Our Place-Based Story
MISSION
Powell Butte Community School students will develop the ability to think critically, communicate effectively and excel academically. Through Place-Based Learning our students will become stewards of their environment and community.
Community founders chose “Place-Based Learning” as the mission for Powell Butte Community School. Place-Based Learning is defined by the Rural School and Community Trust (2003) as: “learning that is rooted in what is local- the unique history, environment, culture, economy, literature and art of a particular place.” PBCS is committed to engaging students in meaningful and relevant local issues. We strive to provide a variety of outdoor educational opportunities and to collaborate with local business partners. PBCS curriculum is specifically designed to promote inquiry, exploration and expeditionary learning.
PLACE-BASED EDUCATION
What does place-based education mean to the students at PBCS? At PBCS, we believe that the places we live can serve as wonderful, meaningful sources for inspiration, education, and life-long learning, and also a springboard for understanding our global community.
Place-Based Learning at PBCS is…
- Inquiry based
- Experiential and hands-on
- Standards based
- Multidisciplinary
- Involved in the local community
- Valuing service
Our Results
See our 2023-24 Oregon at-a-glance Powell Butte Community School Report Card
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About us
MISSION
Powell Butte Community School will develop the ability to think critically, communicate effectively, and excel academically. Through place-based learning our students will become stewards of their environment and community.
VISION
Powell Butte Community School is a rural public school dedicated to the integration of an outstanding academic program with the community, the land, and its people.We offer a joyful and creative educational experience where engaged students practice the skills they need to be effective citizens and stewards.Powell Butte Community School will serve as a model for preserving schools in rural communities.
HISTORY
Upon learning that the Crook County School District intended to close the eighty year old Powell Butte Elementary School at the end of the 2009-10 school year, the Powell Butte Community came together and established a non-profit public charter school. The Powell Butte Community School opened grades K – 6 in the fall of 2010 with 146 students. Seventh grade was added for the 2011-12 school with a constant enrollment of 166 students. Eighth grade was added for the 2012-13 school year, and it remains a K-8 public charter school.
PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT
Powell Butte Community School members believe:
- In using local place to learn how to act both locally and globally:
- Prepare people to live and work effectively in a democratic society;
Sustain the cultural and ecological integrity of the place we inhabit.
In providing a quality education:
- Systematically and intentionally integrate place-based education and service learning;
- Maintain a standards-based core curriculum;
- Utilize an integrated, multidisciplinary approach;
- Use varied methodologies (such as: experiential learning, inquiry, storyline, problem-based learning, and direct instruction);
- Personalize and make more meaningful the educational experience of individual students.
In perceived individual and community benefits: - Improved academic achievement;
- Increased student efficacy;
- Enhanced appreciation of the natural world;
- Stronger ties to the community.