We Nurture Growth
Independent schools educate the whole child, supporting students as they grow intellectually and become physically and emotionally fit.
Independent schools educate the whole child, supporting students as they grow intellectually and become physically and emotionally fit.
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Finding success through failure
In partnership with the World Pediatric Project and VCU, a group of eleventh-grade students at The Steward School (an independent JK-12 school located in Richmond, Virginia) was given the chance for a hands-on project that explored independent research, design, systems thinking and innovative technologies during the spring of 2015. The WPP purchased blood pressure monitors […]
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Upper School Retreat: Setting The Tone For The Year
One of the oldest and most enduring traditions at Powhatan is the Upper School Retreat. A wonderful event that encourages teamwork and collaboration through two days worth of fun and sometimes challenging events, it is an experience that bonds classmates and teachers alike. “It sets the tone for the year,” says Ann Robb, Upper School […]
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Creating Leaders in the Agricultural Revolution
Last year, in their upper-level Agricultural Research science course, Scattergood Friends School students used their campus’s 10-acre organic farm as a living laboratory to see how humans interact with nature. They asked essential questions about farm processes, completed literature reviews, researched and designed studies, and ultimately presented their findings at the Iowa State Science Fair. […]
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Second Graders Share, Embrace Their Identities
Inside a display more like an art installation than a classroom project, fifty second graders at Georgetown Day School presented a living museum about the most important things in their world: each other. Standing on chairs, they spoke eye-to-eye with visitors and described their multidimensional identities in a socio-culturally informed context. Throughout the “Identity Project,” […]
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Fifth Grade Science: Teaching Measurement Via NEAL
At Powhatan School we use an approach called Nature Enhanced Approach to Learning (NEAL). NEAL is a lens through which we can teach any or all components of our curriculum. We use it to bring our students outside into the natural world and to bring the natural world indoors to our students. Mrs. Kesler, a […]
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Kent Place Fifth Graders Showcase Experiments During Annual Science Fair
The Kent Place Class of 2022 showcased their science skills at the annual Fifth Grade Science Fair on Thursday, May 14. After working on their projects for several weeks, students presented their experiments and results to faculty, family and fellow students. In preparation for the Science Fair, students designed their own experiments while following the […]
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Inquiry-Based Projects Lead to Real-Life Solutions
Research on learning and the brain has shown that an integrated, inter-disciplinary approach to independently motivated study promotes increased engagement. That’s why all K-8 students at Punahou School now participate in inquiry-based projects. Take the Kaho‘olawe project, during which a seventh grade team’s English, social studies, science, and math classes focused on Hawai’i’s smallest island, […]
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The Topic of “Food” is Discussed During Kent Place School’s Global Perspectives Day
On Friday March 27, 2015, Kent Place School hosted its school-wide Global Perspectives Day. This year’s theme, “Food,” allowed students, faculty and staff to learn about and discuss the various ethical, global, mathematical, scientific, historical, nutritional, sociological, literary, technological and cultural issues surrounding food. “The conversations that I heard and the interactions and deep thinking […]
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Milton Hershey School: Transitional Living
Milton Hershey School high school seniors live in apartment style residences with four other students of the same gender and are given support from residential living staff members, in a program known as Transitional Living. The program’s organization allows an experiential environment where students regularly make decisions involving the use of practical skills such as, […]
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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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Growth Mindset Challenge Inspires Teachers and Students
February was “Growth Mindset Challenge” month at Mayfield Junior School. Since report cards went home at the end of January, February seemed an ideal time to renew our efforts to support growth mindsets. Lower School Director, Laura Kennedy, asked each teacher to read “Mindsets in the Classroom” by Mary Cay Ricci, and to share practical […]
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Tradition and Innovation: At Home at The Hill School — The Family Boarding School
What are the benefits of a school like The Hill School, in Pottstown, Pa.? The Hill is a purposefully small and close learning community that offers a challenging liberal arts curriculum, a highly dedicated faculty, a breadth of advanced and honors course offerings including interdisciplinary classes, and a structured atmosphere of high expectations as well […]