Chamisa Mesa High School


Preparing For College


We focus on classical books, balanced with timely modern articles in literature and social science.
Faculty present a weekly intensive lecture covering original material and providing practice in focused listening and note-taking.
Every student spends hours of carefully coached classroom time writing essays and research papers on topics of their choice.
Each quarter ends with an intensive final examination week for guided practice in taking comprehensive analytical exams.
Students are encouraged to develop their own ideas and interpretations rather than just finding right answers in text books.
We prepare for college math and science by emphasizing mastery of concepts and operations rather than tedious memorization of disconnected details.
Seniors are offered an intensive two month preparation for the Schlolastic Appititude Test (SAT) just prior to taking their college admission exam.

Guiding Values


Community is vital - so we do our best to help, affirm and appreciate each other. We celebrate our differences and value each unique individual.
Work space and good tools are essential - so we clean up our own messes, take care of our tools, and avoid waste.
Relationships are a source of joy and support - so we try honestly and directly to solve problems instead of complaining or gossiping about each other.
There is always more to know - so we are open minded, ready to reconsider what we think we know, and to learn from our own mistakes. We view being coached well as a gift.
Great accomplishment takes discipline and skill - so we take on personal challenge with humor and courage, seeing things through to completion.
We need safety, security and focus in our work place, and the respect of our community - so we exclude violence and intoxication.
We thrive better in a joyful atmosphere - so we play and laugh a lot, and maintain a perspective of lightness about our work together.

Having A Life Now


For students and faculty, school is life - not just preparation - so we keep it vital, active, engaging and relevant in many ways that we create each year.
For Example:
Reading great and engaging stories, novels and articles.
Plunging into the powerful literature of film, and making our own films.
Playing sports, camping, traveling, and socializing constantly whatever else we're doing.
Participating in real politics to influence public opinion and policy.
Putting on plays, making music and dance, doing poetry readings and art shows, and designing and making all kinds of things and experiments.
Making computers be our personal tools and making our connection to cyberspace by running our own Web Site. We have a state of the art computer lab that allows students to create works of art, books, the school yearbook, as well as having access to the World Wide Web for research and exploration. Each student is encouraged to have an email account as well.
Running our own businesses, like a cafe, a magazine, a theater, a market garden, a world game, or a tutoring service are also included in real life experiences and training that are vital to developing a well-rounded student as well as a person with the necessary skills to participate in the world.

Getting Your Next Life

During the past six years many fine Universities have responded to the applications of Chamisa Mesa graduates with acceptance letters inviting them to enroll and have awarded sizable grants and scholarships. The admission list currently includes the following institutions:
University of New Mexico
New Mexico Institute of Technology
University of California
Hampshire College
Prescott College
Antioch College
California Institute of the Arts
Linfield College
Willamette University
University of Hawaii
Brown University
Pennsylvania State University
The Evergreen State College
Seattle University
Rutgers University
Colorado State University
Hawaii Pacific University
Humboldt State University
University of Vermont
University of Miami
Amherst College
Rhode Island School of Design
Bennington College
Mills College
Southern Oregon State University
Fort Lewis College
Boston College
Berklee College of Music

Finding the College That You Want


College Search

Return to Site Index
For additions, comments and/or corrections
please email us
Thank You