Louisiana’s high school on a barge wins $10 million in “Super School” competition

Louisiana has long been home to innovative school choice options. The state’s widespread adoption of charter schools a decade ago has been embraced across the country. Will the newest Bayou State innovation garner a similar same level of acceptance?

new-harmonyA high school on a barge.

New Harmony High School is one of 10 schools – each winning $10 million in the XQ Super School Project competition. The XQ Institute invited teams to conceive, design, fund and ultimately build innovative public high schools for today’s students.

The XQ Institute selected the winning schools from 692 proposals. Winning submissions included concepts based on virtual reality, social services, fine arts and even a high school as a museum.

New Harmony High School will feature a floating classroom where students partner with teachers and scientists to create solutions to the complex problems of community displacement and coastal erosion.

The school is a startup, with a planned launch in two years. NOLA.comreports New Harmony would enroll students from across Louisiana and will likely operate as a charter school. School co-founder Steve Cochran, of the Environmental Defense Fund, said it made sense to have a floating school.

“It’s a symbol, and it seems very cool. At the same time, wherever the students are, they’re learning,” said Cochran. “School is really everywhere.”

Video – XQ Super School, New Harmony High:https://youtu.be/UM7z4fBWpKI

Share