Region
Southeast
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee
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PE Challenges Kids: Are You MVPs or MVTs?
Corbett Prep’s Physical Education unit “Teambuilders and Cooperative Activities” guides first and second graders through an investigation of what makes a great teammate. Students face challenges as a class to work together to achieve different goals. Students have opportunities to take leadership roles, strategize, and reflect on what worked and what changes they could make […]
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Lower School STEM teacher uses 3D printer to help protect medical staff against COVID-19
Lower School STEM Teacher Shannon LoRusso is helping medical personnel by using the school’s 3D printer to make Montana Masks and Face Shields for hospital use. Before Admiral Farragut Academy closed due to coronavirus, she took the 3D printer from the Lower School STEM Lab home and the school provided her materials such as the […]
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Durham E-cademy – Day 1
Durham Academy’s spring break began on March 6. Due to health and safety concerns related to COVID-19, the school decided to suspend on-campus instruction and activities. DA’s 200+ faculty and staff returned from spring break and in 48 hours, launched an online version of DA for 1,227 students in grades Pre-K through 12. The first […]
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Fifth-graders Tackle Design Challenges
As part of their continuing study of project-based learning, Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School fifth-graders enjoyed an in-house field trip with Georgia Tech for a special program, “Using Universal Design to Engineer a More Inclusive World.” Tech alumna Marnie Harris and current student Trey Quinn introduced the concept of universal design, which is a key focus […]
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Bolles Focusing on Student Wellness, Mindfulness
Bolles leaders have been reflecting on ways the school community can help students manage stress, make healthy choices and better emphasize wellness in their daily lives. This focus has resulted in many new programs and initiatives, including participation in Stanford University’s Challenge Success program, the creation of Health & Wellness committees, the addition of a […]
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Recycled Orchestra Brings Literacy to Life
Trash transformed into music in an interdisciplinary project that encouraged Corbett Prep students to flex their STEM skills, practice music composition and think globally. And it all began with a book. Students in first through fifth grade read “Ada’s Violin,” Susan Hood’s true story about the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura in Paraguay. Students learned that […]
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Admiral Farragut Academy Aviation Department is awarded $5,000 grant by American Airlines
Admiral Farragut Academy (Farragut) was one of 17 aviation focused schools and organizations around the country awarded with a grant by American Airlines because of its dedication to training the next generation of aviators. The $5,000 grant to Farragut will enhance the Lower School Aviation experience and give its younger students the opportunity to train […]
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Indian Springs Theatre presents THE LARAMIE PROJECT
Tickets to Indian Springs’ fall play, The Laramie Project, are now available for advance purchase online! The show, which will be presented October 12–14 in Springs’ John Badham Theater, tells the story of Matthew Shepard, who was fatally beaten in a hate crime in the town of Laramie, Wyoming, in October 1998. Springs’ performances will […]
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Students ‘Up and Moving’ in Bolles PVB Thanks to New Seating Options
“Come in and sit wherever you like” is not the sentence you hear most teachers in an elementary school say. More often than not, classrooms can be constrained environments with one size desk and one size chair to fit all student shapes, sizes and learning preferences. This is not the case on the Bolles Lower […]
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Flexible Seating, Learning Options Enhancing Bolles Classroom Experience
Susie Kissinger and Caryn Canfield’s Grade 4 classrooms on the Bolles Lower School Whitehurst Campus are all about options when it comes to desks, seating and learning spaces. Thanks to a complete summer overhaul of classroom furniture resources, students can now decide each day whether they will do their best work utilizing standing desks with […]
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Servant Leadership Focus of 2018 Bolles Upper School Club Day
Upper School Club Day launched a year of servant leadership in the Bolles community. Student organizers from most of Bolles’ 60+ upper school campus clubs manned booths in Davis Gym to field interest from students during Activities period September 18. A wide range of special interests, cultures, causes and associations were represented during the event. […]
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The Power of Play Plus Spanish Language Equals Fun
Students in Melyssa Gomez’s Spanish class on the Bolles Lower School Ponte Vedra Beach Campus combined two important strengths for a successful lesson last week: the power of play and the power of language study. Add outdoors and number skills to the equation and the result was muy Bueno! Gomez created number counting games on […]
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The Howard School Celebrates Georgia STEM Day
The Howard School celebrated Georgia STEM Day with its first-ever “Brain Day.” The school’s seniors led the younger students in STEAM activities throughout the day.
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Student Collaboration Teaches Personal Responsibility
Seventh graders in Cary Academy’s Charger Trails program—named after the school mascot, a charger horse—are focused throughout the year on what does, or sometimes doesn’t, make collaboration work. There are student-led conferences to discuss goal-setting, a Thoughtless and Hurtful Language seminar, and a year-end trip to a YMCA camp in Black Mountain for more team […]
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The Howard School Only School in Georgia to Receive NBC's R.I.S.E. America Grant
The Howard School high school was selected as one of 50 high schools across the country, and the only school in Georgia, to receive a coveted NBC R.I.S.E. America Grant to support its drama program. More than 1,000 high schools applied for the grant.
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Engineering Diploma Program Helps Students Build Their Futures
Students at Pinewood Preparatory School who might be thinking of pursuing an engineering degree in college—and possibly even a future career—now have a chance to get an early start. Starting this year, the Engineering Diploma program exposes high school students to a variety of concepts, skills, and applications that, once completed, will provide a solid […]
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Constellations in Focus for Bolles PVB Science Students
As part of a recent lesson on constellations visible in the winter sky, Bolles Lower School Ponte Vedra Beach Campus science teacher Carolyn Houston helped students project their favorite star arrangement on the wall. Using hollow cardboard tubes as kaleidoscope-like resources, students selected a constellation and made holes at the covered end that depicted their […]
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Mystery Solved! Bolles PVB Students Connect With Kansas School
Students in Amy Cole’s Grade 3 classroom on the Bolles Lower School Ponte Vedra Beach Campus were dressed in short sleeves and shorts on January 22, a day defined by blue skies and warm sun. The mystery class with which they Skyped that day, however, was full of students in sweaters – and their teacher […]
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Student-Led Gender Equality Club Offers “Beacon of Hope” to Worried High Schoolers
When Indian Springs School senior Katie Wiatrak saw sexism affecting current events, including the 2016 presidential election, she looked in vain for a place to discuss it with her peers. “So I decided to build one,” says Katie. “I gathered my closest friends and the head of school, and together we founded the Gender Equality […]
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Students Plant Seeds, Grow Empathy, Care for Others Through Community Service
Throughout the year, students at The Bright School bring canned goods, donate change, and harvest produce from their on-campus garden to give to a local food pantry that helps those in need in the community. The youngest students plant and harvest vegetables in the Early Childhood Gardens, designated last year as the first Katie’s Krops […]
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Bolles WEB Leaders Help Everyone Belong in Middle School
Bolles Middle School Bartram Campus WEB Leaders (“Where Everyone Belongs”) play a pivotal role in the School’s efforts to strengthen peer relationships and develop community values. The students, who are trained and organized by classroom teacher Laura Lane and middle school guidance counselor Brynne Plant, plan events throughout the year to build a student community […]
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Bolles Hosts ‘Treehouse’ Ribbon-Cutting on Whitehurst Campus
Many branches of the Bolles family tree were out on the Lower School Whitehurst Campus early on September 27 for a special ribbon-cutting event celebrating the new Treehouse Outdoor Learning Center—“a room with a view!” The 488-square-foot riverfront treehouse, built by Sauer Construction Inc. and designed by Luke Architecture PA, is the newest learning facility […]
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Zipping Into STEM Education at Bolles
Innovation, problem-solving and teamwork were the themes of a recent maker space lesson in the Copeland Library. The task? Build a functioning zip line that would whisk a straw-harnessed balloon up, up and away! Michelle Mas, Bolles Lower School Whitehurst Campus librarian, explained a few other parameters to the students before they paired up and […]
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Bolles Community Helps Clean Up After Irma
Numerous students, parents, faculty, staff and administrators volunteered their time on September 12 to help clean falling branches and other debris on the San Jose, Whitehurst and Bartram Campuses in the wake of Hurricane Irma. The entire girls’ and boys’ boarding program joined the efforts along with day students and parents from various grade levels. […]
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'The Bolles Way' Now Part of Bartram English Curriculum
English teachers on the Bolles Middle School Bartram Campus are advancing students’ comprehension of the School’s motto through a new schoolwide initiative. The goal is to add curricular and literary context to the words most students know by heart: “The Bolles Way: Pursuing excellence through courage, integrity and compassion.” Deborah Carney, English Lead Teacher on […]
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Bolles PVB Students Learn Engineering Design Process
Students in the Bolles Lower School Ponte Vedra Beach lab are learning how to set up a falling-weight system car design using K’Nex materials and their understanding of the Engineering Design Process. A large poster in the lab reminds students about critical tenets of engineering design: Ask: Find out more about the problem Imagine: Think […]
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Saving Money with Solar Energy
If you think of the many ways a school impacts its community, you probably think about what’s going on inside its walls. But on top of the Lovett School in Atlanta, Georgia, its solar arrays are improving the local environment, saving the school money, and contributing to the education of its students. Lovett is an […]
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‘Proprioceptive Input’ Changing Classroom Setting on Bolles PVB Campus
Through the use of Hokki stools, size-appropriate wobble chairs, chair air cushions and standing desks, the Bolles Lower School Ponte Vedra Beach Campus is providing students with new ways to practice “proprioceptive input.” A method of learning using appropriate classroom movement to engage the body and brain, the concept supports classroom use of standing-biased desks, […]
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Bolles First High School in Southeast to Acquire Anatomage Table
The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida is now one of just three private high schools in the world – and the only high school in the Southeast – to own an Anatomage table. The highly advanced human dissection table and anatomy visualization system is typically – if not exclusively – seen in hospital or university […]
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“The Woman in Gold” Offers a Golden Learning Opportunity in Collaboration
“Once the past has been put to right, we will not have come here in vain…We should be reunited with what is rightfully ours.” These are the powerful words of Maria Altman, a woman whose story we become well-acquainted with in my Spanish IV Honors and Spanish IV Regular classes. Altman was an ordinary citizen […]
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Project-Based Learning Activities Turn Students into Experts
For seniors taking Charleston Collegiate School’s year-long Exhibition of Mastery program, individually created scholarly projects require problem-solving, researching, and presentation skills. Supported by a team of faculty, outside advisors, and students, seniors become experts on their topics, and the results are examined and evaluated in a unique, public demonstration of knowledge—symposium-style exhibitions before the CCS […]
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Breakout Boxes
Our 6th grade geography class used a creative way to study for their exam! Clues, aka review questions, were hidden around the library/media center to open up the “breakout boxes” – an educational spin on the “breakout rooms!” Students used a cypher key and a black light to see invisible ink to crack the clues. […]
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How 8th Graders Used Design Thinking to Imagine an Award-Winning App
Every year, people forward me an email announcing the Verizon Innovative Learning App Challenge. As chair of the Computer Science Department at GPS, people know that encouraging girls to code is a driving force in my teaching. This year, I decided to build the App Challenge contest into my 8th grade classes’ coursework. We followed […]
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Students Memorialize Their State’s Past, Commit to Creating a Better Future
Last summer, a group of Altamont School seniors and two faculty members travelled from Birmingham to Montgomery to join in the Community Remembrance Project. Sponsored by the Equal Justice Initiative, the Remembrance Project represents indigent defendants and prisoners denied fair and just treatment in the legal system. Participants from across the state collected soil from […]
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Zoolandia: Where Wild Ideas Are OK!
“How much does a lion cost?” “Should we build a lemonade stand or a T-shirt shop?” “What animals can we put in our water habitat?” “What can we do about the oil spill?” These are questions overheard during a session of Zoolandia, a game in which wild ideas are OK! For the past four years, […]
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Leadership and Service Program Encourages Responsible Global Citizens
At Atlanta Girls’ School (AGS), the Education for the Development of Leadership and Service (EDLS) program is an integral part of the educational experience. It’s designed to teach and develop leadership skills and instill a deep appreciation of the critical role service must play in the life of a responsible global citizen. Students develop key […]
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CARROLLWOOD DAY SCHOOL RECEIVES CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION COMMISSION
Carrollwood Day School received a Certificate of Appreciation on Thursday, October 20, 2016, from the Environmental Protection Commission for their innovative athletic field design. The CDS final site plan minimized wetland impacts by combining their athletic needs into one location and a Conservation Easement to SWFWMD will be recorded for 20.53 acres of nearby property […]
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Salt marsh planting; Admiral Farragut Academy students work together to save the world
Dozens of Kindergarteners…and first-graders and second-graders, in fact the entire student body — Upper and Lower School — spent a portion of their day on September 8 getting muddy planting hundreds of plugs of salt marsh grass in the school’s nursery, which sits just outside of Sari Deitche’s biology classroom. For many, it was the […]
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“Our Spirit”
“Give to us a noble SPIRIT that we, with our teachers, may go forward to achieve the highest goals in life.” This exerpt from the UMS-Wright motto resonates throughout the entire school. During the Spring of 2016, we released a series of four videos (Our School, Our Mind, Our Body and Our Spirit) that give […]
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“Our Body”
At UMS-Wright, we continue to build a foundation for excellence through our devotion to advancing our students in mind, BODY, and spirit! During the Spring of 2016, we released a series of four videos (Our School, Our Mind, Our Body and Our Spirit) that give viewers an inside glimpse into “Our School.”
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“Our Mind”
UMS-Wright continues to set the example in education as we nurture and shape the minds of our students. During the Spring of 2016, we released a series of four videos (Our School, Our Mind, Our Body and Our Spirit) that give viewers an inside glimpse into “Our School.”
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Admiral Farragut Academy students attend prestigious summer academies for leadership and sailing
Each summer, students from Admiral Farragut Academy represent the school in noble ways by participating in various leadership programs. The summer of 2016 was no different as cadets from the upper school served as mentors or participants at the Naval Academy Summer Seminar, the NJROTC Area Seven Leadership Academy, the Sail Academy, and LeaderSail. In […]
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A Unique Spin on the Classic Oral Book Report
Our 6th grade reading class put a spin on the classic oral book report. Each sixth grader chose a book to read, then selected a character from the book to portray in full costume and with props. We made trading cards which had the character’s photo on the front and three questions on the back […]
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“Our School, Our UMS-Wright”
At UMS-Wright, we continue to build a foundation for excellence through our devotion to advancing our students in Mind, Body, and Spirit! During the Spring of 2016, we released a series of four videos (Our School, Our Mind, Our Body and Our Spirit) that give viewers an inside glimpse into “Our School.”
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Poetry Delights, Educates K-5 Students’ Hearts and Minds
Every spring, The Cooper School’s students embark on an eight-week study of poetry, with individual units of curriculum for each grade level. They analyze how poets use literary devices to convey meaning through their writing and explore how language, structure, and meaning intersect. Two poems by each student are published in the school’s annual award-winning […]
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Genius at work on the campus of Admiral Farragut Academy through Drone Club
Within the confines of the Admiral Farragut Academy STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) lab, a group of students are dedicated to mastering the aforementioned scientific principles as they contribute to the genius of technological advances. Since the middle of March, members of the Drone Club have been constructing drones from scratch as a part […]
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The Tapestry of Art and Science by Annette Calloway
Think of a school as a colorful tapestry. Look closely and you will see the beautiful repeating threads of art and music in the students’ daily experiences. In a 21st century school, technology is another vibrant thread; it is a medium for innovation as students tap both their imaginations and their problem-solving skills. Dr. Loretta […]
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Admiral Farragut Academy’s Kollyne Thomas joins legacy of celebrated authors with winning entries in the Scholastic Awards
Kollyne Thomas ‘16 is constantly searching for the perfect connection of words. A voracious reader amongst a bevy of readers in her family, Kollyne’s love for literature helped mold her into her current status as a meticulous writer. Since the time she could hold a pencil, Kollyne’s evolution as a wordsmith has moved from the […]
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Admiral Farragut Academy alumna, Kelly Rubash ‘09, finished as the Second Runner-Up in the sixth annual Tampa Bay Woman of the Year fundraising event
On March 5, Kelly Rubash ‘09 finished as the Second Runner-Up in the sixth annual Tampa Bay Woman of the Year fundraising event by the Westchase Foundation in Hillsborough County. The competition lasted over nine weeks during which 13 candidates raised funds for families in need, totaling a little over $100,000 during that span. “It […]
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Akiva students build interactive “monsters” as part of new STEM initiative
Akiva School students in grades four-six are creating monsters. Not the ugly harmful kind. These are friendly, interactive monsters, and by making them the students are learning to integrate the subjects of science, technology, mathematics and engineering. The project is part of a new STEM initiative at Akiva as the school implements a five-year plan […]
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Press Play for Future Presidents
When we reflect on history’s most successful leaders, what do we learn about the qualities that we should seek in our president? Rosemary Nye’s first-grade Safari Scouts at Durham Academy explored that question in this wise-beyond-their-years video (produced by Ms. Nye) after learning about the influence and impact of leaders like Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther […]
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Admiral Farragut Academy sends students to GatorMUN for the first time
On January 30, 10 students from Farragut participated in the 13th Annual GatorMUN Conference, the yearly conference of the University of Florida Model United Nations organization that brings together high school students from Florida and Georgia to discuss international issues. Modeled after the United Nations, GatorMUN prides itself on providing “a learning experience unlike any […]
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Admiral Farragut Academy student, Shawn Simon ’17, starts two business clubs, advances to state competition with his peers
Farragut doesn’t necessarily have a business program within its curriculum but if Shawn Simon ’17 continues exerting his passionate influence, things might soon change. He has generated excitement within the student body at Farragut by introducing and helping form two clubs on campus that are centered around business and have chapters throughout the world: DECA, […]
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An Immigrant’s Journey: Drawing Connections Across the Curriculum
Taking inspiration from the popular Flat Stanley stories of the early grades, a fifth grade project at Shorecrest Preparatory School in St. Petersburg, FL reimagined the iconic character to help students study the immigrant experience at Ellis Island in the late 1800s. Charged with creating a character and developing a story for him or her, […]
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Admiral Farragut Academy student, Michael Cooney ‘16, develops leadership through charitable deeds
Saturday mornings for most teenagers are usually reserved for snaring extra sleep. For Michael Cooney, the day has been devoted to helping with the Challenger League, which is for players with physical or mental disabilities. Since coming to Farragut at the beginning of his sophomore year, Michael – along with his teammates on the Farragut […]
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Connected Learning for a Connected World
Most schools teach different subjects in isolation. Math teachers don’t know what children are learning in science class and vice versa. Students move from subject to subject but typically there is no integration. At Jacksonville Country Day School, all learning is connected. Teachers continually meet to collaborate and find the connections between different subjects. Individual […]
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Innovative Programs Engage Students in Global Action
“Inquiry, Innovation, and Impact” are themes woven into Mount Vernon Presbyterian School’s mission statement, which is why students in grades 9-12 annually complete an (i)Project. These projects are driven by curiosity and passion, and real-world purpose inspires the work. Last year, students in the Technology, Engineering, and Design class, in collaboration with the global volunteer […]
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Battle Ground Academy: Success Starts Here
Battle Ground Academy is an independent, coeducational K-12 school in the heart of Franklin, Tennessee. Our mission is to ignite and nurture student curiosity, intellect, and character.
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Raising Servant Leaders
Last week, Shiloh visited Trinity’s 3rd graders to tell his story. Shiloh is a teacher, and Shiloh has a love for children. Shiloh is also a homeless man who spends his days at the Urban Ministry Center and his nights sleeping on the streets of Charlotte. His story is not unique and is one we […]
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Lost In The Game: A Musical Story of Relationships, Sex and Gender Politics
Durham Academy a cappella group XIV Hours takes on hookup culture, relationships and respect as reflected in pop culture and music. Their music video, in three acts, breaks down some of the sexist lyrics and themes that teens navigate every day. The students’ powerful, poignant message is also inspiring, as they close emphasizing a sense […]
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Teach the Future Fellowship
St. Andrew’s School has launched a community-wide professional development initiative to create meaningful movement forward for our own school, as well as partner with other schools, innovators, and entrepreneurs, to bring about change for the betterment of our students and community. Teach the Future Fellowship is a grass roots organization of likeminded educators who commit […]
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RMA Cadets earn Chinese Studies HSK Certification
Riverside Military Academy’s Chinese Studies Program is providing exciting opportunities for our cadets as they gain an edge in the world of international business, government, and related fields! RMA offers a unique environment with over 500 cadets representing 27 countries around the world including China. In appreciation of the immense impact China has on the […]
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Global Perspective Inspires Fourth Graders to Find Solutions
Presbyterian Day School wants to foster critical, creative, and sophisticated thinkers. Teachers make use of Harvard’s “Visible Thinking” routines, and students frequently explore issues from a global perspective. This spring, after reading Linda Sue Park’s book, A Long Walk to Water, featuring two children from southern Sudan and their country’s ongoing struggle to get clean […]
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Concert Choir Helps Students Learn Through Living
The commitment cuts their hour-long lunch break by half, but each day 120 students in grades 8-12—more than 40 percent of the Indian Springs School (ISS) student body—file into their Rehearsal Room or Concert Hall. Many are already fine singers; others simply love music and want to participate in the school’s most popular and longest-running […]
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The Hero’s Journey – Classroom to Art Studio to Zoo
A graceful Pegasus with flowing mane stands next to Medusa’s serpent mane. Beyond them, a red-eyed Harpy hovers above a proud Centaur. The mythological zoo is ready for visitors. These fantastical creatures are the product of two months of work by sixth graders at Shorecrest. In its third year, the project integrates art, English, science, […]
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Aviation Program Provides Foundation for the Future
In February, Admiral Farragut Academy senior Anthony Navarro flew a Cessna 172 airplane on his first solo mission. A month earlier, classmates Vincent Kixmiller and Maxim Moghadam did the same. Such is life at Farragut, where the Aviation Academy is one of many signature programs that include Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps, engineering, marine […]
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Environmental Education Emphasizes Human Interactions
Canterbury School of Florida’s Marine Studies program is school-wide, and focuses on all aspects of marine science and environmental education. It’s designed to enhance the traditional science curriculum and emphasizes human interactions with the ocean environment through community service efforts, field trips, research cruises, and habitat restoration projects. Last fall, their PreK-12 students participated in […]
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Entrepreneurs Find Inspiration, Creativity in Startup Class
Visitors to Carrollwood Day School can’t walk by the Center for Innovation without stopping for a second look. The walls are covered with writing, desks are arranged in random configurations, and students are using twitter to connect with others. This isn’t an out-of-control classroom; it’s CDS’s inaugural Design Entrepreneurship Technology class, and students have been […]
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Failed Experiments Lead to Extensive Learning
In November, Junior Kindergartners in Abbie Bowen’s class at The Experiential School of Tampa Bay put bean seeds into bags; they placed some on their classroom windows and dropped others into outdoor planters. The goal: discover the difference between the inside and outside growth of their seeds. They were excited and optimistic about the project. […]
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XIV Hours tackles R-E-S-P-E-C-T at national high school a cappella championship
Durham Academy a cappella group XIV Hours brought tears to the eyes of audience members at the International Championship of High School A Cappella semifinal last weekend. The performance — which carried an important message about gender roles and respect in relationships and mirrors an ongoing conversation in the Upper School — marked the group’s […]
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4th Grader Shows Gratefulness in Fundraising Efforts
When you’re brought up with the values of giving, being thankful, and wanting to help others it’s easy to see an opportunity right at your feet. That’s exactly what fourth grader Katelynn Grebe saw and thought at such a young age when the chance to give back to an organization that gave so much to […]
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JCDS Held Successful STEM Fair
Students eager to share their latest scientific findings were plentiful at Jacksonville Country Day School’s STEM Fair, which took place on Thursday January 19th. The fair showcased many different engineering disciplines from environmental engineering to mechanical engineering and everything in between. The fair featured booths with engineering challenges and interactive displays the students could explore. […]
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From struggling to excelling-TCS students make the grade!
Since most teens with learning differences find school difficult and unrewarding, but are attracted to the wages and activity offered in the working world, The Cottage School class day is modeled as if it were a job. Each student enrolls as if they are being hired. They follow a business casual dress code and issued […]
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How sweet it is: The candy election
How is the president of the United States elected? The answer to this question is complex, and it addresses concepts that 5th graders have little experience with, such as “caucus” and “electoral college.” Oftentimes, the best way to learn a concept is to relate it to something that interests you. A common passion among most […]
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Shorecrest Documentary Project “The Impact of Giving Back”
Shorecrest teachers William Leavengood and Aaron Sober challenged their Upper School students to create a documentary film highlighting one of the many service projects that Shorecrest students complete. Junior Laura Heagy and senior Jared Wang chose to produce a film that draws attention to the school’s longstanding holiday gift drive benefitting the Guardian Ad Litem […]
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Exploring the Sun
Stephen Ramsden from the Solar Astronomy Project came to MIS and talked with our students (Grade 4 – Middle School) about the solar system! He brought advanced telescopes and explained some astronomical phenomena to the students. Each student had an opportunity to look through the special telescopes. He was so impressed by the level of […]
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English Classroom Features New Design
Annotation, sentence fragments, run-on sentences, and comma splices are conventional grammar topics for high school students, but the way they are taught in Laura Howard’s English II class is a departure from the norm. As one of three members of the English faculty selected to teach in experimental classrooms, Howard is teaching students in a […]
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21st Century Electives Offered at Jacksonville Country Day School
Electives that students usually don’t see until their first semester of college are being offered at the sixth grade level at Jacksonville Country Day School (JCDS). JCDS offers sixth grade students a list of electives such as 3D printing, video production, computer coding, and sculpting. These STEAM-involved elective classes are held every sixth day of […]
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Coding the Future at Jacksonville Country Day School
This school year, all of the students at Jacksonville Country Day School participated in the “Hour of Code.” Organized by Code.org, the goal of this global event is to get students to spend an hour programming during Computer Science Education Week (Dec. 8-14). The day kicked off with an assembly to get students excited about […]
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The Architecture of Project Based Learning
A real twelve by sixteen foot, multi-level clubhouse built on campus! That was the end goal of the architecture unit for our fifth and sixth grade classes. To accomplish this goal required applying learning about geometry, physics, measurement, scale, decimals, teamwork, budgeting, project management, and communication. Students made presentations to the school’s students, teachers, and […]
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McCallie School Students Explore the Habits and Genetics of Jellyfish
A visitor to the fifth floor science wing in McCallie’s Maclellan Academic Building would likely do a double- take upon passing the classroom of Dr. Karah Nazor. Visible through the large windows are tanks filled with nearly 300 jellyfish. Dr. Nazor and 10 students have undertaken a marine biology project that experts say few if […]
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I am artistic collaboration
The Montessori School of Raleigh’s students worked with parent and internationally known artist James “Dalek” Marshall to create a community art installation as part of the celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the school. Watch the video documentary of the process to create this artistic collaboration.
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Kindergarten scarecrows get techy
How do you integrate technology in Kindergarten? It’s actually pretty easy. When the fall season rolled around, scarecrows became a fun theme in Kindergarten. We began by talking about scarecrows and why they are created. Then we looked at pictures of actual scarecrows and imagined what it would be like to be a scarecrow ourselves. […]
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Program Asks Students for a Lifetime Commitment to Wellness
Ashley Hall’s PAWS (Personal Awareness and Wellness Seminar) program launched in 2010, garnering national attention for its innovative merger of three existing programs—academic management, wellness, and college counseling. Pressure on adolescent girls is enormous, the school believes, and takes a toll on their mental health. The program is targeted by grade level: advisors begin talking […]
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SCHECK HILLEL STUDENTS SPEND SUMMER ABROAD HELPING OTHERS
While summer vacation is often spent hanging out with friends and taking trips to the beach, a group of selfless students from Scheck Hillel Community School shared their time and talents to “repair the world” –Tikkun Olam in Hebrew. Nathaniel Melnitsky (Grade 9), along with his father Dr. Leon Melnitsky, traveled 2,600 miles from home […]
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St. George’s Independent School Opens Science and Innovation Lab for Lower School Students at Germantown Campus
St. George’s Independent School recently opened the Science and Innovation Lab for lower school students at its Germantown campus. Borrowing from processes used in the engineering and technology fields, the lab facilitates brainstorming and working in small groups to solve problems in creative and unconventional ways. Similar labs are planned for the Memphis and Collierville […]
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Life-shaping Experiences
Experiential learning is a daily part of an EDS education. From a life-shaping Outward Bound experience to a Science/Spanish trip to Costa Rica – Episcopal Day School is committed to preparing students for learning and for life.
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Fab Lab @ Recess program sparks students’ creativity
During the 2013-14 school year, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Day School in Coconut Grove, FL launched its STEM initiative with a series of stand alone workshops and activities that captured students’ hands, hearts and minds. Catapults, Contraptions, Makey Makey, Bulletin Board Marble Mazes and K’nex Amusement Center are several of the workshops that 1st graders through […]
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The Flexuary Experiment
This past year, some of our Upper Division teachers got together in November to brainstorm how we could turn the month of January into something more inviting and exciting for the students than just the dreaded return to school after a two-week break. Our initial task was to come up with something around which to […]
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Cookie Companies: An interdisciplinary project
In the days of early spring, the excitement is palpable in the 5th grade at St. Martin’s Episcopal School as students prepare for the 5th Grade Cookie Company project, a long-standing tradition. It is an interdisciplinary study of economics as well as a service project. Students are grouped into companies of 4 members. The companies […]
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Be the Change
“If a Providence Day student leaves here ready to be an agent for change, ready to make the world a better place, then I think we’ve done as good of a job as we could possibly do as educators.” – Mr. Lee Tappy, Freshman Class Dean With that mission in mind, the entire 144-member Class […]
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Our Global Family
HIES currently maintains formal sister-school relationships with high schools in Sapporo, Japan, Briey, France, Cape Town, South Africa, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. The purpose of the HIES sister-school program is to promote cultural awareness and sensitivity, as well as to facilitate foreign language study where applicable. To this end, students hold regular video-conferences with their […]
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Mark Speckman
Mark Speckman, a highly respected and successful college football coach, spoke to Palmer Trinity students and teachers about “figuring it out” during a special convocation last week. Mr. Speckman was born without hands, and he has only four toes. But none of this has stopped him from enjoying life and being successful, both on and […]
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Common Ground: History and Literature in Real Life
Upper School students at St. Mary’s Episcopal School have found a way to illustrate the connection between history and literature. This collaborative project uses information literacy and technology tools to help students discover the universal truths between these two disciplines. The project offers students an answer to the age-old question, “Why do we need to […]
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Students Build Parthenon Model Using a 3D Printer
Students in Saint Andrew’s School 7th Grade Latin Class used a Design Cycle Engineering model to investigate ( they did a lot of research and created keynote presentations about Greek architecture and specifically the Parthenon ), plan ( they then had to plan out how the ancient architects built the structure and how they could […]
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Student Interviews Ishmael Beah, Author of “A Long Way Gone”
Earlier today, Palmer Trinity School journalism students produced live coverage of Ishmael Beah’s campus visit. Beah, a former child solider from Sierra Leonne, spoke about his life to a mesmerized crowd of upper school students, teachers and administrators. He also signed copies of his new book, “Radiance of Tomorrow.” Afterward, Mr. Beah spoke with a […]
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Diving into a Shark Tank
Greensboro Day School’s Senior United States Government and Economics class finished the first unit of the spring semester with a project based on the ABC show “Shark Tank.” Teachers Anthony Piacenza and Tomarra Hall hoped to contextualize the content of a unit about basic economic questions and theories by using entrepreneurship to encourage student exploration […]
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Teaching 21st Century Communication Skills
More than ever, students demand to see the real-life relevancy of what they are doing and learning. Much of this has to do with the evolving digital age, and the ease and instant gratification which technology often affords. Regardless, teachers face an uphill battle when students fail to see the practical application of a given […]
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Hour of Code at Hutchison
Hutchison lower school girls recently participated in the Hour of Code as part of Computer Science Education Week. Girls used their Chromebooks to program code and solve problems.
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Embracing Technology to Prepare Young Journalists
I love teaching journalism. No other class allows me to engage with students on so many different levels. From writing, reporting, print design, web design, layout, sound editing, film editing, interviewing and more, I’m helping somebody master a different skill each time I turn around. I revel in this productive chaos. Two years ago, I […]
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Developing Leaders in the Middle
Greensboro Day School hosted its 2nd Annual Middle School leadership conference on November 18. Seventy students from Kernodle, B’Nai Shalom, Noble Academy, Mendenhall, Canterbury School, and New Garden Friends joined their GDS peers for a full-day program led by Upper School students from Greensboro Day School. They worked in groups to identify types of leadership, […]
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Ashley Hall Students Recite the Gettysburg Address
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, Ashley Hall’s fifth grade students memorized and recited the speech for a class assignment. The students were featured on the local news for their effort as well as learntheaddress.org, a project started by documentarian Ken Burns to collect recordings of the Address.
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Hutchison Fourth Graders Honored by U.S. Congress for Community Service Project
Over the past few months, Hutchison fourth-graders started collecting books, a lot of books. In total, the class amassed more than 1,500 gently used books to donate to local elementary students. With the help of Hutchison’s Upper School Rogers Scholars Program and the Memphis Teacher Residency, the philanthropic young ladies delivered those books to Sherwood […]
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Girls Preparatory School Celebrates International Day of the Girl
Girls Preparatory School students, grades 6-12, celebrated International Day of the Girl on October 11th. The goal was to raise awareness and funds for issues relating to girls around the globe, and to inspire students to act to make a difference. Classes ended early on this Friday, and students attended a presentation on International Day […]
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Hutchison JK Girls Take a Scientific Approach to Valentine’s Day
In February, Hutchison junior kindergarten girls celebrated Valentine’s Day through the eyes of a scientist by learning about the characteristics of the human heart. After comparing the size and shape of a real human heart to the more familiar heart shapes they see around them on Valentine’s Day, the girls independently researched the functions of […]
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Hutchison Girls Meet with County Mayor to Address Early Childhood Programs
Understanding that early childhood education provides a much needed foundation for the future success of children, several Hutchison seniors, all members of the Hutchison Leads Philanthropic Literacy Board, met with Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell break last year to discuss early childhood programs and how they could become involved to help Shelby County’s youngest learners. […]
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Science Gets Real
For Greensboro Day School’s 8th grade science teacher, Tim Martin, it started in 2009 when he was selected as a Polar TREC teacher and accompanied an international scientific research expedition to Siberia to participate in the Lake El’gygytgyn drilling project. From there, his passion for bringing real-life experiments to his classroom grew. “One of the […]
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Creative Community Recycling
The local Green Building Council sponsored a high school design competition to construct an object using only recycled and recyclable materials. The structure could be made of cardboard but the exterior had to be covered with sheets of recycled paper. Our girls chose to recreate an optical illusion designed by Markus Raetz that reads as […]
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Freedom to Experience and Create
In an academically challenging girls school, the freedom to experience and create without fear of failure – or imperfection – is a hard lesson to teach. The environment encourages success, but success is often best learned through trial and error. Creativity relies on evolving rather than solving. Artist Robert Rauschenberg said it best, “Being correct […]
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Helping a Nine-Year-Old Transgender Girl Come Out to Her Classmates
Kelly is a wonderful, happy fourth grade girl who loves comics, superheroes (especially Wonder Woman), and playing sports. She is also a transgender girl: She has the heart and mind of a girl, but she was born in a boy’s body. High Meadows School welcomed Kelly this year, and we were deeply inspired by her […]
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Leading by Example
What makes a leader? A leader in Middle School is hard to define. I teach MS Math, and a leader in my classroom is not the first one with the correct answer, or the one to always receive a 100 on the weekly timed test. A leader in my classroom is the student who stops […]
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Cardboard Challenge
Inspired by the story of Caine’s Arcade (see video on YouTube), our upper school students joined forces with businesses in the community to launch a “Day of Play” for our lower schoolers and other elementary aged children in the community. While the event was designed to appeal to lower schoolers, upper schoolers found leadership opportunities […]
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Putting physics into action
Upper School physics instructor Dr. Matt Greenwolfe saw a problem last year in his mechanics course. He knew his students were learning what they needed through their worksheet problems, but they weren’t having that knowledge reinforced by seeing it in action. Like the good scientist he is, Greenwolfe approached the problem, studied it and then […]
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Lower School Mandarin Students
At Westchester Country Day School, we introduce world languages and exposure to other cultures at a young age. Our students begin their study of Spanish and Mandarin Chinese languages and cultures in Pre-Kindergarten, build on it yearly, and expand their studies into the college-level courses offered in Upper School. WCDS also offers many opportunities for […]
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Westchester Middle Schoolers Donate Time to Community
Students in grades 6 – 8 at Westchester Country Day School spend one Friday each quarter serving in their community. The students visit with residents in nursing homes, tutor at elementary schools, and participate in on-campus service opportunities such as picking-up trash, maintaining trails on the 53-acre campus, and helping in lower school classrooms. Service […]
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Cooperation, leadership, and respect
Oak Ridge Military Academy Head Dan Nobles tells of an eighth-grade girl who convinced her parents to bring her to the school. “I’m a leader, and I want to know more about leadership,” she said. At Oak Ridge every student has regular opportunities to practice leadership, but it’s not just so that kids can feel […]
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Game Design Encourages Computer Science for All
While computer games are still anathema at some schools, Porter-Gaud School embraces them as deep learning activities for every high school student. In their required ninth-grade computer science course and in an array of electives, Porter-Gaud students experience a “multimedia, multitasking, total immersion in technology.” A high point of the ninth-grade course is the game […]