Argo Navis School’s Biography
Argo Navis School, located in Los Angeles, CA, represents a beacon of progressive education from pre-K through middle School. Unlike traditional educational models that rely heavily on textbooks, lectures, and examinations, this institution champions a project-led, teacher-facilitated approach. At Argo Navis, the curriculum is sparked by the student's interests, launching a comprehensive educational journey across subjects such as math, science, history, and more, all within an immersive Spanish-speaking context.
The visionary leadership of its founder, Ryanne Plaisance, drove Argo Navis's inception. Plaisance's innovative educational philosophy is tailored to fit each student's unique learning styles and emotional intelligence. Her approach is built on the principle that nurturing a child's emotional intelligence—in their relationships at home, School, or during play—directly enhances their academic performance.
The School organizes a three-week excursion to Costa Rica each year, immersing students in a Spanish-speaking environment to bolster their language skills and cultural understanding. This exposure to diverse cultures underscores the importance of tradition, inclusion, and active engagement with people from various ethnic, racial, and cultural backgrounds. Beyond the classroom, students engage with their surroundings through frequent exploratory trips to local communities and attractions, embracing learning through real-world experiences rather than solely through textbooks. A distinctive aspect of Argo's curriculum includes an emphasis on financial literacy, recognizing it as a crucial skill often overlooked in conventional educational settings.
Argo Navis not only reimagines education but also deeply considers the health and wellness of its students. The cafeteria offers a vegetarian menu with healthy grains, fresh fruits, vegetables, and various culturally diverse main dishes. The institution believes that smaller classes enhance teaching effectiveness and student learning experiences. Maintaining an 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio ensures more personalized attention, allowing teachers to understand better and meet individual student needs, starkly contrasting to the California average of 22 students per teacher.
The educational strategy at Argo Navis is inclusive and supportive of its culturally and geographically diverse student body. The School adopts various teaching modalities such as instructor-led, peer group, online, and blended learning. Early in each student's academic journey, an Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) is developed to identify and cater to their unique cognitive, behavioral, and social-emotional strengths, setting clear and personalized learning objectives.
Project-based learning is a cornerstone of the curriculum, enabling students to apply classroom knowledge to real-world situations. This method places students at the helm of their educational experience, encouraging them to initiate group projects based on their collective interests. Such projects often involve trips within the city to interact with professionals like marine biologists, visit museums, or observe artisans at work, thus bridging theoretical knowledge with practical application.
The School challenges the shortcomings of traditional educational systems, which often fail to adequately prepare students for the standardized tests required for college admissions. The School collaborates with academic experts and organizations to provide unique learning experiences and field trips that utilize Los Angeles' rich landscape, cultural scenes, and ethnic communities to deliver an education that combines traditional principles with modern methodologies.
Furthermore, the curriculum at Argo Navis encompasses standards beyond the common core, including the Computer Science Standards, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and the World Language California Standards. These comprehensive educational benchmarks equip students with the necessary skills to thrive in a rapidly evolving world.
The School's signature programs are crafted to meet the highest educational standards and profoundly impact students' perspectives and enthusiasm for learning. Whether their journeys take them across the globe, to the depths of the seas, or through dense, lush wilderness, students are left with a sense of humility and wonder at the vastness and beauty of the world, along with an understanding of their potential impact on the future of humanity, wildlife, and the planet.
Argo Navis School excels in educational innovation and actively engages with the community through various partnerships. Featured in numerous respected publications and platforms, including the Boston Herald and the Inspired Stories Podcast, the School and its founder have been recognized for their transformative impact on education. In 2017, Ryanne Plaisance was honored with the Comerica "Woman of Promise" award. Located in a vibrant area surrounded by artists, athletes, and cultural institutions, it leverages these resources to enhance its educational offerings, truly taking community engagement to new heights in education.