Community:   Spark cultivates a community of love, trust, inclusion, compassion, and empathy. This is a safe space to struggle, get wrong answers, or make mistakes; in fact, that is what learning and growing looks like.  By treating ourselves and others with compassion and empathy, we build a culture where we feel safe physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually.

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Individuality:  While we are unified in our mission and values, our community thrives when each member embraces their own authentic self. We meet students where they are academically, socially, and emotionally, and provide appropriate supports  to aid in their growth and development.  We believe that every member of our community brings their own unique skills and talents and should be celebrated for these gifts.  

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Empowerment  Our voices, feelings, and opinions matter, & we have the space & freedom to express ourselves. We are constantly honing the mindset and skills needed to create the lives we strive for.   We acknowledge and confront the consequences of a long history of violence, oppression, and discrimination that continues to have a negative impact on marginalized communities.  When something is unjust, we effectively advocate for ourselves and for others and have both the opportunity and responsibility to challenge systematic injustices.

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Ingenuity:  Because there is often no right or wrong answer to the problems we face in school or in the real-world, we value divergent thinking.  Learning is happening when students explore problems and consider many different perspectives or solutions. Students at Spark  continuously hone their critical thinking and problem-solving skills by applying new learning to novel situations, and by engaging in rich and challenging tasks and projects.