Opened 2008 Principal Dr. David Frusher Grades 9-12 Motto A Break With Tradition | Superintendent Dr. Chris Clark Staff 30 Phone +1 847-731-9800 Founded 2008 | |
School type public, secondary, alternative Address 1634 23rd St, Zion, IL 60099, USA District Zion-Benton Township High School District 126 Similar Beach Park Middle School, Zion Central Middle Sc, North Chicago Communi, North Prairie Junior Hi, Lakes Community High Sch Profiles | ||
New Tech High at Zion-Benton East, or New Tech, is a public four-year high school located at the intersection of Bethesda Drive and 23rd Street in Zion, Illinois, a town located in the northeastern corner of Illinois and a suburb of Chicago. It is the second school of Zion-Benton Township High School District 126 and partners with Zion-Benton Township High School. The school logo is the school's initials and the "at" symbol, which is designed to embrace the innovated nature of the school's "break with tradition" of the typical high school. The school mascot is shared with ZBTHS and is the Fighting Zee-Bee, which was derived from a combination of the first two initials of the township (Zion-Benton) and an adaptation of the Navy SeaBees of World War II, which the township had close ties to. The school opened at the former ZBTHS Pierce campus in 2008 and is associated with the New Tech Network of Napa, California. New Tech teaches in the project-based learning style rather than the direct instructional model as taught in most high schools in the United States. The school focuses on the learning of 21st-century skills and stressing the importance of teamwork, intrinsic learning, trust, respect, and responsibility.
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Project-Based Learning
Project-based learning, or PBL as it is better known as, is the use of classroom projects where students use technology and self-inquiry to learn subjects and topics and to engage students with issues and questions that are relevant to their lives. These classroom projects are used to assess student's subject matter competence compared to traditional testing. In New Tech Network classrooms, teachers design rigorous projects tied to state and district standards and customize them to their location and the interests of students. Students then work in teams to acquire and apply knowledge and skills to solve problems. The main philosophy is to use guided discovery rather than direct instruction in the classroom for students to learn by.
Please see the link for project-based learning and the New Tech Network Information Site [1] for more details on this teaching method and the philosophy of New Tech Network schools.
Athletics and Activities
New Tech athletes compete in a combined athletic program with Zion-Benton Township High School for a district-wide athletic program. The district competes in the North Suburban Conference and is a full member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), which governs most sports and competitive activities in Illinois.
New Tech students are also allowed to participate in many of ZBTHS's after-school activities, including musicals and plays, Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC), and the student pep group, The Swarm. The school has several after-school activities that are exclusively at New Tech, as well