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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The Ala Wai Watershed Project
One exciting example of how ‘Iolani students are conducting real world research is the progress of the Ala Wai Watershed Project. The project was started in 2010 by beloved biology teacher Papa Jack Kay who recently retired after teaching at ‘Iolani for 50 years. Along with teacher Teresa Shimamoto and then students Iris Kuo ’12 […]
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Kent Place Celebrates Engineering Week
From February 22 to February 26, Kent Place School celebrated Engineering Week. Events were planned across divisions to encourage students to embrace engineering as a field of study and/or career choice, and expose them to more STEM-based curriculum. Students participated in a number of events: • A school-wide visit from Dr. Dean Eppler of NASA, […]
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Stoneleigh-Burnham Connects with NASA
Stoneleigh-Burnham School students had the chance to connect with NASA through a video conference hosted by NASA’s Digital Learning Network at the Kennedy Space Center. In the video conference on Stoneleigh-Burnham’s campus, students were able to speak directly with Dr. Lenore Rasmussen, a polymer chemist, and founder and Chief Technology Officer of Ras Labs. Dr. […]
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High Altitude Balloon Mission
South Kent School’s first High Altitude Balloon mission marked the culmination of one of the Fall term’s Center for Innovation classes. The students launched and recovered their payload after a three hour flight and a distance of approximately 130 miles . “Cardinal I” was a triangular frame piloted by veteran Mission Commander C. “Red” Bird. […]
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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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Students Get Hands-on Research Experience
Seven Stoneleigh-Burnham School students have been accepted into the ASPIRE program in the Polymer Science and Engineering Department at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. The program gives high school students in grades 10-12 who are interested in science, technology, and engineering experience doing hands-on experiments in laboratories. Stoneleigh-Burnham students accepted into the ASPIRE program are: […]
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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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Experiential Learning: Creating a Hometown Scavenger Hunt
Fifth Grade Teacher Emma Samuels collaborated with Dave Cresson, the President of the Half Moon Bay History Association, to organize a Half Moon Bay Scavenger Hunt for students. The field trip was featured on the homepage of the Half Moon Bay Review. “A scavenger hunt is really about adventure education,” said Ms. Samuels. “The point […]
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Aspen Academy 5th Graders Re-enact A Civil War Battle
Aspen Academy 5th graders staged a re-enactment of a Civil War battle complete with makeshift cannons and a hospital. ‘Generals Lee and Grant’ led their troops into battle using plastic balls as ammunition and victory was defined by capturing the opponents’ flag. Our students learned how the United States was divided at the outbreak of […]
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Feeling Family: Watercolor Portraits
Third grade art students demonstrated their growth as artists as they drew remarkable likenesses of their families for eye-catching family portraits. The multi-week assignment called for young artists to add new techniques of working with color, observation, and drawing that they have been honing in art class twice a week since kindergarten. The portrait assignment […]
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The Ethics Institute at Kent Place School’s Ethics in Action Program Spends Weekend at Georgetown University
Five teams of students and teachers from Kent Place School and Trinity Hall spent the weekend at Georgetown University’s EthicsLab to explore the over-arching question: What are the ethical issues involving food in your school community? The Ethics Institute at Kent Place School partnered with Georgetown University’s Kennedy Institute of Ethics’ Ethics Lab to launch […]
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Identity and Design Project Asks Students to Consider “Who Are You?”
To conclude and celebrate the end of their first unit on Identity — part of their Social Justice and Cultural Understanding (SJCU) class — Seattle Girls’ School eighth graders take on an interesting challenge: design a pair of shoes that represents their many identities. Early in the year, the class actively considers and discusses with […]