew and the mutual respect between students and staff it's easy to make friends, fit in, and be yourself. Everyone is welcoming, because everyone wants to be here. The tight-knit community makes it easy to get to know everyone and feel more connected. Because ILHS is a smaller school students are able to know everyone better and connect with peers and teachers more.

"The support that comes from this community is valuable and makes it a safe space to learn and grow."

9th Grade Camp

“Camp was such a fun experience that I got to share with my new classmates. I think that it was a great welcome into high school.”

At the beginning of the school year, ILHS freshmen have the opportunity to bond with their newly formed crew at Camp Cedar Springs. Freshmen Camp at Camp Cedar Spring allows for freshmen crews to bond through different activities such as archery, tree or rock climbing, low ropes courses, and riding the Triple Swing, students can build trust and lasting memories with their crews.

“ I felt like I got to know my classmates better at camp with team activities then at school with awkward icebreakers.”