Stanwich Viewbook

The Stanwich School Greenwich’s Coeducational PreK–12 Independent School

OUR MISSION

The Stanwich School provides an accelerated academic program within a community that inspires students to be their best, help others be their best, and make God’s world a better place.

A tradition of excellence.

WE HAVE A FOUNDATION.

Our founding commitment of unbound optimism includes an expectation that our students will use what they learn here to “make God’s world a better place.” The emphasis is on academic rigor and relevance, coupled with a nurturing learning environment that develops the excellence within each learner.

We have worked to make Stanwich a school where learning is not limited to the classroom, and where intellectual development and moral guidance are central. Our job is to make our halls ring with the footsteps of young men and women on their way to substantive, mindful and purposeful lives.

Stanwich is a school with heart, that grows and excels from the inside-out. Since our founding, Stanwich has inspired love from our students, deep support from our parents and loyalty from our faculty.

It is this strong foundation that anchors the remarkable education that each Stanwich student receives.

Wildwood Cottage Stanwich’s Wildwood Cottage offers an inspiring and dynamic program to our PreK and Kindergarten students, all under the care of our exceptional early childhood faculty. Beginning at age three, students can enter the world of Wildwood, where our strong academic curriculum is enriched and enhanced by exploratory learning through nature.

Our rich core academic program is complimented by weekly foreign language classes, farm-to-table cooking from the school garden, a hands-on partnership with Animal Embassy, and weekly “Wellie Walks,” during which students walk our very own nature trails.

A lifelong love of learning begins here!

GROWTH At Stanwich, we recognize that there are different pathways to the goal of high academic achievement.

Teachers here do not use templates to stamp out a one-size-fits-all methodology. Instead, a teacher considers the whole person, shaping and reshaping the learning process as a child changes and grows.

THE STANWICH SEVEN

Commitment Compassion Wisdom Honesty Courage Forgiveness Joy

Academic excellence.

CREATING HAPPY AND ENGAGED LEARNERS.

The learning environment at Stanwich is built around a rigorous, traditional college preparatory curriculum that is bolstered with innovation. Our standardized test scores are tops, and our national reading scores are consistently two or more grade levels above the norm. Amidst our bounty of scholars, however, Stanwich instills a deep devotion for learning and high achievement in an environment of kindness and respect. Our approach provides just the right balance between challenging children with great expectations yet doing so with support and encouragement. This inspiring combination creates confident students with a passion for academic excellence and compassion for others.

Additionally, our school boasts a small student-to-teacher ratio. This ensures that personalized attention is given to each student to reach the excellence within each individual. In addition, we believe that students maximize their potential when held to high standards. The curriculum is designed to be rigorous and challenging, but presented in a supportive and nurturing environment.

Fast Facts 95% of Stanwich fourth graders score in the 95% percentile, or higher, in national standardized tests.

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Source: Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth testing in the 2015–2016 school year

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90% of Stanwich sixth graders reach two or more grade levels above the norm in reading, with half reading at post high school level.

Source: The Gates MacGinitie Reading assessment

95% of Stanwich students who took

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Advanced Placement exams received scores of 4 or 5.

Source: The College Board results of Stanwich 2013 and 2014 AP exams. AP scores are ranked 1–5, with 5 being highest

“At Stanwich, we dial into who our students really are, and who they will excel at being. Then we shape the learning experience, and the entire enrichment structure along those lines. We are flexible enough and committed enough to do that.”

—Jerome Murphy

Head of Upper School

Students who are willing to accept challenges.

ESPECIALLY FROM THEMSELVES.

At Stanwich, we encourage students not just to do their best, but to be their best. Stanwich students are ready to develop spiritually, and to re-discover some very important principles: charity, humility, and grace. We integrate academics with a broader sense of responsibility to classmates, the community, and the world. Ethics, service to others, diversity and inclusiveness are carefully and conscientiously woven into the fabric of the Stanwich experience. We refer to it as the “Stanwich Heart.” Our world needs smart children with Stanwich hearts. Stanwich scholars are innovative thinkers who are grounded in traditional values.

Teachers who love to teach.

IT’S THAT SIMPLE, AND YET, THAT PROFOUND.

At the heart of any educational institution is its faculty, and Stanwich is known for its talented, committed and caring teachers—virtually all of whom hold advanced degrees.

The Stanwich faculty is an experienced group of enthusiastic professionals who guide, enrich, and encourage while striving for excellence in themselves and their students.

Their commitment not only to their craft, but to the mission of the school, is ever present. Our teachers embody the ideals of integrity, intellect and character that Stanwich imparts to its students.

Small classes ensure close student/faculty interaction. Students also see many of their teachers outside of the classroom as their advisors and athletic coaches.

“Students often think of their teachers in boxes: An English teacher knows literature … a math teacher knows how to do calculations … and so on. At Stanwich, we open up those boxes. I teach history.

But science, math, literature are all integral to the study of history. Why does this matter? Because students are entering a world that is far less compartmentalized than it used to be. Being able to think three-dimensionally, beyond simply one rigid content area, is an increasingly vital skill, one that Stanwich nurtures in every course and elective.”

—Peter Katona

Upper School English and History

Juniors and Seniors have the opportunity to produce their own AP design portfolio.

Creating artists and performers.

ON STAGE AND IN THE STUDIO.

Our visual and performing arts program is designed to offer students a variety of aesthetic experiences.

The emphasis is on participation, process, and expression, not on product or performance. Yet something magical occurs as students discover their own creative spirits and voices. Thespians take to the stage with confidence and glory, artists find their creations selected for numerous exhibitions, and sweet melodies from choirs and hand bells delight and entertain audiences throughout the community.

Through a wide range of age appropriate art projects, students are taught the elements of art and, in later years, the principles of design. Students are taught specific skills that become progressively more complex with each grade. These learned skills provide a framework for each student to enhance his or her own creative style. Once students master the fundamentals, they move toward more personal expression.

Learning from a playbook.

AN UNSCRIPTED SET OF PERSONAL STANDARDS.

At Stanwich, we play for joy, and we play for skill. And yes, we play to win. While we’re proud of our many wins and individual champions over the years, winning is only part of the Stanwich experience— because our athletic program does so much more. Interscholastic athletics and the physical education program encourage healthy athletic competition while providing opportunities to develop skills, teamwork and self-confidence. Every athlete has a responsibility to themselves as well as their opponent to be his or her best.

The athletics program at Stanwich is characterized by a continuum of goals. A student’s experience in the Lower School is centered on basic skill development and broad exposure to sport. Moving on to the Upper School, there is a gradual shift toward a balance between competition and participation, where the emphasis is on fielding competitive teams and encouraging athletic transcendence.

The Stanwich athletic program emphasizes solid moral values, sportsmanship, and commitment to excellence.

Stanwich is proud of our state-of-the-art synthetic turf athletic field that is home for our soccer, field hockey and lacrosse teams.

Equally impressive is the recent renovation of our gymnasium.

Stanwich is a member of the Fairchester Athletic League, competing against other independent schools in Westchester County (New York) and Fairfield County (Connecticut).

Building global connections.

EXPLORING THE WORLD AND MAKING IT BETTER.

The Stanwich classroom extends beyond traditional spaces—the lab, the library—to non-traditional places—Costa Rica, England, Italy, Spain, Rwanda. While there is opportunity to explore these foreign lands, our students journey with a greater agenda—donating the first book to a remote Costa Rican school’s library, serving food in a soup kitchen in West London. Our school community has even funded the construction of a water well and a new school in rural Cyabatanzi, Rwanda.

This teaches the most important lesson of all … one that gives our school an edge in a competitive world: namely, that we live in a global era, and the interdependent world will expect us to make a difference.

“I hope you remember this: the world needs more Stanwich students.

To all of you, just remember, none of us really leave Stanwich, rather, we take it with us, wherever we go.”

—James Grasso

Former Student, speaking to the student body at Charter Day 2014

A recent survey of The Stanwich School’s academic environment shows a gratifying affirmation of Stanwich’s value. 97% of parents report to have noticed a positive difference in their child since attending Stanwich.

Survey completed in February of 2016

A genuine partnership.

PARENTS ARE PART OF THE PERFORMANCE.

At Stanwich, parents don’t just monitor the education of their children, they actively engage to support it. Through a variety of programs and workshops, and through opportunities to participate in events at school, parents are provided with the tools necessary to extend their child’s learning to the home and to reinforce the values and skills taught at school.

PARENTS:

discuss the issues covered in weekly values and ethics classes with their children; model healthy lifestyles by joining their children in running “the mile;” j become teachers about the world’s great artists through the Learning to Look art appreciation program; j get behind the lens of a camera to help make the yearbook come alive; j plant daffodil bulbs (and the seeds of life-long service and sustainability) with their children; j network to keep current with SMART (Social Media and Responsible Technology) Parenting; j are called upon to share their culture as part of the social studies curriculum. j j

In dynamic partnership, parents take an active role with the overall growth and development of their child’s mind, body and spirit.

The best curriculum in the world is only as good as the teachers to whom it is entrusted.

“At Stanwich, I have the freedom and responsibility to challenge, inspire and cheer on my students.”

—Michael DiMinno

Grade 4 teacher

The foundation of success.

“LEANING IN TO LEARNING”

Ethan’s observations of his experience at Stanwich underscore what makes us distinct: from PreK through Grade 12, we consider the creation of a learning environment where students are comfortable to take risks is an essential part of an excellent education. Only by building a strong foundation can we continue to grow with conviction and confidence. We attract and keep, at the heart of our community, children who motivate and inspire us with their curiosity, enterprise, optimism, and imagination.

“People back away when they are uncomfortable. But you don’t want to back away from ideas. Stanwich teachers help you feel comfortable, and to want to learn. They make you want to lean in to learning.”

—Ethan

Class of 2021

In educating the whole child, at Stanwich, we believe that core academics and expansive enrichment opportunities should be part of every learner’s experience. And so everyone sings and plays instruments, everyone learns a new language, everyone dances and acts, everyone participates in sports, everyone takes on student leadership roles, everyone studies overseas, and everyone becomes a part of the fullness of school life. That is our moral mandate; that is the Stanwich advantage.

The Stanwich School 257 Stanwich Road Greenwich, Connecticut 06830 203.542.0035 www.stanwichschool.org