The Mission of the High School of Commerce is to cultivate an inclusive environment free from racism which empowers student-voice, values academic success, and encourages the development of mutually respectful and caring relationships among all members of our learning community. Teachers, scholars, families, and community stakeholders will work collaboratively to engage in practices that develop a passion for lifelong learning and self advocacy.
Our Mission
Our Vision
The vision of the High School of Commerce is to provide all scholars equitable opportunities based on individual aspirations, to become powerful and critical readers, writers, listeners, observers, thinkers, and leaders who are prepared to succeed in college and career and to become active participants in their local and global communities. We strive to ensure this occurs within an inclusive learning environment free from racism.
Our Commitment to Equity
EQUITY
Equity exists at Commerce when all students and staff, regardless of race, class, gender, and other identifiers, have:
· Unparalleled and unbiased access to the highest-quality learning and support systems, bolstered by the unparalled partnerships and resources
· Collaborative and inclusive learning environments that contribute to personal academic and non-academic growth and are free from policies and institutional practices that are inherently racist or inequitable
Our Values
Our work is guided by the twin values of agency and relationships:
AGENCY
We believe that every student should be empowered to pursue their fullest academic and personal potential by giving them voice and choice in how they learn. And we believe students’ agency to become their best selves should be organized around rigorous Personalized Pathways that give students ownership of the setting and attaining of their academic, career, and life goals.
RELATIONSHIPS
We believe that every student should be accepted into a positive, welcoming learning environment that emphasizes the importance of relationship-building, especially the mentoring relationships between our staff and students. And we support this through our school culture of restorative justice, which focuses on growth and collaboration over punishment and separation.
