09/09/2026
HIGH SCHOOL STARTS TODAY!
Today is the day! Our Shangri-La High School students officially begin classes, and I am SO excited about what we have planned for this year.
High school at Shangri-La is going to be a little different. We’re going to read, debate, investigate, experiment, create, perform, head outside, ask big questions, learn some things that are uncomfortable, learn some things that are wonderfully weird, and figure out how all of these subjects actually connect to one another.
Here’s what our high schoolers are diving into:
BIOLOGY
What does it actually mean to be alive? From cells and genetics to ecology, evolution and entire living systems, we’ll be studying life — with the added benefit of having a farm, forest, creek and approximately a gazillion living things right outside our classroom door.
SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY
Welcome to the wonderfully complicated study of humans. Why do we behave the way we do? How are we shaped by our families, friends, cultures and communities? Expect experiments, discussions, case studies and plenty of moments where you suddenly realize, “Wait... I do that.”
WORLD HISTORY OF GENOCIDES
One of our most serious and important courses. We’ll study how prejudice, propaganda, power, conformity and dehumanization can transform societies — while also learning about resistance, courage, survival and the people behind the history. This class is about much more than remembering dates. We want to understand how and why these events happened.
HISTORY OF THESPIAN ARTS
Why have humans been performing stories for thousands of years? We’re starting at the beginnings of documented dramatic performance and traveling through ancient theatre, Greece, Rome, medieval stages, Shakespeare, modern theatre and beyond. And you definitely won’t spend the whole year sitting in your chair.
LITERATURE
We’re becoming literary detectives. Instead of simply asking, “What happened in the book?” we’ll ask WHY authors make the choices they make. Symbolism, strange narrators, hidden meanings, powerful language, unreliable characters — we’re going looking for all of it.
HOME ECONOMICS & LIFE SKILLS
AKA: How to Be a Competent Human. Cooking, budgeting, shopping, household management, planning, mending, problem-solving and all those incredibly useful things adulthood eventually expects you to magically know.
BOTANY & MYCOLOGY
Plants above us. Fungi beneath us. Mycelium running through the soil. Decomposition happening everywhere. Entire ecosystems hiding in plain sight. And fortunately for us, our laboratory is an actual farm and forest.
And maybe my favorite thing about our High School program?
These subjects are going to collide.
History will change the way we understand Literature. Literature will lead us into Psychology and Sociology. Stories will find their way onto the stage in Thespian Arts. Biology will send us outside. Botany and Mycology will send us into the woods.
We aren’t just collecting facts in seven different subjects.
We’re learning how to connect them.
So, high schoolers — grab your binder, lunch, water bottle and something to write with. Bring your curiosity, your opinions, your questions, your sense of humor and a willingness to try something new.
Most importantly, bring your brain.
We have plans for it.
WELCOME TO DAY ONE OF HIGH SCHOOL AT SHANGRI-LA!
Let’s get this year started.
