The World's Coolest Schools

For most kids back to school season is the most dreaded time of year, but if you're lucky enough to attend one of these hip schools you'll be raring to go back. Check out what some of the coolest schools around have to offer!

School at Sea

There are no musty old classrooms in this school - students live on sailboats and/or camp and learn sailing, navigation, diving, computer skills, photography/film, and survival skills in the sunny Bahamas. Most students still have to follow along with their regular schoolwork via correspondence as well but it's well worth the extra effort when your classroom is a tropical paradise! Get the details at www.islandexpedition.com.

School of Rock

You probably won't get to meet Jack Black, but this school rocks all the same. At the Paul Green School of Rock in Philadelphia, students learn classic rock - from the 60s, 70s, and 80s - and get a chance to put their skills to work in front of live audiences. Kids aged 10 to 18 learn to rock out, form bands and play live gigs - complete with rocking lighting and smoke machines. If you think you have what it takes to rock with this crew, check out www.schoolofrock.com.

Aviation High School

If you're a high school student in Washington State, your education could be poised to take off - literally. Students at Aviation High School work in conjunction with Boeing and more than 150 other aviation businesses to become pilots, astronauts, astrophysicists and other flight professionals. The best part is that Aviation High School is a public school, so for the lucky students accepted, it's a free ride to flying high! Check it out at www.aviationhs.org.

Tips for Making Your School Cooler

Maybe your school isn't going to take you to the Bahamas or teach you to fly - that doesn't mean you can't have a whole lot of fun there! Here are a few handy hints for upping the cool factor at your school.

Get involved. Sure school has its lame moments but it'll suck less if you take an opportunity to meet more people by showing up to your school's events.

Start a club. If your school doesn't offer Wakeboarding 101 as a class, why not start a club instead? Find a teacher who's willing to supervise and enlist like-minded peeps to join up.

Get out! Fieldtrips were invented for days when school is just a little too much to bear. Start a petition to go to your fave place - it doesn't hurt to ask. To up your odds of getting approval see if you can find an educational tie-in (a day at the amusement park = an opportunity to study the physics of roller coasters, for example). Teachers can't say no to "educational opportunities."

Go on a foreign exchange! It might just seem like a regular high school to the kids who live there, but if you take a semester at a school in another country, it will seem awesome to you!

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