About Us

MetWest High School prepares young adults to recognize and take advantage of all resources for their personal well-being. Our graduates will have the skills, habits, knowledge and community to overcome obstacles to their success, access 4-year colleges and contribute positively to our world.

“Young adults”, as opposed to “students”, grants them greater personhood/subjecthood.

“All resources” is intended to highlight our unique focus on developing students’ recognition of and skill accessing institutions and adults in the urban community as resources for themselves, while not denying the importance of teachers and books as important resources as well.

“Well-being” as opposed to “success” as we feel it refers less narrowly to financial wealth and more easily encompasses the notion of our graduates knowing how to be healthy, happy, etc.

We believe these four are all needed for our aims. Most radical among the four is the inclusion of “community” as an asset that we want students to leave MetWest possessing. This is done in recognition of the fact that our students will continue to need, and still be able to access the tremendous array of adult connections and close peer connection they make here, even after graduation.

“Overcome obstacles” is added in recognition of the fact that most of our students will be confronting systemic obstacles to their success throughout their lives (racism, classism, sexism, homophobia) and that we want students to have what they need to overcome those, over and over and over again.

“Four-year colleges” is stated explicitly because without that articulation in our core vision statement, it would be far too easy to let this not happen for too many of our students (as it is so difficult to make happen) – and we also know that this is a core value for many of our parents.

“Contribute” because we feel it is important that we develop citizens, not just self-interested individuals.

“Positively” as opposed to “productively” to avoid prioritizing material production over intellectual and service work.

“World” as opposed to “community” or “communities” so as not to imply that our graduates remain part of any particular communities. “Our world” as opposed to “their world” so as not to imply that students live in a different world than the adults in this school community live.