Since 2012, Changemaker High School (CMHS) has implemented a new educational experience filled with challenge and opportunities for the young people of Tucson. Recognizing that the world is defined by change and that education should match that change, CMHS has put forth a new approach to teaching and learning that makes empathy and changemaking as important as reading, writing, and math.

With a mission “To Develop Student Leaders Who Turn Ideas Into Action,” CMHS goes beyond the concepts of grit, perseverance, and dedication; all of which only speak to the individual. We ask our young people to engage the world with a high level of empathy; asking them to look up from their desks, to connect with others and to take ownership of their community, be it their classroom, their neighborhood, or their country.

As a result, CMHS is the first high school in Arizona to be a member of Ashoka’s International Changemaker School Network, one of nearly 200 schools worldwide. CMHS is providing our young people with the experiences and confidence to feel powerful when they step into the world, so when they confront something that they do not like or that does not make sense, their first reaction is “I can do something about this.”

This is why at CMHS we are less concerned with being the best school in the world and more concerned with being the best school FOR the world.