Carroll Connection | Winter 2018

Winter 2018

"If not for Carroll, I wouldn't have known about the power of ME!" — Kate Sheehan '80

www.carrollschool.org

The Kids Know —message from steve wilkins The kids know. Just ask them.

They know when they are getting what they need; they can answer these ques-

children for whom mainstream schools are designed. This gives many of our students precocious self-awareness and keen analytical skills about human learning.

tions with wisdom and passion: Is your

All this explains why tutorials and small classes are among

education designed to help you succeed?

our students’ favorite daily experiences. They know what

What is the value of small classes and

works for them. They know how they learn best. They know

focused remediation? What does Carroll do

which teachers and tutors are helping them most. They

for you in comparison to your previous schools? What’s this

understand when their time in school is being well spent.

cognitive development thing all about? How does the Carroll

They know.

environment affect your level of happiness and self-awareness? Do you have enough opportunity to work on your areas of strength?

In this issue of the Carroll Connection, students respond directly to various questions such as “how do teachers give you what you most need?” or “what is the benefit of small

We are constantly amazed by the articulate expression of

classes?” They weigh in on the educational and personal

our students about what constitutes best practices in educa-

benefits of cognitive intervention, programs that enhance

tion. Carroll children know the answers to these questions

their dyslexic strengths, and the impact of a school that

because of their immediate points of comparison to situa-

offers full academics, athletics, arts, social-emotional devel-

tions that are not well designed for them. They have had

opment, and self-esteem growth.

to look in the mirror more carefully and earlier in life than

continued on page 2

cover: The Kids Know: Message from Steve Wilkins carroll news

Connect with us @CarrollSchool

4 Give Each Child

11 Targeted Cognitive Intervention

6 Small Classes + Tutorials

12 Complete School

7 Dyslexic Advantages

14 If Not for Carroll

8 Teachers + Tutors

16 Annual Fund

10 Social-Emotional Wellbeing

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in this issue editor: amy dempster adempster@carrollschool.org

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continued from page 1

Message from Steve Wilkins: The Kids Know Much as a good coach knows where an athlete is strong and where that athlete is weak, an effective teacher at Carroll makes certain -- in the most positive, honest, loving, and “hear-able” manner -- that each child understands what is going really well and what requires improvement. This is accomplished face-toface, with each child, as an individual, on a daily basis.

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When progress is evident, that growth is celebrated overtly. When a child slides into low-effort failure syndrome (less harmful than high-effort failure), teachers make the relationship between effective effort and positive outcome (high-effort success) as clear to the child as humanly possible. Children can learn the joy of working hard to get results of which they are proud, no

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matter how steep the incline.

This diagnostic-prescriptive approach to helping children defines our every action. Children know that “a sign of a good teacher is when you really want to go to class. You’re sprinting up three flights of stairs and saying, ‘yes, I want to be there’,” 8th grader Keelin offers with keen insights.

They understand the difference between perfunctory versus

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essential. Perhaps they don’t know those words, but they surely feel the difference every day. A child doesn’t need to be a prickly adolescent to ask the question many teachers dread “how is this going to help me?” Kids can tell us about the difference between busy work and important work. They understand that some things in school are what all students in their grade are just

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supposed to do, as opposed to other activities in school that are designed specifically to help them.

They know – they may deny it on occasion or deflect – but they know. They may not be able to bring the thought to the verbal level just yet, but they know. As 8th grader Henry commented so honestly about cognitive, “I feel like it’s a great opportunity, and we’re lucky to have it even though it doesn’t always seem

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like it, as I do it.”

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q Greg Altman, Grade 4 Lauryn Muller, Grade 4 Luc Alonzo, Grade 5 Gaius McCubbin, Grade 5 Dureti O’Brien, Grade 5 Katie Byers, Grade 6

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Bini Hill, Grade 6 Lilah Daniels, Grade 7 Chandler Gilbane, Grade 7 Oakley Robbins, Grade 7 Henry Beling, Grade 8 Keelin Ercolani, Grade 8

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Jessica Caruba, Upper 8 Sadie Codd, Upper 8 Matt Gaziano, Upper 8 Eliot Woessner, Upper 9 Jess Caron, Upper 9 Stacy Santos, Upper 9

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Give Each Child Carroll School is fiercely dedicated to giving each child what she or he most needs. What does this mean? To us, this means that we strive to understand each student’s unique learning profile. To do this, teachers and tutors assess and track student performance daily and build lessons based on children’s mastery of essential grade-appropriate skills.

What does this mean to students? Read on…

Keelin Ercolani (8th grade): “Give each child” Lauryn Muller (4th grade): “Give each child” means I’m getting the right

means that students come here and maybe

support I need and I’m getting it every day. That’s real important to me and

they don’t have the strategies they need to

I feel like I’m learning a lot more than I did at my old school. At my old

succeed. Carroll takes it from there and gives

school, homework was really hard. We’d learned about it for 10 minutes and

students what they need - whether they are

then the teacher would say, “OK, now go home and do this.”

struggling in math, reading, writing, etc.

Luc Alonzo (5th grade): We’re all completely different. For example, some Lilah Daniels (7th grade): At other

people are better at learning how to

schools, there is one way to teach. But

read and others are better at math.

here there are different ways of

They both need training for different

learning for each person.

skills. (Do you think Carroll does that successfully?) Completely.

Eliot Woessner (Upper 9): In each class you can get 1:1 teaching and the teacher knows exactly what you need. For instance, I got moved from one English class to another one because I needed more writing. Teachers watch how I learn and how I do work and they adjust the curriculum to exactly what I need.

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We say on our website that our learning programs move forward as fast as each student can go and as slowly as necessary to ensure mastery. What do you think this means?

Oakley Robbins (7th grade): I’m not sure if this happens but it seems like the teachers look at everyone’s grades and put the kids at the same level in the same class. So they can all start at a reading level (easy or hard), whatever you are ready for. Then, they slowly

Keelin Ercolani (8th grade): My Greg Altman (4th grade): I think that’s really helpful. Dyslexia sort of slows down your learning and Carroll is trying to speed it back up. How they do that is time.

teachers push really hard and that’s what I need personally as a learner. I didn’t have confidence when I came to Carroll. I was in the basement with the other kids because I had this learning problem. I needed someone to say, “You

work their way up. Instead of going

can do this.” Carroll teachers push me

straight to hard and moving really fast.

but I feel stronger because of it.

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Small Classes + Tutorials Why does Carroll School work for our students whereas other schools have not? It’s because we’ve set-up our classrooms and tutoring to provide exactly what children with dyslexia need - small group and individualized instruction.

But does this structure work for students?

Read what they have to say…

Dureti O’Brien (5th grade): In my old school, there were 24 kids in my class. It was hard for the teachers to focus on individual students. At Carroll, I can ask the

How does this differ from your previous school experience?

teacher for help and she can focus on me.

Jessica Caruba (Upper 8): At my last school, they destroyed

Stacy Santos (Upper 9): Here, there are

backward - assign homework and then teach us how to do

less kids in each classroom so teachers really focus on you as an individual. They give me what I need. And you don’t have to be scared if you don’t understand something because maybe there are others

my IEP so I got no support. My teacher would do things it the next day. When I didn’t understand, she would tell me to come back after school. But half the class is there after school. Here, it is much different. I get what I need.

Katie Byers (6th grade): I didn’t learn how to read an

who also don’t understand it.

(analog) clock until 3rd grade because I was always being

Jess Caron (Upper 9): The benefit of small

getting pulled out to get ahead. It wasn’t really helping.

classrooms is that, if you don’t understand something, there is more help.

Some students feel more comfortable raising their hands and asking for help.

pulled out of class. I felt really behind even though I was

Oakley Robbins (7th grade): I hated getting pulled out of class. I would walk in my classroom, see all my friends, and the tutor would be like “come with me.” We would go down in the basement, in this little room with a broom.

She would be teaching me letters and I’d be thinking, “I don’t want to be here right now.” And my friends would be working on building a soda volcano or something.

Henry Beling (8th grade): I was put in a group that had kids with all kinds of different learning disabilities. You start thinking that your capabilities are like everyone else’s even though we were all different.

Eliot Woessner (Upper 9): The teacher would say come after class but then there were 10 other students there.

You could never get 1 on 1 help that you get here. Here, there are blocks built into the schedule where you can talk to the teacher.

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Dyslexic Advantages Children with dyslexia often have prolific talents. At Carroll, we think of these as superpowers and we aim to show children that dyslexia is a gift to share with the world.

We asked students what is the dyslexic advantage and how Carroll supports it…

Luc Alonzo (5th grade): Dyslexic advantage is basically that your brain works differently.

You may not be good at reading but you may be good at physics, science, or math. My superpower is being able to memorize patterns.

Katie Byers (6th grade): Everyone struggles with something. But there are also advantages - such as creativity in music, art and acting.

Bini Hill (6th grade): It’s like your senses when one is weak, another gets stronger.

When you have trouble reading, other areas get stronger.

Keelin Ercolani (8th grade): It’s like iSpy. Others may not see it right away but, to you, it’s so obvious. For me, Carroll has brought out that part especially in the creative arts.

Gaius McCubbin (5th grade): Dyslexia helps me to think in different ways. It helps me with puzzles, brain teasers, and thinking games.

Lauryn Muller (4th grade): One of my superpowers is art. At my old school, my art teacher was like “make sure you do it correctly or you’ll have to do it again.” Here, it’s fun, fun, fun, fun.

I love art.

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Teachers + Tutors Carroll teachers and tutors are uniquely trained to meet the needs of our learner. More importantly, they share a mindset that all children have the ability to succeed and we train them to ensure each student is moving in a positive direction and receiving effective skills, strategies, and positive self-concept.

That’s a lofty goal to hold up. How are we doing?…

Jess Caron (Upper 9): Carroll School teachers are a lot Greg Altman (4th grade): Teachers and tutors are

different from other schools. You form a specific bond with

trained to teach dyslexic students and they know

your teacher, that sticks with you the whole time you are

what it feels like to be us. They match their teaching

here. When I need help, I feel comfortable asking my teachers

to what we need.

for help. At my old school, I didn’t know my teachers at all.

Gaius McCubbin (5th grade): Teachers make learning fun and creative. I just finished a project in history that was a Keelin Ercolani (8th grade): The

Matt Gaziano (Upper 8): Carroll

teachers really care about their

teachers understand us because many

students. They are not just there to

of them have dyslexia or understand

teach but learn about the student as a

what it’s like to have a learning

person. There is growth between

challenge.

simulation of the Silk Road. My teacher made it realistic - we got to move around and interact with other students.

students and their teachers.

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Eliot Woessner (Upper 9): It’s nice

Lilah Daniels (7th grade): At my old

Luc Alonzo (5th grade): I like tutoring

having a one on one tutor every day.

school, nobody pushed me. When I

because, say you need to focus on this

Even in math (geometry) there is a lot

would say “I can’t do this” my teacher

or that, tutors teach you in the way you

of words. My tutor helps me under-

would just move on. At Carroll, teachers

need to learn it. They get to know you.

stand the language of it.

stay and really help you.

Jessica Caruba (Upper 8): At public school, one of my teachers didn’t know

Keelin Ercolani (8th grade): For me, a

my name for like 4 months. Here, I see

sign of a good teacher is when you

teachers at lunch. They high-five us in

really want to go to class. You’re

the hallway. It’s like they really care

sprinting up three flights of stairs and

about us.

saying, “Yes, I want to be here!”

Henry Beling (8th grade): In a 30 student classroom, you’re not going to become friendly with the teacher. Here, they encourage that and the teachers get to know each and every kid - not just their learning style but also their personality.

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Social-Emotional Wellbeing We believe that academic growth and social-emotional learning go hand in hand. Carroll is an environment that makes learning differently a completely normal and daily occurrence. We work diligently to reverse the “I’m stupid” mindset that many students come to Carroll with.

Just listen to these stories from our students…

Luc Alonzo (5th grade): In my old school, I felt like kids were

Dureti O’Brien (5th grade): Before Carroll, I didn’t even know

smarter than me. I didn’t feel smart and didn’t think I was

what dyslexia was. I was confused about why I was so far

learning well. Here, you really feel like you’re learning things

behind. Carroll helps me to believe in myself again.

and you actually ARE learning things.

Lilah Daniels (7th grade): At my old school, Oakley Robbins (7th grade): At first, coming here, it may seem a little different. Then it’s like “Wow there are other people who have the same stuff as me, I’m not the only one.” You feel like you fit in right away.

it was embarrassing because everyone would be reading Harry Potter and I was reading “Bob the Builder” books. So, I would leave a coloring book in the bathroom and go in there to color. My teacher didn’t even notice. Here, it’s a lot more comfortable in the classroom - I can get things wrong, ask questions, and not feel embarrassed.

Matt Gaziano (Upper 8): Even though we are different and come from different schools, we’re like a big family because we know each other.

Lauryn Muller (4th grade): I feel like I’m on top of the world here.

Keelin Ercolani (8th grade): It stops being like a hidden secret that you have this trouble with learning. You share something together.

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Targeted Cognitive Intervention At Carroll, we believe our job is to create better learners. Part of the answer is Cognitive Intervention. Targeted Cognitive Intervention (TCI) gets to the underlying “causes” of a child’s specific learning challenge and helps to build better brain circuits that promote more effective and efficient learning.

As part of our TCI program, we educate students to understand this. We asked students to describe TCI… Luc Alonzo (5th grade): It’s pretty much brain games and it helps your brain think way harder. It makes you smarter.

Gaius McCubbin (5th grade): The scientific way of saying it is Keelin Ercolani (8th grade): It’s a

that it opens more pathways in your brain for you to use. In

program where you play a bunch of

your brain, you may travel one path. But if you use your brain

games. They are not always fun but

differently, you can make branches to that path and make

they “strengthen your neural pathways

stronger paths. (Do you feel like your brain is getting

and make you stronger.”

smarter?) - Yes!

Jess Caron (Upper 9): I don’t know what TCI is doing but it definitely helps.

You can’t see differences right away but, over time, I feel like it’s working especially for reaction time.

Keelin Ercolani (8th grade): It’s something that I think I’ll look back upon and say that I should have valued it more than I do in the moment.

Henry Beling (8th grade): I feel like it’s a great opportunity, and we’re lucky to have it even though it doesn’t always seem like it, as I do it.

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Complete School Over the decades, Carroll has evolved from a program that offered a superb remedial program but limitations in other offerings to a complete school with strengths in many additional curricular and extracurricular areas.

Have we made a difference?

Read what our students say about school culture…

Chandler Gilbane (7th grade): Everyone is welcoming.

Jess Caron (Upper 9): It’s amazing. You do everything here

When you’re new to Carroll, everyone comes up to you

- you learn, you have breaks in the day, you have friends, and

because they have experienced it and know how it

then you can do your homework in study hall.

feels coming to a new school.

Oakley Robbins (7th grade): Everyone Lilah Daniels (7th grade): I talk to my friends

here is really nice. If you’re walking

outside Carroll and they say, “middle school is the

down the hall, everyone says “hi” or

worst.” I love middle school. I wish I could never

asks how you are doing.

leave. All the teachers are so nice.

Keelin Ercolani (8th grade): If you’re a future student here, you are going to love it. This Eliot Woessner (Upper 9): It’s not like constant school where you’re just sitting at a desk and moving from one class to another class. There are a lot of breaks in between and there

place is mind blowing. You’re going to want to get up early every morning and say, “I’m going to school!”

are fun hands-on projects, like in science. In public school, it was more like “watch me do this” but here it’s like “go do it.”

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Name one thing you love about Carroll…

Greg Altman (4th grade): Bounders! No

Dureti O’Brien (5th grade): What I love

other school has Bounders. It’s the best

about Carroll is you don’t feel like you’re

thing ever. You get to learn by doing

behind. Carroll makes learning fun.

activities outside.

Sadie Dodd (Upper 8): Lauryn Muller (4th grade): You never feel

The support from the teachers.

like you are not in the same pack as others. I just love Carroll!

Eliot Woessner (Upper 8): There are a lot of sports and Stacy Santos (Upper 9): You can be yourself.

they are competitive.

Chandler Gilbane (7th grade): My friends.

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carrollschool.org “ If not for Carroll I don't think I would have ever found my love of adventure and willingness to take chances. Bounders brought all these things out in me and I use them as a parent, a coach and an educator everyday.” – steven brown '90

On October 21, 2017, more than 800 Carroll friends honored the school’s 50th birthday in a festive celebration at the Moakley Courthouse in Boston. Together we celebrated our bright students, talented educators, and inspiring alumni.

The night also marked the launch of

With a goal of $32 million and more than $21 million raised, we ask that all in

Carroll’s first and largest campaign –

our community – current and past parents, alumni, current and past grandparents, and

If Not for Carroll - positioned to enable

friends of Carroll – to consider the important impact the school has made and invite

the school to remain on the cutting edge

everyone to think differently about philanthropy.

of educating children who think, and learn, differently.

Please partner with us to meet our goals.

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F winter 2018

carrollschool.org “ If not for Carroll, my daughter would still think she's ‘the dumbest kid’ and her enormous gifts would be buried under a rock of destroyed self-esteem. Now she is happy and confident, and she dreams of all the things she can become.” – susan kalled

strengthening financial assistance

empowering faculty

expanding facilities

"If Not for Carroll" helps fund an endowment to strengthen our financial assistance program so every child who needs a Carroll education can get one.

"If Not for Carroll" empowers faculty through endowed funds to bring teachers’ compensation in line with their expertise and further enhance our robust professional development programs.

"If Not for Carroll" aims to ensure that our facilities are up to the task of accentuating the abilities and dyslexic advantage of our students who are the next generation of inventors, designers, and problem solvers.

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A Mark GwinnLandry Kim GwinnLandry Rachel Rock Mary Dolbear

B Sara Foster

Sam Foster ’76 Hilary Burling Phil Burling

C Steve Wilkins

G Carroll Connection

Wendy Kistler Phil Kistler Dick Waters

D Michael Argiros

Christine Argiros Steve Angeli Tracy Angeli Stephanie Spector Maria Yanakakis Lis Yanakakis Christina Axiotis Ellen Cook George Axiotis

F Andrew Gray ’73

Abigail Ballou ’99 David Arrow ’79 Vail Cort ’08 Jessica Mostone ’08

G Matt Strzepka

Margie Strzepka Sue Curtin Diana Knightly Mike Curtin

E Brad Watts

Daniel Watts ’09

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25 Baker Bridge Road Lincoln, Massachusetts 01773-3199

makes it possible to Give Each Child What He or She Most Needs and is a critical part of the School’s yearly budget supporting faculty, financial assistance, facilities, and the Carroll academic program.

Operating Revenue 2% 5%

6% � � � �

Tuition Other Programs & Misc Endowment Draw ANNUAL FUND

87%

Operating Expenses 9% � People (Salaries & Benefits) � Program � Facilities

12%

79%

www.carrollschool.org/make-a-gift

The Carroll Annual Fund…