Photos
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Students Take On Maple Sugaring – and More – In Experiential Curriculum
Throughout the year, students at North Country School study science and math by undertaking project-based assignments on the school’s farm, in its greenhouses and gardens, and within its 200 acres of Adirondack forest. During Intersession, the school’s February program that “inspires new passions and builds new skills,” students choose from half- and full-day weeklong courses. […]
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The House System brings together students across grade levels at Woodland School in Portola Valley, CA
A long-time school tradition and the only one of its kind in California, Woodland School (Early Childhood through 8th-grade) uses the House System to foster camaraderie, collaboration, and leadership. The House System is a traditional feature of many schools in commonwealth countries but less common—and often only attributed to boarding schools—in the US. Upon joining […]
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The Intersection of Art and Science
Turning Point School in Los Angeles offers a unique middle school elective class, Art Installation, where students brainstorm and collaborate to create an entire artistic installation based on a topic of their choice. Last year, students installed a piece entitled “Opposite Emotions” which provided a window into the emotional and social lives of middle school […]
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Students Learn Leadership Skills by Raising Chickens, Selling Eggs
Fourth grade students at The Lamplighter School oversee a chicken-raising and egg-selling corporation that integrates entrepreneurship into the curriculum. Lamplighter Layers, now in its 47th year, teaches students to apply academic skills to the hands-on operation of a real business that involves selling thousands of eggs and donating most of the profit to charities, including […]
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Jane Goodall Visit Leads to Lasting Lessons About Activism and Conservation
Jane Goodall’s momentous visit to Burke’s in fall 2015 continues to reverberate across campus, with projects relating to her and her work extending well beyond her departure. The famed primatologist told the story of her life and urged environmental action to both Burke’s divisions at two separate assemblies on October 13. Her appearance in and […]
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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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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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Hearing Voices
There are many ways to be a leader, and we at Aurora School in Oakland believe students should practice them all. Every day, we give students of different ages opportunities to work together side-by-side and learn from one another what it means to step up academically and socially. The world needs leaders who are as […]
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Students Use Knowledge and Power in Community Service
The Community and Global Citizenship program at Albuquerque Academy requires students to integrate community service into their educational journeys. Three years ago, Samsara Durvasula, Shannon Fonseca, and Elizabeth Moeser began working closely with a local Burundi refugee family, helping the children and their parents learn the skills needed to succeed in the United States. The […]
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Coding to Take Over Classrooms for Computer Science Education Week
Ranney School (Tinton Falls, NJ) students are once again participating in the Hour of Code Week, taking place December 7-13, in celebration of Computer Science Education Week. Students in all divisions, starting in Kindergarten, will be coding through Code.org and Scratch Jr. programs that incorporate fun, age-appropriate animation. In addition, high school students taking computer […]
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Letting Go the Reins at the Middle School Harkness Table
Five years ago Shore Country Day School decided to embrace the Harkness pedagogy as a way to teach primary sources in our Grade 8 history curriculum. It has been so successful that we have incorporated elements of it down into the lower grades. Developing a classroom of fully engaged middle schoolers makes a lot of […]