North Country School Viewbook 2018-2019

NORTH COUNTRY SCHOOL

A BOARDING AND DAY SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 4-9

TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome 4 Philosophy 6 Academics 8

North Country School

Performing Arts

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Studio Arts

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Farm and Garden

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Outdoors 18 Sports 20 Student Life

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Secondary School

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House Life

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The Adirondacks

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Admissions 30

Learn more about our school at www.northcountryschool.org

COME NORTH AND FLOURISH. Welcome to a vibrant academic program that fully engages young learners, preparing them for success at secondary school, college, and beyond.

Welcome

Welcome to art every day, where students can paint a landscape, play a guitar, and perform Shakespeare, all in a single afternoon.

Welcome to an outdoor program that keeps children active and encourages them to become rugged, resourceful, and resilient.

As you read these pages, you will quickly discover why students thrive at North Country School. Unlike any other junior boarding school, we use progressive teaching methods and emphasize an interdisciplinary, hands-on approach. We believe that the middle school years are a critical time to ask questions and pursue projects with passion. Since 1938, we have taught children in such a way that they thrive not only here, but also in a constantly changing world.

We look forward to welcoming you and your family and sharing the ways in which your child will be valued, supported, nurtured, and challenged at North Country School.

Watch FLOURISH at 4

www.northcountryschool.org/about-us/video-gallery

WHERE MOST CLASSROOMS END, OURS BEGIN. At North Country School, exceptional teaching and a nurturing environment help children learn enduring lessons about themselves and the world around them. Since 1938, we’ve been guided by an important idea: that two of the greatest gifts we

Philosophy

can give middle schoolers are confidence and resourcefulness.

At North Country School, students benefit from a robust and vibrant academic program. But beyond the classroom, students here find their footing in the world.

Our students build intellectual skills in a place-based and project-driven curriculum. Children tap their creativity by engaging in daily art classes, and they form a lifelong bond with nature while living alongside farm fields, lakes, mountain ranges, and maple forests.

“Experiential learning” is a concept that many schools are slowly working into their academic programs. At North Country School, it’s been an integral part of everything we’ve done for

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nearly 80 years.

d e rs e s si on n E nd a n o i s es How important is hands-on learning to us? Twice a year, students take a break from regular classes and participate in experiential workshops designed to inspire

new passions and stretch imaginations. The emphasis is on doing. Students choose from among dozens of courses, including backcountry skiing, international cooking, metalsmithing, web 6

design, robotics, and stagecraft.

SMALL CLASSES. INSPIRED TEACHING. ENGAGED KIDS. When you ask children about learning at North Country School, they’ll tell you about launching rockets, simulating avalanches, and reassembling chicken skeletons in science classes. They’ll describe their elaborate journals for the

Academics

Title Trek reading program that challenges them to become “Literary 46ers” and gives them the opportunity to host visiting authors including Newbury Medal winners and National Book Award finalists.

Ours is a personalized education. Faculty and staff have open, respectful dialogues with their students. As they gain an awareness of their own talents and strengths, children come to understand that everyone learns differently. Finding joy in learning leads to avid pursuit of school success and acceptance to top-choice secondary schools.

We emphasize teaching skills that empower students to tackle project-based and interdisciplinary assignments. In our small classes, we encourage students to analyze, problem solve, and communicate. We routinely differentiate our instruction,

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allowing students to grow and learn at their own pace.

Find more about our academic curriculum at www.northcountryschool.org/academics 8

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In nearly every class, students are given the opportunity to choose from among several projects that allow them to independently or collaboratively make the

material their own. Project-based learning and assessment allow students to produce a tangible project that demonstrates understanding of material and utilizes skills regularly practiced in class.

ART EVERY DAY. WORDS WE’VE LIVED BY SINCE 1938.

Those who truly understand why we value “art every day” have attended one of our annual spring performances. Under the guidance of our

Performing Arts

experienced theatre faculty, students have a big hand in everything from set building to adapting a script to lighting the stage. Some children act, dance, or sing. Others design costumes or stage sets.

Several choose to join the stage crew. Everyone who wants to participate finds a role.

In our performing arts curriculum (introductory theatre and music classes for the younger grades and advanced electives for the older grades) children discover and refine numerous talents.

Students also develop key strengths through the performing arts. Writing a monologue or practicing an instrument requires determination, and

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performing in front of one’s peers builds confidence.

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sic u M Music plays a key role at NCS, and

children are encouraged to set and reach musical goals. 4th and 5th grade music students take several introduction classes: singing, sight-reading, ear training, and

music theory. 6th-9th graders have their choice of electives: chorus, band, songwriting, audio production, and music theory. Additionally, 10

private lessons are offered for a wide variety of instruments.

WE ENCOURAGE CHILDREN TO PAINT OUTSIDE THE LINES. Whether glazing a vase or designing a landscape mosaic, our students enjoy art every day. Our expansive studio art offerings include ceramics, painting, photography,

Studio Arts

woodworking, weaving, and clothing design. Our studios are packed with paint, kilns, and looms, and here children practice giving form to what they see and what they imagine.

Most importantly, students make great creative leaps in our art rooms and grow in resourcefulness. To progress in studio art, students learn how to follow complicated instructions, trust their creativity, and ask for help when they need it. Often they create drafts and models before undertaking final pieces. Many studio arts lessons become ingrained, equipping students with successful

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approaches for other areas of school life.

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imaginations often choose a woodworking elective. There’s much more to our woodworking classes than simple hammering and sanding. With

good technique and close supervision, our students learn to make their own instruments, design furniture, and even 12

build boats.

THERE IS JOY IN MEANINGFUL WORK. The farm and garden inform much of what we do. Ours is a working farm. The turkeys we raise are served at Thanksgiving. The wool from our sheep is used in art class. The potatoes and greens we harvest are prepared in our kitchen. Edible Schoolyard classes

Farm and Garden

create a framework that integrates learning opportunities in the garden, classroom, kitchen, and dining room.

Farm and garden work connects our students to natural cycles and provides hands-on experiences that teach real-world problem solving. This work has tangible outcomes, and students gain resourcefulness and confidence from succeeding at things that were once unfamiliar and even intimidating. The meaningful lessons of life on our farm instill in students confidence and determination for other areas of school life.

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Learn more about Edible Schoolyard at www.northcountryschool.org/farm-garden

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In the fall and spring, children help

raise animals and produce vegetables, herbs, and flowers. We practice “edible education� and are pleased to join forces with The Edible Schoolyard Project to provide interactive experiences in the classroom,

kitchen, garden, and dining room and to transform the health and values of children by making edible education part of the 14

core curriculum.

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horses for the riding program

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pounds of wool produced by our sheep for fiber arts each year

17,688

pounds of food we harvest ourselves, including 4,817 pounds of potatoes 1,733 pounds of carrots

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library books checked out per student each year

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art and music studios

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languages spoken on our campus Spanish Dutch Thai isiZulu French German Mandarin Italian Russian English Korean Bulgarian Japanese Portuguese Guarani

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mountains visible from campus

1:1

Google Chromebook : student ratio

200

gallons of maple syrup produced annually

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outdoor activities offered daily

3,450

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total miles hiked by the student body in a year (the distance between the Adirondacks and Alaska)

Whiteface ski days

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rock climbing routes on campus

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students per house in 6 houses

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Olympic venues for recreation

700

pounds of clay used for ceramics each year

indoor slides next to stairwells

HERE, CHILDREN FIND THEMSELVES OUTSIDE. Many of our teachers are experienced hikers and wilderness guides who enjoy sharing their love of the outdoors with their students. During out-time and on weekends, we take full advantage of our location in the

Outdoors

High Peaks range of the Adirondack Mountains to hike and camp, snowshoe and skate, and rock and ice climb.

Our outdoor program helps children become rugged, resourceful, and resilient. By learning to help clear a trail, cook a supper, and fasten safety gear to ascend a rock face, students develop determination and an appreciation for the natural world at a key time in their lives. And, through trying new outdoor activities, they become receptive to new experiences.

Offerings Alpine and Nordic skiing Back country skiing Canoeing Hiking Horseback riding Mountain biking

Snowshoeing #ThisWeekAtNCS www.northcountryschool.tumblr.com 18

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Overnight camping

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Sometimes, nature is best enjoyed at a leisurely pace.

If you want to earn a Mountain Cake though, you’d better get moving. Every year, we tally up how many miles each student

hikes, canoes, and cross-country skis. The top 12 students are called the Dirty Dozen, and each gets a commemorative t-shirt and an elaborately decorated Mountain Cake.

Sports

WE’RE WINNERS WHEN EVERYONE PLAYS.

OFFERINGS

On most afternoons students choose from among ten offerings for out-time, the hour and a half dedicated to wilderness recreation and sports. On offer are individual and team sports, all of which welcome students with varying skill levels. We encourage children to develop new passions by trying new sports – something they do naturally in a non-competitive environment like ours. Our more experienced athletes benefit from excellent coaching to refine skills and improve strength and endurance.

Alpine, Nordic, Telemark and freestyle skiing Basketball Horseback riding Snowboarding Soccer

With a ski hill on our campus and an Olympic mountain and nordic facility nearby, all North Country School students learn to ski or snowboard. Competitive snow sports athletes can take advantage of trips to off-site training centers and programs offered by the New York Ski Educational Foundation (NYSEF).

Sports at North Country School are carefully structured to help students improve athletic skills and build confidence. Our expectations of students in sports are the same as in other areas of school life; to learn to set goals for a personal best, face challenges along the way, and lend a hand to others when it’s needed.

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Beginning and experienced skiers and snowboarders enjoy our campus ski hill, miles of trails, and training opportunities at nearby Olympic venues. At our Skimeister competition, students go bootto-boot in a range of skiing events, hoping to win chocolate chip cookie medals.

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SUPPORTING EACH ONE BY AFFIRMING THE ALL. Barn chores and other work-jobs start our days. There are four periods of academic instruction after breakfast and another two classroom periods after lunch. Out-time fills many afternoons. Adventures unfold on weekends, when

Student Life

students have their choice of on- and off-campus trips. Yet there are always opportunities to curl up in the library with a good book, invite friends for a sleepover, or play frisbee on the upper field. As busy as we are, we recognize that some downtime is necessary on school days and on weekends.

Most meals are enjoyed with the full school community in our welcoming dining room. Meals include as many locally grown and raised ingredients as possible – often from our own farm and garden. Everyone has a chance to serve as a waiter and bring food to the table and clear dishes. Teachers or 9th graders head tables, and council follows lunchtime, when

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announcements are made and good news is shared.

When not in academic classes, our students are together in small, multi-aged, mixed-gender groups. Whether eating in the dining room, caring for the animals in the barn, or playing on the upper field, children of all ages learn to live and work together and support one another.

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EVER ONWARD. EVER UPWARD.

Secondary School

Our secondary school placement advisors work closely with students and their families to ensure excellent school placements for graduating 9th graders. Secondary schools are distinct in their offerings, pedagogy, and academic rigor. The critical first step is identifying the desirable characteristics of a student’s next school and determining schools that are appropriately competitive.

In the fall of senior year, placement advisors schedule appropriate testing, host visiting schools, and help students prepare for interviews and school visits. Parents receive ongoing communication from their child’s placement advisor throughout the process of identifying, applying to, and gaining acceptance at schools that match their talents and interests.

Recent secondary school acceptances include: Northfield Mount Hermon Northwood School Peddie School Pomfret School Proctor Academy Putney School Solebury School Westtown School White Mountain School Wyoming Seminary

Find more information at www.northcountryschool.org/academics/ secondary-school-placement

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Blair Academy Buxton School Canterbury School Dublin School Emma Willard School Episcopal High School The Ethel Walker School George School Gould Academy Kimball Union Academy

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North Country School graduates are known by secondary school admissions officers for their strong work ethic and intellectual engagement, their desire to partake in all aspects

of boarding school life, and their willingness to contribute to diverse 24

learning communities.

WE LIVE IN HOUSES, NOT DORMS. The talented teachers in our classrooms are also houseparents who share their afternoons and evenings with students. Houseparent teams create warm and inviting environments in our six on-campus

House Life

houses, each home to eight to twelve students.

From 3:00 or 4:30 p.m. (depending on the day) until bedtime, life revolves around the house. There are chores, invitations to other houses to play, outside games, and quiet time for reading. On most nights, younger children study in the living room before houseparents help them get ready for bed and the next day. Older students study together in the Main Building and enjoy a slightly later bedtime.

On Wednesdays, students and their houseparents sort laundry, put away fresh clothes, set tables, and play board games. Together they prepare homenight dinner and plan that night’s activity. Our houses are multi-age and mixed gender, so children and adults enjoy house

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life much in the way members of a family do.

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Clark House is both an architectural marvel and a model of sustainable building practices. More importantly, it is a home-away-from-home for ten students and their houseparents. Together they establish the ground rules and create systems to make sure everyone enjoys living there. Did you know the Clark House chimney is also used as a climbing wall?

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NATURE IS OUR MASTER TEACHER. North Country School’s 220-acre campus is located in the 6 million acre Adirondack Park, the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States. Our backyard is majestic wilderness: ample space to experience

The Adirondacks

first-hand the beauty of rivers, lakes, and mountains. Living off the beaten path offers our students the opportunity to grow in self-reliance while becoming values members of a community.

We’re unfazed by frigid walks to barn chores across snowy fields before sunrise. Once the animals have been fed and watered, the payoff is sitting down in the dining room to a piping hot plate of pancakes topped with our own maple syrup. We’re undaunted by mountain ascents on the weekends, because together we set up camp, make supper, and enjoy a bird’s eye view of our campus.

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Just 10 minutes west of North Country School is the village of Lake Placid, a year-round resort destination.

Host of two

Winter Olympics and annual World Cup and Ironman events, Lake Placid affords our students excellent skiing

venues, as well as a picturesque town for walks around Mirror Lake, trips to the movies, and homenight and advisor dinners.

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JOIN US.

Admissions

A visit is the best way to experience North Country School. When you come to campus, you will meet our director of school and teachers, visit our classrooms, eat lunch with us, and walk through our houses. During a half-day visit, you will learn a great deal about our remarkable school. Our goal is to get to know you and your child.

Admissions Overview • Applications accepted on a rolling basis • No application deadlines or fees • Limited midyear enrollment available • Financial aid and payment plans for eligible families Application Checklist • On-campus or Skype interview • Application form • School records • English and math teacher recommendations • Principal / counselor recommendation Starting the Admissions Process Most families begin by spending time on our website, where you can request more information or complete an application. You are welcome to call and email as well. We look forward to hearing from you!

David Damico, Director of Admissions ddamico@northcountryschool.org

+1 (518) 523-9329, ext. 6000

Rachel Carter, Associate Director of Admissions rcarter@northcountryschool.org

+1 (518) 523-9329, ext. 6503

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Website: www.northcountryschool.org

Fast Facts Founded 1938 Total enrollment

80

International students

35%

Boarding Students: 60 Day Students: 20

Countries represented

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(Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, China, Costa Rica, France, Guatemala, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzlerland, Trinidad and Tobago, U.S.)

U.S. States represented

12

Amount of financial aid

$750,000

Student : Teacher ratio

3:1

Average class size

10

Campus size

220 acres

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1. Farm House 2. Horse Barn 3. Small Animal Barn 4. Greenhouses 5. Admissions Office 6. Clark House 7. Main Building 8. Dining Room 9. Development Office 10. Performing Arts Center 11. Woods House 12. Mountain House 13. Algonquin House 14. Bramwell House 15. Cascade House 16. Riding Rings 17. Tennis Court 18. Soccer Field 19. Waterfront 20. Teaching and Learning Kitchen

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NORTH COUNTRY SCHOOL 4382 Cascade Road | Lake Placid, NY 12946 | 518-523-9329 | www.northcountryschool.org