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PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT
INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS ARE CONSTANTLY EVOLVING TO ADDRESS AN EVERCHANGING WORLD. IN AND OUT OF THE CLASSROOM. THIS MEANS NEW INITIATIVES IN THE AREA OF TECHNOLOGY, PARTNERSHIPS IN THE COMMUNITY, CAREER EXPLORATION AND OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPLORE THE OUTDOORS. LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE EXCITING PROGRAMS.
Program Spotlight
BALTIMORE LAB SCHOOL LIVE IT, LEARN IT!
Baltimore Lab School (BLS) provides an exceptional, college-preparatory education for bright students in grades 1-12 with language-based learning differences and/or ADHD. BLS’s innovative, arts-integrated curriculum is experiential and multidisciplinary, specifically designed to help young learners overcome challenges with reading, writing, math, and executive functioning while preparing students for a rewarding range of college and career choices. In addition to mastering core academics, BLS students explore the visual and performing arts, engage in outdoor education, and participate in team-building athletics. This year, BLS returns to its roots and has announced this year’s school theme - LIVE IT, LEARN IT! “Projectbased learning and learning through the arts are at the heart of our Academic Club methodology,” remarked Laura Parkhurst, head of the Arts & Academic Clubs. “Experiential, hands-on learning and arts integration allow our students to think critically, demonstrate their learning process, and apply knowledge and skills to real-world situations,” she adds. Baltimore Lab School was founded in 2000 as a division of The Lab School of Washington (LSW) by Sally L. Smith, a pioneer in the field of learning disabilities. Sally’s groundbreaking research and writing on art as a gateway to learning is the core of Baltimore Lab School’s approach to education.
Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School’s expanding 21st century learning goals are transforming students’ learning experiences and positioning them for success beyond their school years. BT’s school-wide integrated STEM initiative shifts students from knowledge consumers to producers through cooperative, creative, interdisciplinary learning and exploration. Lower school students and teachers will invent, experiment, design, and discover together in the newly relaunched Innovation Lab, using design thinking and a variety of tools and materials. Students can enhance classroom learning and access online research resources in the adjacent Russel Family Library and Media Center. Middle schoolers will use their new STEM lab to design and fabricate their own inventions with six Makerbot Sketch 3D printers. BT Director of STEM Education Mr. Vince Bonina is excited about another new technology debuting in the middle school STEM lab. “We have invested in eight Dobots, a multifunctional desktop robotic arm that can be programmed to perform tasks using artificial intelligence,” Bonina explains. As Dobot is age appropriate for a variety of grade levels, BT high school students will learn the platform as well. Greater technology integration empowers students to explore their environment in new and exciting ways, make data-driven decisions, and communicate their ideas deliberately and accurately. BT students, at all grade levels, are challenged to meet and exceed these goals across the rigorous dual general and Judaic curriculum.
THE BOYS’ LATIN SCHOOL OF MARYLAND WILLIAMS SCHOLARS PROGRAM
The Williams Scholars Program at Boys’ Latin recognizes tenth and eleventh grade students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievements and a proven commitment to the life of the school. The program is designed to be both challenging and inclusive, rewarding students for scholarly excellence and their service to the community. Modeled after similar programs at the collegiate level, the Williams Scholars Program provides students with exceptional learning opportunities throughout the school year and over the summer months. Williams Scholars enjoy access to luncheons with guest speakers and enrichment funds for summer academic programs. Each year, Williams Scholars use their funding for a wide variety of intellectual and educational pursuits. Students have attended programs in robotics, sports industry management, psychology, public speaking, and everything in between, providing them with real-world learning opportunities as well as preparing them for college and beyond. “It is a great opportunity for our boys to deeply engage in an area of interest to them. For example, one of our students used this opportunity to travel to Costa Rica, where he did student tutoring. This is only one of the countless ways our boys have expanded their knowledge in meaningful ways,” said Brian Mitchell, Boys’ Latin’s upper school head.
Established in 2006, the Williams Scholars Program is named for Jack Williams, Boys’ Latin’s headmaster from 1962-1978. The program honors Mr. Williams’s dedication to Boys’ Latin and emphasis on scholarship.
The Catholic High School of Baltimore’s four-year STEM Program with concentrations in engineering and biomedical science inspires future generations of young women to pursue careers in areas needed for the continued growth of the nation and in job fields historically unavailable to them. Knowledge learned in STEM disciplines and the acquisition of advanced skills through hands-on, project-based methods of inquiry propel Catholic High students to succeed in colleges, universities and jobs of their choice. In addition to courses taught in the state-of-the-art Joanne Liberatore Kramer Engineering Room and Engineering Lab and the Jesse James Hinson Clinical Simulation Lab, Catholic High STEM students also learn outside of the classroom by participating in opportunities such as the National Institute of Health Summer Internship Program, Floating Doctors international trips, remote live surgery streams and Sea Perch and VEX Robotics competitions. Taking learning to the next level, Catholic High combines scientific literacy with a hands-on/minds-on approach. Peg Prentice, STEM team leader, shares, “I’ve never seen another high school that offers students such a real-world, immersive experience. Most students don’t have opportunities like this until they are in college or graduate school. Our students are uniquely prepared for almost any STEM college coursework and beyond.”
In recent times, there has been heightened national interest around topics like “civil discourse” and “polarization” but very few public models for how people can thoughtfully engage in conversations on difficult topics. This is one reason why Friends School of Baltimore launched the Institute for Public Involvement and Responsible Dialogue or INSPIRED. INSPIRED is one of the school’s signature programs and offers students a wide range of experiences to help them navigate complex conversations, engage meaningfully with their peers, and build long-lasting collaborations. Some of these experiences include restorative justice training, off-campus partnerships with organizations like the McKim Center of Baltimore City, and a speaker series.
“As a Quaker school, Friends is uniquely positioned to offer the INSPIRED program. INSPIRED shows what’s possible when we engage in passionate conversations about controversial issues while respecting, listening to, and learning from others we may disagree with,” says Greta Rutstein, Director of Academics. INSPIRED ultimately seeks to build a culture of responsible dialogue on campus that models best practices for building and sustaining community and prepares students for fuller engagement in wider civic conversations.
GARRISON FOREST SCHOOL WISE PROGRAM
Through a partnership with The Johns Hopkins University, the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program at Garrison Forest School allows juniors and seniors to gain real world experience in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. WISE is much more than working on world-class research projects. It brings students out of the classroom and into the lab, providing an opportunity to dive into passions for STEM and experience working in a real lab as a real contributor. WISE participants conduct important research side-by-side with Hopkins professors and graduate students for two afternoons a week for about 15 weeks of a semester. This customized experience guides students through all aspects of assisting in a research lab, giving them the opportunity to learn at a level normally reserved for graduate school. WISE is housed under The James Center at Garrison Forest, which connects students with hands-on learning programs. Andrea Perry, Director of The James Center, Dean of Special Programs and coordinator of WISE, notes “WISE gives students the chance to be tested on the real world stage as they develop confidence, communication skills and practical lab experience.”
Program Spotlight
GLENELG COUNTRY SCHOOL SCHOLARS PROGRAM
As a college preparatory institute, Glenelg Country School engages students in learning opportunities that shape their minds for higher education. In the upper school, students experience a variety of courses in humanities, science, math, world languages, civic leadership, and more. The stimulating academic curriculum keeps students motivated and engaged toward their collegiate goals. The school’s Scholars Program provides students with the opportunity to pursue their passions, further develop skills, and graduate with distinction in one of five interdisciplinary areas of study: aesthetics and culture, convergent science, entrepreneurship, global leadership, or technology, engineering, and design. Students apply to the program and graduate with distinction. With the support of a faculty mentor and a system of focused learning, which includes both specific coursework and experiential discovery, students build a portfolio of work that they defend before a faculty committee to earn distinction in their area of focus upon graduation. Most importantly, these scholars will cultivate their academic passions and build a foundation for future pursuits. Aspects of the program include extracurricular analysis, internships, teaching opportunities, and more. Recent graduates focused on implicit bias research, orthopedic surgery, and business management by completing college-level courses, a Yale EXPO session, fundraising challenges, and internships.
GRACE UNITED METHODIST PRESCHOOL KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM
Kindergarten at Grace Preschool is pretty special! It provides a year of growth, maturity, and development before children enter an independent school setting or local public school. This small, intimate program offers individual attention and personalized learning; it promotes confidence and a love of learning while strengthening classroom skills and early academics. A perfect balance of academic instruction and learning through play is what makes this program unique. Grace Preschool recognizes that language arts in kindergarten is quite important. The program offers a balanced literacy approach that meets learners where they are. Visual, kinesthetic, auditory, and visual teaching strategies are incorporated into each lesson, and teachers use multi-sensory techniques to teach letter sounds and symbols. Grace Preschool’s kindergarteners learn math through hands-on and engaging activities with their classmates. The curriculum encourages children to talk about math, use manipulatives, and engage in activities that are fun and that require critical thinking. In addition to their work with literacy and math concepts, Grace’s kindergarteners explore social studies, music, art, physical education, and science. No matter which elementary school is chosen for first grade, Grace Kindergarten provides children with a strong, well-rounded foundation.
Students at The Highlands School are bright and creative children with dyslexia, ADHD, and other language-based learning differences. Since 1996, The Highlands School has grown to include kindergarten through 12th grade in full-day and homeschool extension programs. The school also offers the Tutoring and Mind Jump Summer Academic Program, allowing the school to help students from other institutes as well. Executive functioning impacts the ability to focus, prioritize, follow instructions, and more. At The Highlands School, research and experience indicate that strong executive function skills positively affect literacy and math performance. The Highlands School’s signature executive function program helps students develop EF skills (like time management, notetaking, and active listening) through classroom strategies. The school integrates the practice of EF skills and mindfulness into unique small group instruction (in phonics, reading comprehension, and math) and classrooms. Before coming to The Highlands School, many of the students struggled in school. The individualized and sequential instruction, geared toward success and infused with kindness, fosters a can-do spirit and positive self-image in the students. For most of these students, The Highlands School is the first place they have ever loved coming to school each day!
JEMICY SCHOOL PARAGRAPHOLOGY™: UNLOCKING THE WRITING PROCESS
Paragraphology™ is Jemicy School’s comprehensive, scaffolded, multisensory approach to writing and notetaking that provides students with concrete tools to become more confident, independent writers. The process, which is easily utilized by children, teens, college students, and adults, decreases frustration and promotes a new pathway to success. Paragraphology™ systematically teaches and reinforces a formula that guides users through the steps in writing a basic paragraph to a comprehensive understanding of the five-paragraph essay. The program utilizes a variety of technological resources, color-coding systems, note-taking techniques, interactive methods, and strategies to unlock the writing process. Jemicy teachers utilize Paragraphology™ across disciplines, and students use the method to support the writing of science labs and for note-taking and report creation in social studies classes. Jemicy offers dynamic online workshops in Paragraphology™ to teachers, homeschool parents, tutors, schools, and districts nationwide, and Jemicy faculty have presented the concept of Paragraphology™ at conferences and workshops to teachers, parents, and professionals from around the globe. As one recent workshop participant remarked, “Paragraphology has been a game-changer for my students...it gives a structure to the writing process that every other writing curriculum seems to be missing.”
ST. JOHN’S PARISH DAY SCHOOL SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING
St. John’s Parish Day School (SJPDS) prioritizes developing the social-emotional well-being and skills of their students by integrating Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) into their daily curriculum and programs. This teaching approach helps children recognize, understand, and manage their emotions and stress. It also nurtures children’s abilities to recognize the emotions of others, develop empathy, and build healthy relationships and interpersonal skills. SJPDS is able to foster SEL through their chapels with lessons to promote empathy and mindfulness; morning meetings to practice communication and active listening; project-based learning to connect social-emotional skills with academic content; and so much more. SJPDS also gives students opportunities for self-exploration and reflection, as well as group work time to encourage children to confidently and appropriately express themselves, which then builds and enhances their relationships. This is essential when creating a community of inclusivity and respect at SJPDS. Furthermore, SJPDS enhances their SEL initiatives such as Responsive Classroom and Zones of Regulation, which are student-centered approaches that support creating an engaging, inclusive environment that works toward improving specific goals. Having this strong foundation not only supports social, emotional, and academic success but will serve students beyond their early years, helping them grow as strong, independent thinkers, people of sound character, and active stewards of the world.
The Waldorf School of Baltimore believes part of whole-child education includes helping students develop and nurture a healthy relationship with the environment. After navigating a year of outdoor learning in the midst of a global pandemic, the school expanded its program by adding an additional kindergarten class. The newly added Forest Kindergarten class is being held from a new outdoor learning space that includes a hillside amphitheater, outdoor tools, swings, hammocks and a mud kitchen - all tucked away into the woods filled with trees and wildlife. Teachers will follow a healthy, rhythmical routine, adapting the Waldorf language arts and numeracy skills, fine and gross motor developmental activities of story telling, circles, painting and crafts to the outdoor learning environment. Artistic endeavors and practical work will also be adapted to the outdoors as classes create with natural materials and care for the Waldorf Woods as both explorers and environmental stewards. “This program provides an excellent learning environment for young children to discover and explore the world through all their senses and movement,” said Academic Director Cecilia Liss. “They will experience nature in all its wonder and differentiated weather while building imagination, resilience, problem-solving skills, coordination and stamina.”
