What if high school was designed more like a creative studio than a traditional classroom?

In this episode of LiberatED, Kerry McDonald spotlights NuVu High School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a distinctive, studio-style school for students in grades 7 to 12. Kerry speaks with NuVu co-founder Saba Ghole and NuVu Director of Admissions Karen Sutton about NuVu's remarkable evolution—from a community laboratory partnering with local schools and homeschoolers to a fully recognized private high school.

Founded in 2010 by MIT graduate students Saba Ghole and Saeed Arida, NuVu was inspired by the architectural studio model: immersive, hands-on, interdisciplinary work driven by real-world problems. Today, students spend much of their time engaged in multi-week design studios—building, testing, iterating, and presenting projects that demonstrate deep mastery across disciplines.

With more than 100 graduates over 16 years—many heading to selective colleges in design, engineering, and the arts—NuVu offers a compelling example of how today's innovative high schools can prepare students not just for college, but for meaningful work and life beyond school.

For families and founders seeking or building something fundamentally different from conventional high school, this episode offers a powerful glimpse of what's possible.

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Kerry's latest book, Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling, is available now wherever books are sold!

Anne-Carolyne Binette