We Encourage Exploration
Independent schools encourage students to learn about the world and about themselves.
Independent schools encourage students to learn about the world and about themselves.
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Students Build 16-Foot Canoes from Scratch
On May 10, 2014, more than 30 Middle Schoolers from Ranney School in Tinton Falls, Sisters Academy in Asbury Park and Oak Hill Academy in Lincroft, came together at Deal Lake in Asbury Park, NJ, to launch three 16-foot canoes that they spent the previous four months building from scratch. The students learned the value […]
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The Hill School Celebrates Diversity Week — Every Week
The Hill School, in Pottstown, Pa., is a very diverse place. Our 500 boarding and day students are drawn from 29 states and 25 foreign countries. Students of color make up 37 percent of our students, and 19 percent of our young men and young women are international. Recently our students were invited to help […]
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Urban Planning & Building Resiliency at Sewickley Academy
On May 6, Sewickley Academy’s Grade 9 social studies classes took place in the city of Pittsburgh. Grade 9 Human Geography students participated in an “Amazing Race” experience, where teams of students traveled to four different places in Pittsburgh that connect to their study of urban environments. Students were faced with the challenge of using […]
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Reenacting and Recreating a Revolution in Second Grade
How can a teacher effectively cover a unit on the American Revolution in four months without lulling a classroom of young students sleep? For those who are willing to boldly employ the types of things 8 year-olds appreciate, the answers to these questions are clear and can be applied to social studies themes, especially the […]
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Near Space Balloon Launch
Members of Trinity-Pawling’s Robotics and Engineering Club launched their first payload into near space earlier this year. The “Taccolytes”(the group’s name pays homage to a Renaissance engineer and contemporary of DaVinci) spent several weeks planning the launch of “Resilience I”. Students were responsible for ensuring the structural integrity of the airframe and payload; the establishment […]
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International Baccalaureate Biology Students Raise and Release Brook Trout
Stoneleigh-Burnham School students in IB Biology recently completed their months-long “Trout in the Classroom” project by releasing the Brook Trout they had raised into a state-approved river near the Greenfield, Mass., school. The project began in December when Stoneleigh-Burnham School received 200 eggs from a hatchery in Palmer, Mass. On January 10, the eggs began […]
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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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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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Earth Day Initiatives in High Gear
Although Earth Day is only celebrated once a year on April 22, Ranney School (Tinton Falls, NJ) pioneered several initiatives across its 60-acre campus that will contribute toward improving the environment every single day. One of the most exciting projects this week was the debut of the school’s new organic garden and rain garden. Spearheaded […]
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Project Based Learning: Fifth Grade Greek Fair
During the months of February and March, students worked in grade level small groups to research various aspects of ancient Greek life. Research focused on addressing the question, “How did the ancient Greeks’ way of life compare to our lives today?” Students gathered information using a variety of text and online resources. When the research […]
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Studying Medieval Cathedrals In the Modern World
Fifth graders at The Episcopal Academy, a Pre-K-12 school in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, have been studying and learning about medieval cathedrals for decades. They tour a local cathedral, design their own unique structure, and work in teams to examine their history—why cathedrals were built, what was involved in construction, and how they functioned. The addition […]
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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 […]