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Photo: courtesy the WellinGton school
The Wellington School
SMART CHOICE A GUIDE TO CENTRAL OHIO’S PRIVATE SCHOOLS
central ohio is home to a wide variety of independent, private and parochial schools. This list, though not exhaustive, includes many of the area’s best institutions. (enrollment and cost data are for the 2016-2017 school year.) by brooKe PreSTon
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The Wellington School The Wellington School was founded in 1982 by a group of entrepreneurs looking to create the first co-ed, independent school in Columbus. Wellington’s philosophy encourages students to dive deep into the school’s research-based curriculum. Perhaps Wellington’s biggest differentiator is its focus on student engagement, which is fostered and measured three times per year using a tool developed in house. (Head of school Robert Brisk delivered a TEDxColumbus talk on the topic in November.) “There’s so much standardization of education now, it’s a phenomenon when students are actually challenged and love it,” says Brisk. “We encourage outside-the-box thinking and emphasize depth of learning. In the U.S., there’s so much priority given to scope that you often get very shallow learning across topics. At Wellington, we’re able to pursue areas of learning far more deeply, with great passion.” Co-curricular activities are also important; around 75 percent of students participate in athletics, and 100 percent participate in visual and performing arts. Other noteworthy programs include science research, youth in government and leadership in business. wellington.org Grades: Pre-K through 12 Enrollment: 667 Average student-teacher ratio: 8:1 Tuition: $16,100–$22,750
challenging academic curriculum, advanced offerings in STEM subjects, strong emphasis on arts and athletics and schoolwide focus on character development aims to foster students’ mind, body and character. “Stepping into an excellent school is like breathing fresh air,” says head of school Melissa Soderberg. “At Columbus Academy, our students are invited to challenge themselves academically while working for the good of the community and developing sound skills in ethics and character.” The expansive campus covers 230 acres (including newly renovated fine and performing arts spaces) and is designed to invite exploration, creativity and action. Robotics labs and makerspaces are placed throughout the halls, inviting students to code, color and create. The school also takes learning outside the building through nature-based programs. “In the woods, students walk to the Crane Outdoor Learning Center and low ropes courses, where they make s’mores, research iPad nature projects, test poison ivy and practice cooperative problem solving,” says Soderberg. “Our entire campus is becoming a laboratory of learning.” columbusacademy.org Grades: Pre-K through 12 Enrollment: 1,094 Average student-teacher ratio: 8:1 Tuition: $10,750–$25,000
Columbus School for Girls Columbus Academy This independent, college preparatory school in Gahanna was founded in 1911, shifting from all-boys to co-ed in the early 1990s. A
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Founded in 1898 as an alternative to finishing schools of the day, Columbus School for Girls continues its strong academic traditions and forward-thinking approach. The recently
completed Landmark Campaign brought about a state-of-the-art athletics complex featuring an eight-lane pool, a yoga room and fitness center and a 390-seat theater. These additions join existing facilities, such as stateof-the-art computer labs, a media production studio and a private 100-acre forest. The school’s May Program allows high school students to drill deeper into a personal passion or career path through internships, career shadowing, research, study abroad and more. “These students learn, from the time they are 3 years old, that their voices matter,” says head of school Jennifer Ciccarelli. “In and out of the classroom, we help the girls to be strong contributors to discussion, to own and think about their learning. Here, they are the entire student council, the captains, the editors—they learn that girls lead and girls’ voices matter, which is a real antidote to what society sometimes teaches.” CSG’s focus in STEM areas continues to expand, including technology lessons with 3-D printers, coding and robotics. According to Ciccarelli, 52 percent of the school’s graduates intend to major in a STEM field. “Nationally, girls are underrepresented in those professions, so to have more than half pursue [those fields] is pretty remarkable,” Ciccarelli says. “We want to continue to build and expand ... ways of thinking about and developing those skills that are useful to the world.” columbusschoolforgirls.org Grades: Pre-K through 12 Enrollment: 350 Average student-teacher ratio: 8:1 Tuition: $12,770–$24,625
Photo: courtesy Columbus Academy
Columbus Academy
#WhyCA
We want your child to love learning here. At Columbus Academy, it’s not enough to know how children learn. Rather, we strive to understand how each child learns best. Maintaining an 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio allows us to provide individual attention in the most caring environment possible. It’s an approach that not only leads to an outstanding education, but enables every child to reach their full potential.
columbusacademy.org/whyCA
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The power of one child can change the world.
Inquiry. Adventure. Inspiration
www.gahannachristianacademy.com
CO-ED 2017
The care and individualized attention my child gets sets CSG Summer Programs apart from other summer experiences. The counselors get him and like him for who he is. -Summer Program Parent
Register Today! Academic, Artistic, Athletic, or Just Plain Fun! CSG Summer Program for Boys and Girls Pre-K through Grade 12. PROGRAM DATES: JUNE 12 - AUGUST 11 For more information and to register, please visit
www.columbusschoolforgirls.org/summer 80
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St. Charles Preparatory School Founded in 1923 as a Catholic boys’ high school and seminary (but operating exclusively as a high school since the 1970s), St. Charles is a college preparatory school known for a rigorous academic curriculum heavy on science and engineering. A range of athletics and extracurriculars, including theater and environmental club, are also offered. According to principal James Lower, the school’s outstanding science and math curriculum helps directly prepare students for college and beyond: 35 to 40 percent of St. Charles’ graduating class pursue some type of engineering career. “Our mission is to help develop young men [to] do work at the college level,” in addition to instilling several basic foundations of religious faith, work ethic and service toward others, says Lower. “The all-male [student body] and the narrow focus of our curriculum creates a real brotherhood here,” Lower adds. “As the only all-boys school in [the] diocese, we draw students from across Central Ohio—including Sunbury, London and Granville—which really does make us a very diverse school, one we’re proud of.” stcharlesprep.org Grades: 9 through 12 Enrollment: 649 Average student-teacher ratio: 18:1 Tuition: Practicing Catholic, $9,695; non-practicing, $9,995 ($700 discount for second sons; third son free)
Marburn Academy Marburn Academy is exclusively devoted to students with learning differences such as dyslexia, ADHD or executive function issues. Founded in 1981 by a group of parents and community leaders, the growing school moved into a new, 17-acre, 64,000-squarefoot facility in January, expanding the school’s potential enrollment capacity to 350. The new facilities will allow Marburn’s innovative arts, athletics and tutoring programs to expand, while also continuing engineering and robotics courses, a competitive robotics team and technology services like the 1:1 laptop/iPad program, which provides students with a device to use throughout the year. “We are very different than typical independent schools,” says head of school Jamie Williamson. “We offer a unique hands-on and multisensory approach and are built on the belief that children are capable of learning and excelling when educators meet them where they are academically, socially and emotionally.”
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Summer Camp Guide
Don’t miss the opportunity to include your organization’s offerings as parents make their summer camp plans. Basic listings are free, and upgrades also are available. SubmiSSion deadlineS • Noon Feb. 3 to be included in the March print issue • Noon march 1 for the April print issue
Our March issue includes a
special pullout section
with listings of day and residential camps in categories such as art, dance and drama, educational enrichment, special needs, sports and more.
2016
S AND LEAR
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RTUNITIES
MER ER CAMP ENSIVE SUM OHIO T COMPREH THE MOSP GUIDE IN CENTRAL CAM
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You’ll also find information about the
Columbus Parent/ThisWeek Community News Camp & Activities Expo, Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, at The Shops at Worthington Place.
Additional listings will appear in the April issue’s Summer Camp Guide Extra as well as an online-only update in early May.
Go to ColumbusParent.com to submit your information.
• Noon april 28 for the final version of online guide
A strategic partner for many years, Columbus Monthly consistently delivers results. We know we reach our target audience based on the feedback we receive from both current and prospective Wellington parents.
CAROLINE HASKETT, (left) Wellington Assistant Director of Marketing
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Marburn uses assistive technology and multiple teaching modalities to help every student reach his or her potential and is one of only 14 schools in the nation to have its language instruction program accredited by the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE). “We work really hard to make every child feel understood, valued and heard, and [we] help equip them as incredibly important parts of the larger community,” Williamson adds. marburnacademy.org Grades: 2 through 12 Enrollment: 236 Average student-teacher ratio: 8:1 (grades 2–8); 12:1 (grades 9–12) Tuition: $25,960–$27,300
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LAURA COOKE, (right) Wellington Director of Marketing & Communications
Welsh hills School
WelSh hillS School
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Licking County’s only independent school, Welsh Hills employs a whole-child approach in the Montessori tradition. Its project-based STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) curriculum and multi-age classrooms allow for differentiated instruction and a balance between structure and creativity. Now in its 37th year, the Granville school offers experiences ranging from robust visual and performing arts opportunities to coding and robotics beginning in first grade. Students even help manage the on-site organic garden. The school’s award-winning continent study project also
Photo: courtesy Welsh hills school
The most comprehensive resource of its kind in Central Ohio.
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Licking County’s Only Independent School Educating infants through grade 10
Rooted in the Montessori tradition. Focused on the whole child.
740.522.2020 welshhills.org
€ ‚ | ƒ | „ Accredited by ISACS
Independent School Association of the Central States
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What could your student accomplish if there were no limits?
Bishop Watterson
interactively immerses every student in the culture of a different continent each year. welshhills.org
Village Academy celebrates each student’s individual passion and allows them to perform to their true potential, regardless of age or grade level. The opportunity to follow a customized curriculum inspires even the most ambitious learners to stretch themselves and rethink what is possible.
284 S. Liberty St. Powell, Ohio 43065
614.841.0050 www.VillageAcademy.org
Academic excellence.
See how much your student can accomplish at Village Academy.
Individual passion.
EXPERIENCE VA DURING OUR 2017 PARENT INFORMATION SESSION MARCH 8 or CALL FOR A PERSONAL TOUR!
Grades: Infant/pre-K through 10 Enrollment: 85 Average student-teacher ratio: 7.5:1 Tuition: $5,000–$10,000
Photo: Courtesy Bishop Watterson
Bishop Watterson Since its founding in 1954 as the first co-ed diocesan high school in Franklin County, Bishop Watterson High School has focused on educating the whole person: spiritually, intellectually and physically. The school’s college preparatory curriculum offers more than 160 courses, supplemented by plentiful athletics and extracurricular programs, resulting in a 99 percent college matriculation rate for graduates. The school actively equips attendees as 21st century citizens by providing a laptop to each student, as well as access to a business center classroom with a live stock ticker, an independent study in computer engineering with a 3-D printer, a medical center classroom featuring an Anatomage Table (only one other high school in the country has one) and more. bishopwatterson.com Grades: 9 through 12 Enrollment: 983 Average student-teacher ratio: 11:1 Tuition: $8,995 (participating member of feeder parishes); $10,195 (non-participating)
Sun. February 26, 2:00-4:00pm
Fri. March 17, 9:00-10:30am
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