Family Discovery Day: Time is Right to Catch the Wave

Everyone, it seems, has noticed it. There's an unmistakable buzz about Shore. Our informal "First Friday" tours have attracted crowds of interested parents, the November Middle School Open House drew a record number of both current and prospective new families, and inquiries and applications for all grades are pouring in at a pace to eclipse that of recent seasons. 

Admissions staff, teachers, students, and volunteers are now gearing up for the biggest event of the year, Family Discovery Day on January 22. It promises to be a can't-miss experience that's sure to be packed with parents and kids from across the region.

What's driving this wave of interest? "There are just a lot of really great things to share with families," says Admissions Ambassador Weze Harrigan, parent of Pre-K and Grade 1 girls. "Our parents and kids can't stop talking about all that's happening at Shore, and people are coming out of the woodwork to take a look at the school. The other Admissions Ambassadors and I are all-hands-on-deck every week just to handle the tour schedule. It's exciting."

Director of Admissions Daphne Faldi '89 certainly understands the feeling. "I don't know what we'd do without our incredible volunteer Ambassadors leading tours, talking to parents, and even answering the phones. We're all constantly talking to families that want to learn more about us. We must be doing something right."

Faldi understates the good vibes by a long shot. From the ninth grade program all the way down to the expanding Pre-K 1 offering, the sense that Shore is doing something very right positively vibrates across campus.

The surge of interest in Shore's unique ninth grade year is just one of many examples. Whereas historically Shore has been known for a large and distinguished ninth grade class, recent years have seen the majority of eighth graders apply elsewhere—until now. There are 20 ninth graders this year, including a surprising handful from outside of Shore, and already this fall ninth grade commitments from current students and interest from outside applicants forecast a Grade 9 that will likely match or exceed that total for 2017-2018.

"Our ninth grade story just keeps getting better," says Upper School English teacher and Director of Secondary School Counseling Sander van Otterloo '91. "The new trips to Mississippi and California have instantly become touchstones of the ninth grade year, and other incredible opportunities such as the Advanced Theatre Arts course, independent study, and college-caliber investigations around the Harkness table into topics in history and society—all these I feel are really resonating with our seventh and eighth graders and their families. It definitely doesn't hurt that we can also point to amazing acceptance success for our ninth graders at the secondary schools of their choice."

From the oldest Shore students to the youngest: recent news about Shore's expanded Pre-K offerings and facilities is surely driving much of the buzz about the school. For the start of the 2017-2018 school year, Shore will open an expanded indoor/outdoor pre-K space; along with the larger physical footprint will come a broader, two-tiered program with more scheduling choices to serve the increasing number of families looking for flexible options for their children.

Says Lower School Head Sara Knox, "This expansion is all about offering the youngest Pre-K students a head start in learning what to expect from a healthy school environment—everything from how to be involved in a discussion and share the floor with others, to taking creative risks and even learning how to navigate campus and interact with older students."

Beyond the expanded program, families will find a completely revamped Pre-K 1 learning space, which will open directly onto a dedicated outdoor area designed specifically to encourage exploration and discovery. "Outdoor education is increasingly part of our curriculum at every age," explains Knox, "and for the youngest learners, research shows there’s nothing like being outdoors to inspire open-ended investigation, creativity, and wonder."

According to veteran Pre-K teacher Beth White, "Shore experimented with enrolling a handful of very young students in the existing Pre-K class beginning a few years ago, and the innovation has been so successful that it’s now possible for us to build out two distinct but connected programs. I’m thrilled to see the demand for this kind of learning take off, and I think parents will love what they find here."

Parents will find much to love about the elementary and middle grades at Shore, as well. That's because, while teachers here certainly expect a lot academically from their students, they balance that with a strong focus on the social and emotional skills—such as empathy, risk-taking, relationship-building, and self-forgiveness—that are essential for success in life, not just in school. 

As middle school history teacher Pat Coyle explains, "What's most exciting about this place, and most gratifying for me as a teacher, is the ways we're able to guide kids in terms of citizenship, in terms of overall wellness, in terms of mindfulness, in terms of empathy. That's a draw for me, and I think for many of us at Shore—being able to think about the overall child. I love the success of a kid who's feeling like they're writing a paper more effectively, or enjoying a discussion more regularly, but what I really like is when you have a kid who's beginning to step outside of themselves, looking at others, and doing something with that newfound awareness."

That growth is constantly on display around the Harkness tables in Shore's middle school classrooms—a highlight of almost every tour with a visiting family. Says history teacher Gwen Sneeden, "The Harkness pedagogy interacts fluidly with the cognitive growth spurts and the need for energy release that middle schoolers are experiencing. When my students gather at the Harkness table for a discussion, each of them knows that his or her voice matters. They are part of a collaborative dynamic that uses extended conversations, which help them understand their ideas are real, valued, and meaningful."

The same holds true in Grades K-5, where core program elements such as the Community Code and highly individualized teaching lay the foundations for both the emotional resilience and the intellectual confidence that will become critical in the middle school grades. Those elementary grades are also the time when students are encouraged along Shore's fundamentally creative, collaborative, inquiry-driven learning journey.

"Visitors are often surprised when we show them some of our youngest children performing on the big stage, or handling tools in the Innovation Lab," says Sara Knox. "But we feel early exposure to the rich possibilities here—early understanding of the value of wondering, designing, taking a creative risk, and maybe even stumbling—is so important in nurturing young people who are truly curious, who take charge of their own learning, and who become deeply engaged in their passions, whether on the stage or in the science lab."

Some families, adds Knox, are also surprised when they hear that recess and physical education are built into every school day at all ages. "It's about educating the whole child," Knox says. "Whereas many schools allow the arts and athletics to fit into an elective structure, Shore requires that students participate in just about everything, especially at the younger grade levels. From taking their place on the big stage for the first time, to trying a new sport, we want children to try. We want them to struggle and also succeed. We want them to find their passions by experiencing so much. And once they do, we see them blossom."

No matter the grade, says Daphne Faldi, "What I think everyone is seeing when they visit Shore is joy, pure and simple. Our parents, our students, and our teachers demonstrate every day that the Shore education is joyful and fulfilling on so many levels—social, emotional, academic, athletic."

And now, says Faldi, with so many truly good things to point to at every grade level—and with new Admissions materials honestly capturing the joyful spirit of the school—everyone from visiting families to long-time teachers can grasp clearly what Shore stands for. Stepping inside the Trustey Family Theatre is just one example, says Faldi. "When parents see an all-school House Meeting, when they hear children reciting the Community Code, when they see incredible singing and performances on the stage, they get it. We all get it, and it's so easy at that point to say, 'See what we mean?'"

And that shared understanding, that fellow-feeling, may help explain the wave that we're having so much fun riding these days.