Fay School Viewbook

Southborough, Massachusetts

“We are what we repeatedly do.

Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

–Aristotle

An Expectation of Excellence “We have been proud to receive very well prepared and influential students from Fay over the years. anks to continued innovations at the school, such as the Innovation Center, Fay’s students are better prepared than ever.”

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–Admission officer, Choate Rosemary Hall

At Fay, we believe that excellence is a habit.

When you come to Fay as a student, you learn quickly that excellence goes far beyond a top score on an exam. Excellence at Fay means developing essential academic skills, such as reading critically, writing clearly, and understanding foundational math and science concepts. Excellence includes enduring skills for a changing world, such as problem solving, adaptability, collaboration, and leadership. Excellence also means developing crucial life skills like communication, empathy, manners, and creative confidence.

Fay students are high achievers. Our graduates are coveted by top secondary schools and go on to meaningful college experiences and rewarding careers. But most importantly, Fay students learn that excellence is the process, not the product. Excellence is what happens in the day-to-day interactions with students and faculty, in a community where learning is both effortful and joyful. At Fay, excellence is a habit.

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Ask our teachers, and

they’ll tell you that they

love getting to know their

students in a range of

contexts—as coaches on

the playing field, dorm

parents, activity leaders,

and advisors. In this way,

teachers develop a better

understanding of their

students, which pays off

in enhanced classroom

learning.

Behind every student is a team of expert faculty.

From Primary School through ninth grade, each Fay student interacts with a team of inspiring, supportive adults that includes classroom teachers; specialists in music, art, and world languages; and coaches and advisors.

Our faculty is distinguished not just in their level of expertise in their respective fields, but in their commitment to the practice of teaching.

More than 90% of our faculty have earned master’s degrees: they are leaders in their disciplines as published authors, conference speakers, workshop leaders, and mentors. Every summer, our teachers travel around the country—and around the world—to pursue research, continue their training, and collect resources to keep their teaching fresh and relevant.

Fay teachers are committed to collaboration. As colleagues and friends, they develop interdisciplinary courses such as Diagnosing the Modern World, an Upper School course that brings together current topics in science with historical trends, or algebra explorations that bring together eighth graders and second graders.

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“Play is the highest form of research.”

–Albert Einstein

Love of Learning “Fay sparked my daughter’s love of learning—from the foreign language offerings in Primary School, to the wealth of music and art, to the interscholastic sports starting in fifth grade. She can’t wait to go to school each day.” –Fay parent 8

At Fay, learning is serious fun.

Serious fun at Fay means academic challenge that is authentic, engaging, and deeply absorbing. Fay teachers know that when students believe that their learning matters, they give their all.

At Fay, it’s cool to be curious. Visit our campus, and you’ll see how students embrace challenge and inquiry because it’s woven into the fabric of our school culture. In the Primary School, you’ll see kindergartners in a combined science/art class, recording measurements and painting watercolors of sunflowers that they’ve planted in the garden of our outdoor classroom. In the Lower School, you’ll find sixth graders learning the elements of programming as they design inventions powered by circuit boards. Meanwhile, in the Upper School, math students are using the principles of geometry to recreate ancient Roman arches, while English students perform dramatic readings of Romeo and Juliet in the sunken garden. School days at Fay are busy—but they’re never boring.

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Our teachers embrace creativity within structure.

At Fay, rigor and creativity go hand in hand.

While our traditional preparatory program focuses on foundational skills, our faculty has the freedom to design lessons that meet their students’ needs and interests. Our definition of rigor includes projects and hands-on experiences that challenge students to make new information their own. In the Upper School, for example, algebra students construct self-portraits and identity designs out of linear equations, while students in Topics in Modern America, a ninth grade seminar, design album covers that reflect the groundbreaking music and turbulent political events of the 1960s.

Learning at Fay is both active and interactive. We encourage students to ask questions, formulate new ideas, and pose “what-ifs,� knowing that the ability to reflect on, assess, and synthesize information fosters deeper learning.

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Our students find joy in challenge.

At Fay, we believe that students develop a lifelong love of learning when they can find joy in challenge and pursuing mastery. In every division, teachers design learning experiences that are appropriately challenging, providing support while encouraging the independence that leads to a sense of accomplishment.

Fay’s writing and public speaking program is just one example of our approach. Beginning in Primary School, students practice the elements of good writing through assignments where they write about and share the “small moments” of their lives. As they move on to Lower School, students continue to develop their writing skills, and each year they draft and present speeches to their peers on topics relating to their own lives—a cherished memory, a personal hero, or an important life lesson. In Upper School, students master the personal essay and participate in a division-wide speech contest that has become a beloved school tradition.

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“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”

–John F. Kennedy

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Nurturing Each Child’s Potential “e foundation I received at Fay helped me excel in high school and college. I learned how to learn, from developing study skills to being my own advocate in the classroom.” –Faith Wallace Gadsden ’98 (graduate of Choate Rosemary Hall; A.B., Bryn Mawr College; Ph.D., Tufts, molecular microbiology; founder and managing director of the Archimedes Project, a non-profit dedicated to designing and launching sustainable clean water enterprises, worldwide) 16

It’s important to learn who you are as a learner.

Our goal at Fay is to help each student find his or her “sweet spot” as a learner. Our teachers get to know their students well, so they can help each individual build on existing strengths and develop new skills. We believe that children aren’t able to unlock their full potential until they have all the tools for success, so we also focus on organization, time management, and study skills at every grade level. We know that learning how to learn is just as important as the foundational skills of reading, writing, and mathematics.

We also know that healthy development goes beyond the traditional classroom walls, and Fay’s teachers, specialists, and coaches are dedicated to nurturing every aspect of development. Students participate in class meetings, advisory programs, and wellness classes where they develop tools to advocate for themselves, think independently, be resilient, navigate social situations, and make good choices that facilitate a healthy lifestyle.

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Fay opens up a world of opportunities.

It’s exciting to be a student at Fay. Our program broadens students’ horizons and encourages them to explore new interests.

We value the impact of the arts on children’s development, so full-year music and art classes are essential program components for students at every grade level. From the earliest years, students sing in choirs and learn to read and write music. In Lower and Upper School, students can learn an instrument and play in a band or string ensemble. Art classes in Primary and Lower School lead to in-depth electives in Upper School, where students focus on a range of media, including ceramics, printmaking, and painting. Drama and dance programs are open to all students who want to perform.

Leadership opportunities abound, and through trips and activities, students learn that leadership takes many forms—as trip leaders, team captains, and class presidents, and as teaching assistants in the Primary School.

Our after-school program offers a host of enrichment classes for Primary and Lower School students, from chess to cooking, while Upper School students enjoy weekly afternoon activities that run the gamut from robotics to sign language.

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Fay’s athletic program begins in Primary

School, with instruc-

tional P.E. in the younger grades and interscholastic team sports beginning in fifth grade.We

offer over 20 sports and 41 teams, making it

possible for all students, from beginners to elite athletes, to progress

with the right amount of challenge and support.

Our strong support structure enables students to thrive.

It’s impossible to be invisible in our community of learners. Partly, it’s because of our small class sizes, but mostly it’s because Fay teachers get to know their students so well and develop a deep understanding of each individual’s needs. Every student has a point person and a home base for checking in—from the homeroom classes in the early grades, to the “homevisory” classes in fifth and sixth grade, to Upper School advisory, where students meet regularly in small groups with advisors.

The success of our program lies in our team approach, and faculty members work together across departments to meet each student’s needs.

Dorm parents consult with academic advisors to track the wellbeing of boarding students, for example, while classroom teachers work with the experts in our Learning Services Department to help their students with specific learning needs.

Our collaborative model includes families, and teachers communicate frequently with parents—well beyond the regular, written progress reports—to make sure each student is positioned for success.

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“An innovation, to grow organically from within, must be based on an intact tradition.” –Yo Yo Ma

Tradition and Innovation

“It is the current endeavor of the teachers to lay a foundation for education in its broadest sense.”

–Fay School Prospectus, 1866 24

We embrace traditions that support our core values.

Fay School was founded in 1866, and from the School’s earliest days, our program has been centered on the School’s five core values: Academic Excellence, Earnest Effort, Dedicated Service, Honorable Conduct, and Wellness of Mind, Body, and Spirit.

As the oldest junior boarding school in the country, we enjoy a rich heritage of traditions that bind us together as a community and reinforce our commitment to civility and respect—such as our lunches and dinners, which are served family-style in one of our two dining rooms, and where students take turns serving each other.

Our traditions also celebrate teamwork and fun. Every student who enters Fay is assigned to the Red Team or the White Team, and the teams compete in challenges of academic, artistic, and athletic skill, culminating each year at the Founders’ Day Color Competition, a field day event that brings together the entire student body.

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We embrace innovation that supports foundational learning.

Our teachers are inspiring—and they are also inspired. With frequent opportunities for professional development and collaboration, Fay faculty members are continuously seeking ways to refine and improve their teaching to best meet the needs of their students. They adopt best practices after careful scrutiny, making sure that new approaches and resources support the school’s mission and student learning.

Sometimes innovation means the latest in technology, but our teachers appreciate that innovation can be “low-tech,” too—whether it’s the development of a woodworking unit in the Primary School or a new system of notetaking to facilitate the development of study skills in Lower School. Innovation also means helping students make connections across disciplines, such as challenging Upper School algebra students to use statistical data to craft real-world proposals for local community service projects.

Fay’s Innovation Center is a 3,000 square-foot lab dedicated

to fostering critical thinking and building creative confidence, with dedicated spaces for video production, programming, designing, building, and tinkering.With laser cutters, 3D

printers, woodworking tools, and art supplies, the lab is in constant use by teachers and students in every division.

You Can If You Will “Fay prepared me well for secondary school.

I learned that no matter what kind of challenges I faced—academic, athletic, social, personal—I had the skill, the strength, and the perseverance to see it through.” –Sam Vogel ’12 28

“Nothing will work unless you do.”

–Maya Angelou

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Fay students learn that effort matters.

Fay School’s motto is Poteris Modo Velis, “You can if you will.” We instill in our students the belief that effort is the key factor in success. You can see our commitment to earnest effort in how a writing teacher follows up with a student on an essay, how a coach offers feedback on the sidelines, or how a music teacher guides a student through a challenging passage of music. Effort is so important at Fay that beginning in Lower School, students receive effort grades every two weeks. This continual feedback helps students to take ownership of their learning and be more reflective about their learning process.

Fay students build character and confidence by learning to rely on their skills and practicing integrity and persistence every day. When our students graduate, they take with them one of the most important life lessons of all: that they possess the capacity for continuous growth and improvement.

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“I live my life in widening circles that reach out across the world.”

–Rainer Maria Rilke

A Global Community, Citzens of the World “I love going to school with students from around the world. I’ve made friends with kids from Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. It’s exciting learning about what makes us different, as well as what we have in common.” –– Jillian Carroll ’15 34

Our students go to school with classmates from across the street—and across the world.

Walk the halls of Fay School, and you’ll see global learning in action.

Our boarding students come from across the United States and over 20 countries, and Upper School students have the unique opportunity to make meaningful friendships with peers from around the world.

Through our cross-grade partnerships, our Primary and Lower School students also benefit from our international students’ experiences and perspectives.

You can see our focus on global learning with our comprehensive world languages program. Students study French and Spanish throughout Primary and Lower School; by Upper School, students can also choose to study Mandarin and Latin.

We believe that the best way to understand the “global village” is to see it first-hand—so travel is an important part of our program. Every spring, Upper School students have the opportunity to participate in teacher-led educational trips abroad, to destinations such as China, France, Italy, and Spain.

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Fay students develop a passion for service.

Dedicated service is one of Fay’s core values—and service is intrinsic to how we see ourselves as a member of the global community. Fay students learn that global citizenship means being an active participant in the world, responsive to the needs of others and creative in finding solutions to problems.

Beginning in Primary School, students participate in authentic, hands-on service learning, from sorting toys and clothes to be distributed to underserved communities, to harvesting food at an organic farm for donation to a local food bank. In the Upper School, students participate in multi-day service trips, to places like New York City and the Dominican Republic. Whether they are teaching English to younger children, painting a library, or preparing a meal at a soup kitchen, students gain an appreciation for the importance of making a difference in the lives of others.

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“You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”

–Woodrow Wilson

î “e mission of Fay School is to educate each child to his or her full potential through a broad, balanced, and challenging program that establishes a solid foundation for a productive and fulďŹ lling life.

Learn more about Fay School.

Fay is a welcoming, inclusive, and respectful community that celebrates the diverse backgrounds of its students and faculty. Together, we are committed to learning, continual improvement, and excellence—knowing that the joyful journey is just as important as the end result.

Fay is also dedicated to building a community of learners from diverse economic backgrounds. To this end, the School awards more than $2 million each year in need-based tuition assistance. Fay works closely with each family to ensure that qualified students have access to a Fay education.

We invite you to learn more about Fay. We hope you will contact our Office of Admission to tour our campus, talk with faculty and students, and learn more about what makes Fay a unique place to learn and grow.

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48 Main Street Southborough, MA 01772 tel: 508.485.0100 fax: 508.481.7872 www.fayschool.org