We Challenge Minds
Independent schools offer challenging academics and engaging programs to help children develop a life-long love of learning.
Independent schools offer challenging academics and engaging programs to help children develop a life-long love of learning.
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Learning Chinese (Mandarin) in Traditional and Innovative Ways
The Chinese (Mandarin) students at Sandy Spring Friends School employ a combination of traditional and progressive methods to master the Chinese language. Teacher Kexin Zhang believes that there are powerful technological tools to be taken advantage of in the modern era, but there is no replacement for human-to-human interaction in learning a new language. In […]
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Students Create Autonomous System for Aerial Tracking
As a part of their Honors Advanced Computer Science class, Renner Brown ‘15, Alexander Eggers ‘15, and Michael McCrory ‘14, are tackling a year-long learning project. They will create an autonomous system for aerial tracking, following, and filming mobile objects over multiple terrains, including water. The ultimate goal of the project is to follow a […]
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History 7 Students Simulate Hunter-Gatherer Life
Hopkins students in History 7 have been studying hominid evolution and early human societies. In order to better answer the question, “Why did homo sapiens migrate around the world?” students engaged in a simulation of Hunter-Gatherer life on the glade between Baldwin Hall and Heath Commons. Divided into rival clans and using tessellation cubes as […]
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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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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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Hackathon! Bullis Computer Programming Students Compete for Cookies
Computer programming may not typically generate high levels of drama and fun competition, but at Bullis’ first annual Hackathon both were clearly evident, along with plenty of smiles all around. Intro to Computer Programming Teacher Alex Reinhardt created the first annual Bullis Hackathon, in which he invited students from his class and from AP Computer […]
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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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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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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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The Gift of Teaching
A teacher’s dream is to work for a school that creates curriculum that resonates and to see students grow through curiosity and self-confidence. At Applewild School, a K-8 independent, co-educational day school with a rigorous accelerated curriculum in Fitchburg, MA, these goals are more than attainable: they’re heartily encouraged. Todd Goodwin is a US History […]
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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.