Caprock Academy serves the 1st through 8th grade students in pursuit of personal interests in an enrichment class every Thursday called Goal Hour.  Kindergarten students pursue their goals during the regular class time and high school students pursue individual goals through their elective classes.  Goal Hour is a unique program, whereby students are offered the opportunity to choose one area of enrichment each quarter or semester.  These classes are designed for students, with the help of their parents and teachers, to set goals for themselves in their selected area of enrichment and then they are given the opportunity to work on achieving their goals for one hour each week, during their “Goal Hour” class.

The process begins with the teachers having individual and whole class conversations asking the students what are they interested in pursuing.  They may ask for a brainstorm of possible ideas for classes and then submit the list to the Goal Hour committee; and thereafter, the committee, which is comprised of volunteers and staff, will ask the staff, families and community members to teach a class.  At the close of each time period (quarterly or semester), students are interviewed by their homeroom teacher or the Goal Hour teacher to ask the students if the class should be offered again, if the class met the goal(s) set by the class at the beginning of the class, if the class met their personal goal, and what would they change. If the class is considered to be added for the next session, then changes are made prior to the beginning of the next session to address the feedback.

Since the school’s opening, Caprock Academy has offered over 60 different enrichment oriented classes to its students.  Goal Hour at Caprock Academy is unique not only in its course offerings, but the purposeful and explicit conversations to build confidence in how to set a goal (either personal or academic) in an area that students will experience success in a timely manner using resources that are accessible.  Part of the school’s vision is to create students who set goals.  This program is administered to help children plan for their future by thinking of a talent they could expand and then give back to their community or explore that area of interest.

An example of students giving back to their community after a class follows.   The school offered a quilting class for one and half years.  During that time, over 50 students learned how to hand sew a quilt and then the student could opt to donate that quilt to someone in need.  One quarter, the students chose to donate a Nine Patch Quilted pillow to NICU infants at St. Mary’s; another end of quarter goal was to donate a lap quilt to residents at a local retirement home.  Thus far, Goal Hour has accomplished the initial goals set forth.  It is our hope to continue or expand other class offerings to bring the program to the next level so that more students are using the talent they have developed during Goal Hour to enrich the lives of the broader community.

If you are interested in giving your time to teach a Goal Hour class, please email Carrie Sherrill and she will direct you to someone that will get you involved at your earliest convenience.