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Miriam Essentials

Miriam has always been about more than academics. Our school provides therapies, social skills groups, and individualized learning plans. Miriam High School’s Miriam Essentials Curriculum addresses topics that build skills inside and outside the classroom, ensuring that when students leave Miriam, they are ready to take on the next step of their journeys.

The four-year curriculum - which is in its third year - is comprised of five categories: 

  • Academics
  • Life Skills
  • Health and Wellness
  • Community and Social
  • College/Career Readiness

Miriam is actively teaching skills in each of these categories to give students a well-rounded experience and a solid foundation for their adult life. For instance, the Life Skills category covers things such as problem solving, goal setting and risk-taking, as well as maintaining a growth mindset. Academics includes study skills and self-advocacy, and helps students define who they are as learners.

“Miriam is about educating the whole person,” says Cheryl Rackers, a Miriam High School parent. “My son is learning algebra and history, but also learning how to manage his money, learning about good nutrition, and learning daily life skills. He’s growing as a person.”

Many of these skills have a tendency to fall through the cracks in a more traditional environment. The Miriam Essentials Curriculum ensures that competencies such as social skills, self-management, nutrition, group work, citizenship and planning for the future remain front and center for all students, woven in with their academic classes.

Each grade level will have a particular focus as students work through the curriculum, progressing as they work toward graduation and post-high school life. The focus areas are as follows: 

  • Freshmen - building foundations
  • Sophomores - practicing skills 
  • Juniors - applying skills in real-life contexts
  • Seniors - practicing independence and implementing a transition plan

The curriculum is student-centered and goal oriented, building on itself as students learn skills to support independence and personal growth.
Principal Vicki Thurman says, “The Miriam Essentials curriculum is rooted in our mission to build confidence and a foundation for success for all of our students.”