About Our School

Rapid City Alternative Academy’s mission is to create a learning environment that empowers students through supportive relationships and personalized learning.

Rapid City Alternative Academy’s vision is to improve our community and our world through education.

 

RCHS

Personalized Learning

RCAA is an alternative high school that believes in customizing the educational experience for every student according to the time, path, pace, and place of their learning. We believe that students should be empowered to experience education in a way that works for them, not just for the adults. As has often been said, “All children can learn, not just in the same way or on the same day.”

 

Our advisory program pairs each student with a trusted adult mentor (called an advisor) responsible for overseeing each student’s academic progress throughout high school. Advisors also help connect students with school and community resources that can help students with everything from basic needs to job internships and post-high planning.

 

In addition to mentoring and individual academic support, students and families have access on-site to a food pantry (provided by Feeding South Dakota), two fully-stocked clothing closets, on-site laundry service, and in-school partnerships with community organizations such as Lifeways (drug/alcohol education and counseling), the South Dakota Department of Labor (career counseling), Behavior Management Systems (BMS), and Young Life.

 

“This school is amazing; my advisor has a big heart; I trust my advisor with everything.” – RCAA Student

“Almost all my teachers are some of my new favorite people.” – RCAA Student

“I went from straight F’s to a B student.” – RCAA Student

 

At Rapid City High School, our mission is to create the ultimate student learning experience, an environment that empowers students through supportive relationships and personalized learning.

 

RCAA Core Beliefs About Student Learning

  • We believe that students are more likely to feel motivated and engaged in learning if they feel included, respected, valued, and connected to those in their classroom and their learning community as a whole.
  • We believe that students are more likely to feel motivated and engaged in learning if they feel empowered rather than controlled.
  • We believe that a love of learning is natural and inherent within human beings, and that this love of learning can be nourished or stifled.
  • We believe that all students can learn, just not on the same day or in the same way.
  • We believe that students learn best when learning content that most immediately impacts and improves their lives.

 

RCAA Core Beliefs About Student Discipline

  • We believe that every attempt should be made to maintain the dignity of both the adult and the student.
  • We believe that there should be a logical connection between misbehavior and resulting consequences.
  • We believe that misbehavior should be viewed as an opportunity for individual problem solving and preparation for adulthood as opposed to a personal attack on the school or staff.
  • We believe that misbehavior should be handled with natural consequences instead of punishments whenever possible.
  • We believe that students should be given the opportunity to make decisions and live with the results, whether the consequences are good or bad.