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Apply Now! We Are Accepting New Student Inquiries for the 2024–25 School Year!

How to Enroll

Learning Models

Create your own path.

We use a variety of best practices in teaching and learning and offer innovative approaches in order to offer each student the necessary instructional model. Students are guides in their academic journey, obtaining their credit through a combination of learning models.

More Than Academic Knowledge

At Paladin, each student has a personalized learning plan based on the number of credits they need to graduate, as well as their college and career goals. The individualized nature of these plans not only fulfill all state graduation requirements, but also engage students by meeting their unique educational interests and needs, while supporting their career goals.

Paladin offers teacher-led seminars, project-based learning, work-based learning, and experiential learning to accommodate a wide range of students’ learning styles. We build real-world experiences into our curriculum, helping students make immediate connections between the course content and the world around them.

Hands-on experiences are used as a tool to build community and learning outside the classroom walls. Experiential opportunities come in many forms, including carpentry, theatrical performances, overnight backpacking, culinary arts, nature exploration/resource management, and civic engagement. These types of experiences build skills in the areas of teamwork, self-confidence, and interpersonal relationships while teaching academic content and providing new, perspective-widening opportunities which are often missing from traditional educational settings.

 

students hiking
student painting

Project-Based Learning

A proven method of creating independent, lifelong learners

Project-based Learning is a proven method of creating independent lifelong learners. In addition to mastering academic content, the project process fosters a full spectrum of 21st century skills, including critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and creativity. Led by students, this model cultivates decision-making and student voice, where staff support and guide students in creating successful and meaningful products.

Project-based learning lends itself to student-driven rather than curriculum-based education; engaging and rewarding positive assets like:

Drive

Passion

Resiliency

Paladin Career & Technical High School puts a high emphasis on the dynamic and engaging method of “learning by doing”.

This approach allows students to explore and investigate real-world problems and challenges, developing a greater conceptual understanding, improved communication and social skills, increased creativity, and improved writing abilities. Project-based learning lends itself to student-driven rather than curriculum-based education; engaging and rewarding positive assets like drive, passion, and resiliency. It is our belief that the most effective learning comes from experience, rather than textbooks.

A project is built around essential open-ended “driving questions,” which require a full spectrum of 21st Century Skills including critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration. Critiquing and revising helps reinforce the lessons and understanding in any given project. Because project-based learning actively encourages choice and student voice, it is led by the student, while educational staff provide support and guidance to help them create successful and meaningful products.

Most students have little to no experience with a project- based learning environment prior to their enrollment at Paladin. Students can participate in one of our guided projects which help students to learn the process of creating, managing and completing a project, and can be found in our Guided Project Library! Students participating in guided projects still have independent project time, with the guided projects providing an example for students to follow.

While Paladin’s guided projects offer educational opportunities across all areas of learning, students have the most to gain by engaging in self-chosen projects. These have ranged from studio recording to starting a small business to political activism. The possibilities are literally endless. Because these are designed, developed, and finalized by the students themselves, these types of projects inspire and motivate students much more effectively by building on their natural interests and passions.

students hiking
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“I love what Paladin and it’s staff do for our kids. The experiential learning opportunities are one of the coolest aspects of Paladin.”
Paladin Staff

Experiential Learning

By engaging students in hands-on experiences and reflection, they are better able to connect theories and knowledge learned in the classroom to real-world situations, leading to greater academic success, all while developing confidence and leadership skills

Experiential learning goes hand in hand with Project-Based Learning. Both learning styles stem from a firmly held belief that we as people learn better when we are actively engaged. At Paladin, we have married the two together in an effort to create a student driven and engaging learning environment that allows students to grow into lifelong learners.

In experiential education, students are given the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills to real world experiences. In this method, students make discoveries and experiment with knowledge firsthand.

Beyond in-school experiential seminars, students take trips to locations like Gooseberry Falls, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, and Art and Science museums. Service learning through Feed My Starving Children, Claire House, and other volunteering outlets offer additional opportunities for growth.

Experiential learning can range from science being taught through a series of hands-on experiments, to students traveling across seas to immerse themselves in a different culture. If you have any questions please feel free to contact our Director of Experiential Learning at chad.nelson@paladincareertech.com

Project-based and Experiential learning create a student driven and engaging learning environment that allows students to grow into lifelong learners.

Seminar-Based Learning

Engaging classroom instruction that is topical, relevant, and accessible to all learners

Paladin’s classes, called seminars, are more than just another lecture. These daily and weekly learning opportunities provide scaffolding and experiences to help students succeed in coursework through hands-on group participation. Seminars are typically led by Paladin teachers, but can also be co-led by Paladin students who have an interest and passion to share with their peers.

Seminars range in content from animal care to makerspace to personal finance, and even include a communication and creative writing-based Dungeons & Dragons seminar. These each incorporate student-led discussion and project-based learning, so students won’t just be listening to a teacher at a lectern all class long.

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“Teachers taught me more than how to just be a student. Paladin helped me grow as a person and showed me how important I am.”
Paladin Student

Block Scheduling

Paladin’s academic calendar is based on a monthly “Block” schedule. This has been advantageous for students because it provides flexibility in seminar rotations, affording students the opportunity to explore a diverse breadth of content throughout the year without being tied to semester- or even quarter-long classes. It is also helpful for highly mobile students who arrive at Paladin mid-year and may be less likely to join a class mid-term, feeling left behind. Additionally, credit is issued more frequently in month-long blocks than it would be in the quarter system. Block scheduling also aligns with our Court of Honor system, and our monthly student goal setting practices.

Student Co-Led Seminars

If a student is particularly passionate about a particular topic, and would like to share their knowledge with more students in a classroom setting, they have the opportunity to work with Paladin staff to develop a block seminar that they can then co-teach. Students have previously offered seminars on topics ranging from Mythology to Nail Tech to African Dance. By rising to the challenge of being a teacher in the classroom, students learn valuable organization and communication skills, and help to reinforce the idea that we can all be experts in the subjects that matter most to us. Students who have taken the initiative to lead a seminar have greatly enjoyed the experience, and can earn additional credit over what they would normally get from a block-long seminar.

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“Thanks to the kind and supportive staff who took the time to help me individually and help me find my path in life.”
Paladin Student

Self-Paced Learning

Independent study with proper support is the key to discovering the drive to succeed

Whether this comes from self-directed projects, independent reading, or service learning and community engagement, Paladin encourages students to take control of their educational journey.

Students at Paladin are given a lot of freedom and autonomy. Each block they have a say in how their schedule is developed, how much of their day is focused on teacher-led learning, and how much time is dedicated to self-directed, independent study. Unlike in traditional high schools, where students are prescribed one-size-fits-all lessons, Paladin values students’ voices and unique needs. Here, we help students to understand how they learn best, and support them in their individualized pursuit of academic success.

student woodworking

Graduation Requirements

All Paladin students complete the following College & Career Readiness items prior to graduating:

  • A job application (real or mock)
  • A resume
  • A Personality Inventory that relates to careers
  • Minnesota Career Information System (MCIS) Web site navigation
  • A Career Clusters Interest Inventory which connects the results to possible future careers
  • One test required for the postsecondary education of their choice (ACT, Accuplacer, ASVAB)
  • A postsecondary experiential learning opportunity such as college visit, job shadow, job site tour, etc.
  • Comparing colleges, trades, or military for the right fit
  • An application to a college or postsecondary training program
  • The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
  • A Goals Paper, outlining their career choice and the steps they will take to attain their goals.

College & Careers

Students build the skills necessary to be successful in the workplace, trades, and/or explore college and career options

Paladin’s College & Career Center staff assist students choosing the right postsecondary path, career searches, applying to college, assisting with the FAFSA, and going on college visits. Students also receive help with employment needs such as creating a resume, developing interviewing skills, applying for jobs, and earning credit while on the job in our Work-based Learning Program.

The College and Career Center is committed to giving students a wide variety of experiential learning opportunities pertaining to postsecondary planning. Students participate in numerous college/ trade school visits and college or career fairs. We believe that students are more likely to pursue postsecondary education when they have researched a career, visited and applied to a college, and received financial aid by completing the FAFSA.

 

graduate hugging

Students are also given many experiential learning opportunities for college & career exploration, including:

  • National & local college fairs
  • College visits
  • Exploring the trades
  • Forklift certification
  • Certified Nursing Assistant certification

 

  • Career and Technical Education courses through the STEP program
  • PSEO coursework
  • Finishing Trades Institute of the Upper Midwest
  • Job shadowing
  • Tree Trust | YouthBuild

Work-Based Learning

Paladin offers students both Work-Based Learning (WBL) and Career Experience (CE) programs. Students who are enrolled in the Work-Based Learning / Career Experience programs and attend school at least fifteen hours per week can earn high school elective credit for their employment.

The objective of this program is for students, with the help of staff and community professionals, to build the skills necessary to be successful in the workplace. The program is a combination of coursework and experiential learning. We provide seminars, skill development, and employment placement/partnerships through a variety of venues.

The WBL and CE programs provide students the opportunity to identify how their interests and abilities align with possible careers paths ahead of them.

Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Paladin partners with Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) to help students who qualify for special education to successfully transition to postsecondary education and other career options. VRS helps students gain the skills they need to prepare for employment, find and keep a job, and live as independently as possible. A VRS counselor visits Paladin twice each month to meet with students and assist them with employment during and beyond high school.

Anoka County Workforce Center

Paladin also partners with the Anoka County Workforce Center to help students gain certifications and employment skills. These unlock so many opportunities for students to find success after graduating from high school.

Postsecondary Enrollment Options

Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) is a Program that allows 10th, 11th and 12th grade students to earn both high school and college credit while still in high school. This is accomplished through enrollment in and successful completion of college-level courses at Eligible participating postsecondary institutions. Click here for additional information.

Skilled Trades Partnerships

For years now, Paladin students have been learning trade skills and earning credits through partnerships. Paladin staff assists students in choosing the right path while learning trade skills and earning credits through partnerships like Tree Trust, IDC Spring, and the Finishing Trades Institute of the Upper Midwest (FTIUM). Connect with our College & Career Center to learn how these opportunities have enriched our students’ education.

students at Valley Fair

Why Paladin is Right for You

Paladin is a tuition-free public charter school serving grades 9 – 12+. Our diverse community is full of individual strengths with a common purpose. An integral part of our success is our relationships-first approach. Students are met right where they’re at, offered self-paced programming to support their individual needs, helped to achieve their definition of success, and guided as they create goals for their future. 

Life circumstances often create barriers to educational success, but these obstacles do not define a student’s capabilities or potential. We believe that with the support Paladin offers, students will not only overcome such barriers, but thrive while meeting their social, emotional, and academic goals. Come in for a tour to see what we mean when we say Paladin is a better high school experience.

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