Region
Midwest
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin
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Otis and Ira: Friends at School
Old Trail School (age 2-Grade 8), which had mandated the indoor wearing of masks for all students, faculty and staff since returning to campus in fall of 2020, shifted to a mask-optional policy on Monday, February 28. To help younger students better understand and respect the decision of some classmates to continue wearing masks, our […]
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Character Through Service: Branch of the Pine at ULS helps critters in Australia
At University Lake School we focus on the following character traits, affectionately referred to as “Branches of the Pine.” Intellectual Curiosity Personal Integrity Original Thinking Character through Service. Some of our Lower School students worked during recess to sew joey pouches. The pouches will be sent to Australia to help animals dislodged due to the […]
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Oakhill Celebrates Cultural Diversity
Although there are small celebrations throughout the year where families and friends of Oakhill are invited to share their diverse heritage and backgrounds, we reserve one day a year to hold our large festival of colors, foods, dress, music, dance, and the people of Oakhill’s culturally rich community, the Global Celebration. This year’s celebration began […]
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Old Trail School Partners with Countryside on Farm Project
Old Trail School and Countryside (formerly Countryside Conservancy) have formed a new partnership (the “Farm Project”) that will ensure the future of the OTS Farm, a major priority of the School for the last two years. Countryside has been working with the School for several years through the Winter Farmers’ Markets and other educational programs […]
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Student Centered Learning Bridges Math Curriculum & Student Interests
At University Lake School (ULS), song recordings, artwork, planning an escape room, and designing a home are nothing out of the ordinary in math class. From the preprimary program to the upper school program, students and faculty follow a student-centered approach to learning, which allow students to explore their own interests across all subjects – […]
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Canton Country Day School partners with Habitat for Humanity
As a part of the Canton Country Day School Service Learning Program, the eighth grade class volunteers at Habitat for Humanity, a tradition for ten years now. The Class of 2018 made the decision to donate to the community for their class gift which is normally given back to the school. This year, $1700 was […]
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Teamwork: The Key to Peacemaking as a Solution to Current Geopolitical Crises for Fifth Grade Students Participating in a Weeklong Session of the World Peace Game at Oakhill Day School
GLADSTONE, MO – In early March 2018, one week before Spring Break, Oakhill Day School’s twenty-five fifth-grade students attempted to solve some of the world’s greatest crises. The students were playing the “World Peace Game,” an interactive simulation in which students take the roles of state cabinets and world organizations in an attempt to solve […]
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Students Learn, Empathize, Gain Perspective Through School Partnership
Since establishing the Uptown Partnership, named for a nearby neighborhood, Latin School of Chicago’s teachers seek opportunities to develop meaningful connections that help students learn, enhance their empathy, and develop perspective. One example is an artistic collaboration between two groups of third graders—one from Brenda Friedman’s class at Latin, the other from Sabrina Severns’ class […]
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CANTON COUNTRY DAY MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS VALUE GIVING BACK TO THEIR COMMUNITY
Canton Country Day School students love learning through meaningful service experiences, both in and out of school. The Service Learning Program at CCDS is an opportunity for students in grades 6-8 to participate in public service by giving back to their community. One Friday morning per month is set aside to meet these needs. Fifth […]
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Exploration Week
Once each semester (mid-September in fall, late May in spring), students and staff pack up and head out for multi-day backcountry camping trips (five nights, six days). These trips are opportunities to explore magnificent Northwoods natural areas, build confidence in outdoor skills, and study in the “outdoor classroom”. Students and staff, in groups of 8 […]
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Want to Make the World a Little Better? Build a Tree House!
When elementary students, ranging in age from 7 to 10, at The Delta School realized there was no playground hang-out to call their own—primary students had a playhouse and intermediate students had a spider climb—they interviewed classmates and settled on two goals: a tree house and some swings. It turned out they couldn’t have both, […]
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Principia International Student Month Highlights Diversity and Unity
For many years, Principia Upper School has hosted an International Student Week, celebrating the many countries and cultures represented among the student body. This year, the students and their advisors put together a month-long celebration. “No one thing defines us” is the theme chosen by the international students, who make up 11 percent of the […]
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Theatre Week Unleashes Can-Do Spirit and Creativity
Principia Middle School recently implemented its first-ever Theatre Week. For their production of “Mulan, Jr.,” students did everything—sets, costumes, audio, and, of course, singing, dancing, and acting. Hear what our students thought about taking this Disney hit from script to stage in a week.
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Giving the Gift of Kindness
While most students enjoy snacks, games, and fun with friends and parents during school parties, one Northland classroom had a much different experience this year. Oakhill Day School’s second-grade class taught by Mrs. Laura Pearce decided that instead of celebrating the upcoming winter break with a party, they would have fun by giving back. In […]
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Old Trail School Grade 7 Students Receive Rookie of the Year Award in Future City Competition
Old Trail School Grade 7 students participated in the Future City Competition and traveled to Columbus on January 20 for the Ohio Regional Competition. Future City is a project-based learning program in which students imagine, research, design and build cities of the future. With the engineering design process and project management front and center, students […]
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Celebrating Service on MLK Day
Old Trail School celebrated our first Community Day of Service on Monday, January 15, 2018 with 100+ students, parents, faculty and staff taking part in a variety of projects to help meet the challenges and needs of our community. Students in Kindergarten through Grade 5 worked on campus making Craft Kits, Get-Well Cards, Valentine Placemats […]
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Students Bring Historical Midwest Figures Home in Living Museum
First-grade students at Oakhill Day School brought the history of the Midwest to a living museum. In class, students were taught about thirty famous individuals who have shaped American history, all from the region they call home. Figures ranged from Abraham Lincoln, Walt Disney, and Fred Astaire to Oprah Winfrey, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Simone Biles. […]
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Finding Common Ground: Students Gain Global Perspectives Through Self-Study
Sixth graders in Blake’s Humanities classes examine global issues, first by studying themselves, then by delving into others’ perspectives. In their first unit, “The Groups to Which We Belong,” they learn not just how, but why, they see things as they do. Discussions include topics ranging from race, ethnicity, and religion to socio-economics and gender. […]
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#GRA17 – Making Connections Through Reading
Author and teacher Pernille Ripp had the idea for the Global Read Aloud in 2010. In its first year, 150 students read “The Little Prince” out loud through 60 different facilitators. The project has grown dramatically since its beginning, now including over one million students across the world. This is the first year Oakhill has […]
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Connecting People and Place—with Purpose
Connecting students to their local environment and community is an effective way to infuse learning with immediacy, relevance, and an expanded sense of possibility. Experiential learning weeks—or “spring intensives”—that help our freshman and sophomore classes take advantage of all that the city of St. Louis has to offer are the most recent examples of such […]
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Celebrating International Day of the Girl Around the World
In celebration of the International Day of the Girl, Columbus School for Girls middle school students hosted Google hangouts throughout the day (October 11) to connect classrooms of girls around the world on the topic of GIRLS! Twenty-one schools participated in six different chats, representing 12 U.S. states and 4 Canadian provinces. Sessions offered students […]
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Old Trail School Students Send Donations to Houston
Students in Old Trail School’s Trail to Service middle school elective class led a community-wide collection of supplies for children impacted by Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas in late August. Donations including school supplies, bottled water, paper products, clothing and more will be put to good use by the Houston Children’s Charity, a non-profit organization […]
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The Orchard School "Culture Days"
Fourth-graders at The Orchard School dive deep into their study of diverse cultures of early Indiana. Rather than sitting in a classroom, watching a video, and filling out a worksheet, we take our students outside on our 43-acre wooded campus. “Culture Days” is a three day event full of hands-on experiences where students are truly […]
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Estimating Orthopteran Population
Students in A.P. Environmental Science class partake in a mark and recapture activity. On the first day of the activity students traveled to the Conserve School sledding hill where they captured orthopterans (crickets, grasshoppers, katydids and locusts) and marked them with a small dot of non-toxic paint. A few days later the students returned to […]
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Connecting with Nepalese Students
Grade 4 students worked with children in Early Childhood Program (ECP) classes today to create Dal Bhat, a staple food and national dish of Nepal. The dish is made from steamed rice and a cooked lentil soup. Students are also creating create food flash cards to send with two of our teachers who will travel […]
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Freshmen Entrepreneurship Flourishes
A new Entrepreneurship class for Principia Upper School freshmen has unleashed a spirit of innovation. In this semester-long class, students identify and set up both for-profit and social enterprises—while developing a range of skills that will benefit them in all areas of life, not just in business. “Writing and developing other communication skills are essential […]
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Student Inspired City Planning
One of the benefits of being nestled in a city full of growth and development is that the students of Oakhill Day School can use the community improvements as a true to life social studies lesson in urban planning. The Oakhill Eighth Grade City Planning Project uses fundamental project-based learning ideas that include investigation and […]
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Old Trail School Students Celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week
Old Trail School students will be celebrating Random Acts of Kindness Week in February. Random Acts of Kindness week (#RAKWeek2017), February 12-18, is an annual opportunity to unite through kindness. This seven-day celebration was created in 1995 and demonstrates that kindness is contagious. It all starts with one act – one smile, one coffee for […]
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Nature is…
This year Conserve School decided to change things up on picture day by inviting students and staff to not only get their picture taken, but to also respond to the prompt – Nature is. Conserve School’s focus is environmental stewardship and this creative activity allowed individuals to explore both their own thoughts about nature and […]
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Innovative Schedule Supports Intensive Learning
In a variety of settings, ranging from their upper school campus to downtown Cleveland, Washington, D.C., and Paris, Hawken School students and teachers in grades 9-12 spent the three weeks between Thanksgiving and winter breaks immersed in “Intensives,” which offer hands-on, extensive study of a single subject. With the school’s unique schedule, students can practice […]
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Eighth Grade Campaign Competition Brings Benefits to All
At Hillel, we believe in giving back to the community. Over the past few weeks, the eighth grade has dedicated hours of time to doing just that. Teachers Lauren Sterling and Shelby Wallach dreamed up a project that not only gives back to the community, but also teaches many essential Language Arts tools. Thus the […]
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Unique 3D Paper Sculptures (“Boxes” to us!)
After initially starting by making cubes from nets (flat pieces of paper), students use a workshop time to create unique designs from one large or small piece of grid paper. Each new design has to be more complicated than the next. http://peterjenningswilson.weebly.com/boxes.html
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Kindergarten Students Create Certified Schoolyard Habitat
Old Trail School Kindergarten students have successfully created a Certified Schoolyard Habitat® through the National Wildlife Foundation’s Garden for Wildlife program. The National Wildlife Federation (NWF), America’s largest wildlife conservation and education organization. Old Trail School has joined with more than 5,000 schools nationwide that have transformed their schoolyards into thriving wildlife habitats that provide […]
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Engaging and Appreciating Diversity and Difference
At Principia Middle School, the entire student body is revved up about REV, a new element in the core program that involves every learner from sixth through eighth grade and is expanding horizons. “REV is a revolutionary idea involving revolving classes that reveal revelations in student thinking,” as one eighth-grader put it in a tongue […]
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Bringing Science to Life to Local Community Children through Interactive STEAM Days
As a high school for young men in grades 8th-12th, it’s not too often you see 50 first through eighth grade students running around Grand River Academy’s campus – let alone participating in academic lessons in on a Saturday morning! However, three times a year, these children from around the community join GRA faculty and […]
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Grade 3 “Votes” on Election Day
Students in Grade 3 exercised their right to vote today during class. They presented their “id cards” to their teachers and received official ballots and took them to the “booths” in their classrooms. Each student voted on important choices including: 1. Favorite Cleveland Sports Team (Cavs) 2. Favorite Type of Pizza (Cheese) 3. Favorite Color […]
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Old Trail School Middle School Students Create Civility Contracts During Election Season
Middle School students at Old Trail School have created Civility Contracts to practice and encourage respectful discussion and behavior during the weeks preceding the presidential election. Students agreed to listen to each other’s points of view, accept feedback if someone “crossed the line into a personal attack,” agree to disagree, and seek common ground. They […]
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Erez Kaganovitz, Creator Of Humans Of Tel Aviv, Visits Old Trail School
Old Trail School welcomed Erez Kaganovitz in September. He is the creator of Humans of Tel Aviv, a series of online photos and memoirs telling stories of the many people of the city. This visit was part of a continuing collaboration with Classrooms Without Borders, and was made possible thanks to a generous gift from […]
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Spring Break Experience Changes Perspectives, Fosters Civic Responsibility
A dozen or more high school students from Greenhills School annually forego a stereotypical spring break vacation of sunny beaches or snowy ski slopes, choosing to spend a week unplugged living in Detroit, learning about the city’s history and the challenges it faces, and engaging in community service projects. The Alternative Spring Break program reflects […]
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New Principia School Centers Spotlight Student-Centered Learning
This fall, two newly renovated, technologically advanced learning spaces—overseen by professionals with industry experience—are lighting up learning across disciplines at Principia Upper School. Whether for books or big screens, individual study or group projects, research or problem solving—the IDEA Center has become the go-to place for students (and faculty). The “IDEA” in IDEA Center represents . […]
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Outdoor Expeditions Create Culture of Collaboration and Courage
In Maine and in Michigan, along the calm Boundary Waters and through the rushing rapids of the Salmon River, Principia Upper School students engage in weeklong “character trips” each fall. While locations and specific activities may vary, the aim of these expeditions is the same across all grades: to move beyond the sometimes individual, independent […]
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Rare Caterpillar Visits Old Trail School
Old Trail School students were surprised when a rare Hickory Horned Devil Caterpillar dropped from a tree while students were outside during science class. The Hickory Horned Devil stumped the School’s science teachers who had never seen this rare caterpillar. These caterpillars live in the deciduous forest areas of the eastern U.S. and are more […]
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Old Trail School – Welcome Back Students
Students were treated to a new video at the first Head of School Assembly of the 2016-17 school year. David Chottiner (Intermediate and Middle School Director) created the video featuring faculty and staff having fun to Can’t Stop the Feeling. Thanks to Mr. Chottiner for a great start to the school year.
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Coding in Preschool Enriches Literacy and Numeracy Development
At Wheeling Country Day School, we believe that our youngest students are more than capable of higher level thinking with the support of teachers and parents. We designed our early childhood STEM initiatives around engineering, technology, natural sciences and robotics. Our youngest preschoolers have fun learning to sequence and communicate through gross motor and electronic […]
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M.A.D. Design Thinking: How Fourth Graders Made a Difference in Their Community
Fourth Graders at Kalamazoo Country Day School are M.A.D., or making a difference in their own community through Design Thinking. In January, KCDS fourth graders decided to use the Design Thinking process to reach out to their surrounding community. They chose to work with Adult Day Services at Oakland Center. The fourth graders began by […]
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Periodic Table of Elements Come to Life as Superheroes
Sixth grade students recently completed an exciting STEAM project in science combining research, storytelling and moving making. Each student researched an element, then used the science behind the element’s chemical and physical properties to create a superhero. Sixth graders gave their superhero a backstory about how they got their powers and appearance. After creating a […]
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Adventures in Robotics at Principia School
Robotics at Principia is a great addition to our STEM programming. But it’s also about so much more than science, technology, engineering and math. Teamwork, planning, communication, and grit are just a few of the essential skills our students are developing, that will benefit them in academics and in life.
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Living Latin at Wayland Academy
Wayland Academy’s Junior Classical League team provides students with a chance to engage with the classics and Latin in a way that is fun, inspiring, and meaningful. After months of preparation, they gather at the Wisconsin State Conference and compete against schools from throughout the state in challenges that encourage knowledge, creativity, and the ability […]
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Plants, Play, and Learning Flourish on New Principia Playground
With its self-contained creek, mud pit, hobbit holes, tree trunks, boulders, and newly planted native vegetation, Principia Lower School’s new playground is much more than a place for students to take a break from schoolwork. As pre-kindergarten teacher Rissa Arens puts it, “The playground is no longer just a place to run around and get […]
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From Maps to Mosaics . . . to Solutions in Principia Middle School
In this globalized, high-tech world—where existing information is rapidly superseded by new “facts”—high school graduates face exciting opportunities and unforeseen challenges. “We cannot solve problems that are coming up in the world through one lens,” says Principia School’s Dean of Innovation and Academics Peter Dry. “We need to be able to look at and grapple […]
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Bodies and Bagels with Fourth Grade
In what has become a fall tradition for Oakhill Day School fourth grade students, Bodies and Bagels is a fun morning showcase where students show off their creativity and smarts by giving their parents a walk-through of their recycled material human bodies. Students work in groups to apply skills learned during their life science unit […]
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Eighth Graders Use Beebots to Explore Vectors in Physical Science
Eighth Graders recently used Beebots programmable robots to explore vectors in physical science class. The teams of students were given a grid mat, a Beebot, compass rose direction cards, a meter stick, and a recording sheet. They were then given time to explore by programming the Beebot to follow the paths and record the distance […]
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Auroral Splendor – Teachable Moments
Like most schools, Conserve School teachers and staff are always alert for “Teachable Moments”. This year solar activity has set the stage for some great ones. Here is a description of one such moment from Conserve School’s Head of School, Stefan Anderson. “This past Labor Day evening Conserve School students and staff were fortunate to […]
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Inspiring Life-Long Learners, Big and Small
Learning isn’t just for the little ones at The Wilson School. Wilson’s faculty and trustees jumped right into their own learning this academic year with a special evening session on the first night of school with Professor Edward Hess, author of “Learn or Die: Using Science to Build a Leading-Edge Learning Organization.” In his presentation […]
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Hands on Lake Studies
High School students from across the country get a chance to experience hands on lake studies while attending a semester at Conserve School, an environmentally focused semester school in the northwoods of Wisconsin. The school’s 1200 acre campus has access to eight lakes, providing students with a variety of settings to develop their water quality […]
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Creating Leaders in the Agricultural Revolution
Last year, in their upper-level Agricultural Research science course, Scattergood Friends School students used their campus’s 10-acre organic farm as a living laboratory to see how humans interact with nature. They asked essential questions about farm processes, completed literature reviews, researched and designed studies, and ultimately presented their findings at the Iowa State Science Fair. […]
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Rock-n-Roll Academy Helps Middle Schoolers “Come Together”
Who hasn’t dreamed of being in a band? The four-week Rock-n-Roll Academy at University Lake School makes that dream come true for students in grades 5-8. Mentored by Academy facilitator Peter Humphrey-Loving and working in two sound-proof practice rooms fully stocked with audio equipment and instruments, students form bands, decide on their roles (vocals, guitar, […]
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Old Trail School Raises Funds for Nepal Orphans Home
The Old Trail School community came together to raise funds for victims of the April earthquakes in Nepal. This weekend the School raised $3,500+ at their Charity Rummage Sale to benefit Nepal Orphans Home. Items were donated by families and event volunteers included parents, teachers, administrators and students who were great ambassadors for the School […]
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Students Create Chihuly-Inspired Artwork
Students in Old Trail School’s Early Childhood Program classes have been studying the works of Dale Chihuly, a glass artist who has installations all over the world including: Venice, Finland, Jerusalem, the ceiling of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, and even one at The University of Akron. Students learned about glass blowing and watched […]
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Laurel School Students Express Concern for Human Impact
Fifth Graders at Laurel School, in Shaker Heights, Ohio, learn about renewable energy sources and human impact on the environment through a project inspired by the work of Ansel Adams who used photography to capture the beauty he saw in nature and to share with the world his environmental concerns. Laurel Fifth Graders do the […]
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Lego Robotics Ignites Discovery at Wheeling Country Day School
In a presentation for the annual LEGO Robotics Competition, 5th graders showed parents, teachers and peers mechanisms they built and programmed to lessen the impact of natural disasters. The first team presented a shed housing a siren that floats in the ocean with an anchor that detects a tsunami as it begins to form. Another […]
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Amazing Teachers Challenge and Inspire Students
“Jeff Rennicke traveled the world as an environmental writer for publications like “Backpacker” and “National Geographic.” But after being a guest speaker at the high school boarding school, Conserve School, he decided to settle down and accept a job there. Looking for a creative outlet, he turned to photography and capturing the stunning beauty of […]
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Old Trail School is a 2015 Green Ribbon School Award Winner
Old Trail School was named one of 58 schools in the United States and only two schools in Ohio as a Green Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education on April 22, 2015 – Earth Day. The School was recognized for its significant achievements in the area of environmental sustainability as it relates to […]
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Students Follow Curiosity in Genius Hour
A trebuchet launching golf balls, homemade backpacks, and grapes igniting into plasma. These were just some of the projects the 8th graders proudly displayed at the Genius Hour Showcase. Marshall was filled with full-scale models, customized websites, and Ted Talk-style presentations. Marshall teacher Lori Durant modeled Genius Hour after Google, where employees can use 20% […]
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Outdoor Center Offers Challenges, Teaches Life Lessons
Imagine a week of no homework, no uniforms, no tests or quizzes, and no classroom confines. That’s what students at The Linsly School in Wheeling, WV, get to experience each year at their second campus, the Linsly Outdoor Center (LOC) in Hookstown, PA. There’s no worrying about grades either; the goal is to build life-long […]
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Marshall School Students Send Frog Experiment Into Space
Wouldn’t it be cool to have an astronaut do your homework? This spring, three Marshall School students created an experiment that will be placed in the hands of astronauts, rocketed out of Earth’s atmosphere, and deposited in the International Space Station. Alli Hall, Pentti Hanlon, and Anna Nordin won the experiment design competition for Mission […]
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Reimagine School: Nicole’s Story
To spearhead its new “Reimagine School” marketing campaign, Lawrence School recently produced a pair of videos that aim to not only convey the school’s purpose and unique position among other independent schools in northeast Ohio, but also start the conversation about learning differences and the way people think about general education environments. “We are excited […]
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Students Collect Jeans for Homeless Teens
Old Trail School students collected 344 pairs of jeans for the Teens for Jeans drive in February, bringing the School’s six-year total to 1,751 pairs. The project is part of the annual national campaign sponsored by Aeropostale and DoSomething.org, a nonprofit organization for young people and social change. This program encourages young people to collect […]
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MAPS for Success: Fueling a Desire to Succeed
Eighth graders at The de Paul School, which specializes in educating bright students with learning differences, are asked to solve a mystery in their Social Studies class: “Did Pocahontas really rescue John Smith?” They’re given “clues”—primary sources that include maps, documents, pictures, letters, and diaries. They conduct in-depth analysis of historical documentation, and then present […]
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Student Monologues Bring History to Life
The Third Grade Social Studies curriculum at Walden School examines subjects ranging from the 50 states and their capitals to Westward Expansion and Louisville history. But no activity is more highly anticipated than the “Revolutionary War Monologues,” when students assume the role of an historical figure, dress in period costume—designed, hand made, or purchased just […]
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The Maker Movement: Spurring Scientific Inquiry
The Makery, located in Louisville Collegiate School’s Fine Arts building, is where students and teachers gather to collaborate, invent, design, and build. It’s where they’re encouraged to try and, if they fail, to try again. It supports JK-12 curricular initiatives and is equipped for such things as light woodworking and metalworking, 3-D printing, laser cutting, […]
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Analyzing Data, Maximizing Power: Science in the Real World
At Kentucky Country Day School, eighth graders are designing solar batteries, writing disaster response plans for cities around the world, and disassembling electronics to evaluate their environmental impact. These hands-on units are part of their Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences (E3S) curriculum, which focuses on projects that put learning in a real world context. In […]
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Principia Students Connect Science and Art on Teton Trip
“It’s one thing to learn about nature in the classroom; it’s another to experience it. It makes much more of an impact on you!” That student comment hints at the enthusiasm and understanding generated by a recent interdisciplinary program, Creative Expressions in Nature. This weeklong experiential trip has been offered as an option for Principia […]
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Old Trail School Pathways to Sustainability
Our School has created a model for school environmental sustainability programs, focusing on five major components: facility, food, operations, recycling and water. Each of these is continuously evaluated by our administration with a goal of improvement and direct connection to our curriculum. We are striving to reduce our carbon footprint while introducing students to their […]
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i-Term Inspires Joyful Learning at MPA
One hundred fifty eight middle school students, twelve hands-on courses, one week and no grades – it was all about joyful learning at Mounds Park Academy, January 5-9, 2015! The first middle school innovation-Term (i-Term) was a unique opportunity for students in grades 5-8 to participate in weeklong, project-based courses that allowed them to dive […]
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Falling in Love with Robotics
“I wanted to pass on the confidence I gained from doing robotics to younger students.” Jennifer Ma flashes a smile as she explains her motivation for leading the LFA Robotics mentoring program. In the program, members of LFA meet middle school students at the Neal Math and Science Academy in North Chicago to help them […]
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Warner for Life
“Warner for Life!” Like athletes in a huddle breaking on “Go Team!”, every dorm meeting in Warner House at Lake Forest Academy ends with “Warner for Life!” LFA’s oldest dorm has a unique charm that is “ramshackle in a way that I like,” says Dorm Head and English Instructor Nat Small. No two rooms are […]
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Inspired learning in and out of the classroom
Last year, the sophomores of Lake Forest Academy visited the Ragdale Foundation, a private institution on the grounds of architect Howard Van Doren Shaw’s summer home in Lake Forest, Illinois. Ragdale hosts over 150 writers, composers, and artists for short residencies throughout the year and offers them a quiet setting to work and interact with […]
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Lake Forest Country Day School LEGO Robotics Team Competes at State Tournament
Lake Forest Country Day School (LFCDS) sent LEGO robotics team “Healthy Hippos” to the Illinois FIRST LEGO League State Competition on Saturday, January 17. Hosted at Elgin Community College, the 64-team competition featured teams from across the state competing for an opportunity to advance to a championship tournament. Team “Healthy Hippos” is composed of seventh-grade […]
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Old Trail School Students Join Worldwide Movement to get 100 Million+ Students to Code
Old Trail School students, teachers and parents participated with students across the globe in the Hour of Code project in December. This event was held in conjunction with Computer Science Week and was sponsored by Tynker.com, Code.org and a variety of other websites and apps during the month of December. The Hour of Code is […]
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The Power of Teamwork
In St. Louis we are so fortunate to have our choice of so many great schools for our children. At some point in time, you select a school, get started and hope you have made a good decision. As each year unfolds, the truest joy you can have as parent is in the moments that […]
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Adventure, Math, and Writing Animate History
Back in the mid-1800s, when the pioneers set off on the Oregon Trail from Missouri, it took about five months to make the grueling 2,000-mile expedition by covered wagon. This fall, thanks to modern technology and creative teachers, Principia School’s third-grade students have virtually and directly experienced the same journey over a period of just […]
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Finding a Different Mindset: Girls Learn from Positive Stereotypes
Inspired by the work noted social psychologist Claude Steele began on stereotype threat, Laurel School’s Center for Research on Girls designed programming to counteract the effects that girls, a group negatively stereotyped in terms of math and science ability, may feel in high-stakes testing situations. For the past five years, Laurel has educated its upper […]
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Principia France Trip Takes Experiential Learning to the Next Level
“What if . . . ?” That simple question planted a seed that quickly blossomed into an extraordinary collaboration and cross-curricular learning opportunity for 23 Principia Upper School students who participated in a weeklong educational trip to Paris and northwestern France in October. Inspired, in part, by a set of Upper School trips to the […]
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Facing Fear of Nature
Spending a semester away at Conserve School in the heart of Wisconsin’s Northwoods can be a bit scary. To help students understand and overcome their fears English teacher Jeff Rennicke begins each semester with an exploration of the origins of fear of the wilderness. Jeff tells his students, “whether we realize it or not, fear […]
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Engineering is Elementary
How can exploring the angle of reflection help a third grader design a lighting system for a model of an Egyptian tomb? Does soil structure play a part in deciding where to build a bridge? What role will transportation engineering play in our quest for a sustainable planet? These are all questions that are explored […]
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My Miriam Story: Clayton
The real value of Miriam School is best understood in the changed lives of its students. Miriam helps children who are struggling in school unlock their potential. Hear from Clayton in his own words, along with his Mother’s, about finding a place to belong at Miriam School. “It’s not how you start…it’s how you finish.”
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Banned Books Week at the St. Francis de Sales Library
The St. Francis de Sales Library is home to the Middle and Upper School students at Visitation Academy in St. Louis. During the celebration of Banned Books Week, 9/22-9/26/14, the library held different activities each day complete with prizes. Some of the activities were: “Caught! Reading a Banned Book” (Guess the faculty member hidden behind […]
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One Student One Teacher
The heart of the Churchill program is our One-on-One Tutorial. Every child has 50 minutes with a tutor daily to work on the area of his greatest academic difficulty. For the majority of our students, learning to read and spell are the major focus of their tutorial since they have not been successful learning this […]
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A Winter Garden at Rohan Woods School
Rohan Woods School will participate in the US Green Building Council’s 2014-2015 “Green Schools Quest”. The USGBC-Missouri Gateway Chapter is challenging public and private schools within the Chapter’s territory (Missouri and Southern Illinois) to devise and implement, with the help of Green Mentors, the most creative, effective and no or low cost sustainable practices for […]
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Experiential Learning in History Class
Conserve School history teacher Michael Salat believes in the power of experiential learning. He has found that having students create their own watercraft using traditional tools is a wonderful way to make the history of the Lewis and Clark expedition come to life. From their readings in the book “Undaunted Courage” students learned that Lewis […]
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Sixth Graders Become Leaders While Helping Others
The Sixth Grade Leadership Program at Rohan Woods School underscores one of the central parts of its educational and cultural philosophy: inside every child is a leader waiting to be discovered. One feature of the program is a monthly class, led by Head of School Sam Templin-Page, which addresses topics such as developing positive character […]
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Middle Schoolers Explore World Problems On Outdoor Adventures
The three-day field trip that kicks off each year of middle school at Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School inspires the young teens to think deeply about issues of social justice and their own role in solving world problems. This year’s adventures took place at The Great Smoky Mountain Institute at Tremont in Tennessee, and focused […]
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Writing Program Helps Students Find the Right Direction
Thomas Jefferson (TJ) School puts a high priority on cultivating an independent mind; so the new extracurricular Writer-in-Residence program for students in grades 7-12 is an exciting addition to this year’s schedule. Led by 2007 TJ graduate Nate Myers, who returns to the school after several years in the Los Angeles film industry, the program […]
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Middle Schoolers Explore How Education Works
The Exploratory Program for Middle Schoolers at Principia School in St. Louis provides choice, variety, and balance, challenging students to try the untried and to expand their educational horizons. Delivered in a flexible format that allows for small group and individual work, most classes are electives and include students from all three grade levels. There’s […]
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Students Join Global Challenge for Creative Play
Preparations are under way for the third annual Global Cardboard Challenge at The Wilson School on October 11. Sponsored by the Imagination Foundation, children from all over the world are invited to enjoy a day of play while building “something amazing out of cardboard, recycled materials, and imagination.” Last year, Wilson was the only St. […]
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Hathaway Brown campers perform Random Acts of Kindness in downtown Cleveland
Twenty-one girls from Hathaway Brown’s Leading for Life outdoor adventure and leadership camp headed to downtown Cleveland for their second Random Acts of Kindness Day on Wednesday, July 16. After enjoying the variety of foods offered by the numerous Food Trucks at Walnut Wednesday, the girls treated the crowd to a Flash Mob dance to […]
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Students at The Grosse Pointe Academy Become Scientists, Inventors and Innovators
Enjoy this animated introduction to The Grosse Pointe Academy’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) initiative. Watch how students used iPads and took advantage of the Innovation and Design Center to discover new ways to learn.
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Grosse Pointe Academy Middle School Students Get R.E.A.L.
The Grosse Pointe Academy initiated a pilot elective program this past school year for its middle school students called “R.E.A.L.” (Real world Experiences and Applied Learning). Each elective class met once a month through the spring for a total of five sessions, and students chose from a variety of options. “One of the goals of […]
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Public Park Mural
2013-14 Friends School of Minnesota middle school student council worked all year on a mural in Horton Park across the street from the school. Students wanted to give back to our community through service using the Quaker values of simplicity, peace, community, justice, and integrity.They wanted to make Horton Park a place that is more […]
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Consciousness-Based Education Equals Success for Maharishi School Students
It’s been an exciting year at Maharishi School, an open-enrollment preschool-grade 12 school in Fairfield, IA, with students garnering accolades in such diverse fields as creative problem-solving, science, and sports. Senior Avery Travis, a National Merit Scholar, credits her school’s “Consciousness-based Education” program for widespread student success, including her own. In May, six Maharishi School […]
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Cadet Leaders Become the Best They Can Be
Along with academics and individual achievements, leadership is one of the important core values cadets learn at Missouri Military Academy (MMA), a boys’ 6-12 college prep boarding school in Mexico, MO. Each spring, a process known as “designation” is a much-anticipated opportunity for juniors to earn a prestigious leadership position in their final year at […]
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Campsite Cleanup Crew
Conserve School is fortunate to be located adjacent to the Sylvania Wilderness & Recreation Area. Students and staff develop a special fondness for the wilderness area so it feels especially good to be able to give back and support it so that others can experience the joys of this unique place. Each spring students participate […]
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Outdoor Opportunities at Conserve School
Students talk about the opportunities for exploring and learning about the natural world while spending a semester at Conserve School.
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Measuring Success at Lawrence School
Watch this short video on what drives Lawrence School to help students with language-based learning differences succeed.
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Inquiry-Based Collaborations Illuminate Discovery Day
Before they could present their projects on Discovery Day, lower school students at Marburn Academy, a K-12 college preparatory school for dyslexic and ADHD students in Columbus, Ohio, used an inquiry-based approach to gather information on their topics, and then constructed answers to some essential questions. The Westward Wagons group had to demonstrate the forces […]
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Hawken School Entrepreneurship Program
Hawken School pioneered the teaching of entrepreneurship to high school and middle school students in problem-based courses using the Lean Launch Pad (LLP) methodology. The result? Students developed skills, knowledge and character that prepares them for their world in ways that traditional courses have not. Hawken’s first-ever 3-credit semester program in entrepreneurship was featured in […]
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Multiple Intelligences: A Unique Program Aimed At Students’ Strengths
Anyone visiting a classroom at New City School will most likely find groups of students working together—solving a complex problem, acting out an historical event, building models of a new insect species, or maybe even using percussion instruments to represent individual components of the digestive system. The school follows the principles of Howard Gardner’s theory […]
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Orchard Clay Tablets
Do you remember how you learned about ancient civilizations and the earliest forms of writing? Perhaps you remember simply memorizing facts about the Sumerians and ancient Mesopotamia. Our students have to learn a lot of facts, as well. Orchard teachers, however, always go the extra mile to make lessons more meaningful for their students. The […]
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Empty Bowls
Orchard students are in the process of making gorgeous ceramic bowls! On February 25, the entire Orchard community is invited to a dinner of soup, bread, and a dessert. The suggested donation is $10. Families are encouraged to take home one of the wonderful bowls that our students made as a reminder of all of […]
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Bright Future
At the start of the school year, representatives of Dominion Resources presented students in Hathaway Brown’s Campus and Community Sustainability class with a check for $3,800 to support the design and construction of a solar-powered charging station for laptops and cellphones. The goal of the grant, secured by Torrey McMillan ’90 and HB’s Center for […]
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Orchard’s Preschool Restaurant
This lovely project was completely driven by our delightful preschool students. One afternoon a student found a pad and pencil on the table. The student began to pretend to take food orders from his peers. The afternoon progressed from there with pretend food being delivered around the classroom. The students and their teachers then decided […]
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Visiting the Polar Bears
To inspire the love of learning in students, teachers also need to continue exploring. Effectively modeling life-long learning for the students, my school awarded me a grant for experiential professional development. I was sent on an adventure of a lifetime to visit “The Polar Bear Capital of the World.” In late October and early November, […]
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Coral Classroom
I always think that one of the biggest benefits of working at an independent school is the autonomy that we get as teachers. When I moved into the fifth grade teaching position, I was encouraged to develop a focus on oceans. I had seen some great activities on ocean acidification and coral bleaching that I […]
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Students Share Native American and Jewish Traditions in Special Partnership
Over the last three years, a partnership between The Lippman School and the Northern Cheyenne Nation in southeast Montana has taken students’ cultural awareness, appreciation, and understanding to a much higher level. Shared learning experiences, both in and around the Lippman campus and on the Cheyenne reservation, have given students some new perspectives—about each other, […]
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Kindergarteners are Architects Too!
At The Summit Preparatory School we encourage creativity in every moment. Our kindergarteners learn about 3D shapes and architecture, then implement their new knowledge into constructing their own marshmallow buildings. While the buildings may not necessarily be up to code and probably would not stand up to any natural disaster, our students do learn that […]
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Reading in a Tree
“… it occurred to me that it would be a fine thing to climb one of the trees to obtain a wider outlook…” “I kept my lofty perch for hours, frequently closing my eyes to enjoy the music by itself, or to feast quietly on the delicious fragrance that was streaming past.” ~ John Muir […]
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Sharing School Life with Family and Friends
Friends School of Minnesota hosts a series of four Visitor Coffees to share school life with our community. The visit formats vary but always include coffee and time to chat with our head of school. Then our guests might meet with with students in their classrooms, go on a tour of the school, attend a […]
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“Crêpes for Cameroon” makes a difference across the globe
When they learned that their international French-speaking pen pals in Central Africa didn’t have the same educational access that they themselves enjoy at Hathaway Brown, students in Rebecca Graham’s French class decided to do something about it. The girls were so motivated to help in any way they could that they organized a special “Crêpes […]
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From Castles to Classrooms
Do we ever outgrow our fascination with castles and the stories that surround them? Indeed, castles remain charming relics of a remarkable past that captivate audiences of all ages. Castles evoke everything exciting, adventurous, and mysterious, which is why they are a wonderful subject matter for kindergarten students, who become everything curious, inquisitive, and enchanted. […]
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Student Says School Saved His Life
In my junior high classroom, Grandparents’ Day fell on a Friday, and every Friday my students read aloud their writing assignments from that week in small groups. I assigned a short essay on how my students see their grandparents in themselves, and that Friday invited the attending grandparents to come and listen to the essays […]
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Down by the Riverside: Middle School Math, Science and Humanities
Friends School of Minnesota 7th and 8th graders go on monthly field trips to Crosby Farm Regional Park on the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Paul. This interdisciplinary exploration combines math, science, geography, writing, and art with a focus on environmental education. Each month, they gather by the Mississippi to take river notes, […]
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Prepared for College
The Summit has a 100% graduation rate, with all our students attending one of their top choice universities.
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Stellar Parents Make Stellar Student
We believe that education doesn’t stop when you end the school day. At the Summit, parental involvement is encourage and celebrated through open houses and classroom volunteers.
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High School Rock Band
The Summit’s High School Rock Band has fans not only at the school but also in the community where they perform at several public events.
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Developing Responsible & Sustainable Citizens
At the Summit Preparatory School our students learn to be responsible and sustainable citizens. From learning how to make compost to growing our own vegetables in our roof-top gardens, our students are aware of their impact in our global and local communities.
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Asking Unique Questions & Discovering Answers
Even Pre-Schoolers at the Summit learn the importance of asking questions and discovering their own answers. We encourage creative and critical thinking every day to help foster each child’s personal responsibility for their education.
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Brehm Preparatory School
Brehm Preparatory School’s mission is to empower students with complex learning disabilities and differences to recognize and optimize their potential throughout their lifetime. For more information, visit www.brehm.org.
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Real-World Engineering
Students at Laurel School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, are exploring real-world engineering solutions from the outside-in. According to Lisa Damour, Ph.D., Consulting Psychologist and Director of Laurel School’s Center for Research on Girls, female students are looking beyond traditional barriers to find meaning in the human applications of STEM projects. The “outside” motivation of finding […]
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Building Community at Wolf Ridge Environmental Center
Each year, Friends School of Minnesota seventh and eighth graders spend a week at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center in Finland, Minnesota. We do this trip to learn about the natural environment of the area and to build community among ourselves. We spend the week taking classes. This year’s classes were animal signs, orienteering, ropes […]
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Why Do Kindergarteners Think Community Gardens are Important?
“Do you think gardens are an important part of community? Why or why not?” This was a question posed to Friends School of Minnesota kindergarten students before a neighborhood hike to the community garden. I asked them to hold that question while we walked and sketched. We would discuss their ideas after their experience. The […]
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Thinking About the Box
When I donated a box of costume jewelry to Friends School of Minnesota, I didn’t expect to end up meeting with five 6-year-olds to discuss cameos and class rings. My daughter and I had cleaned out her room this summer as she prepared to return to college. “What about this jewelry box? Keep or give […]
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Blake Legacy Day 2013: All-community; All service
One Friday each fall, the entire Blake community comes together for Legacy Day – a day of community building centered on service. Legacy Day is a special time when students, faculty, staff and alumni gather with the common purpose of strengthening commitments to lifelong learning, community service and world citizenship. Each year the service work […]
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Sixth graders pursue world peace
Sixth graders at Milwaukee Montessori School spend seven weeks each year honing their roles as national leaders, diplomats, arms dealers, bankers, United Nations officials, and even a high-level saboteur, all in the quest for global equity, peace, and justice. Milwaukee Montessori’s World Peace Game is the culminating experience for sixth graders, a chance for students […]