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Here, they become.
Every student is unique. So why are so many schools exactly the same? One isn’t.
At The Miami Valley School, we’re independent in our teaching and learning, and in our thinking and doing. For 50 years, our students have enjoyed the freedom to explore their world, in a community that encourages them to discover how to express themselves in it. Although we adhere to a demanding scholarship built on a foundation of integrity and grit, teachers here do more than prepare students to score well on a standardized test someday. They empower students to live life to the fullest every day, to discover their true passion and purpose, and then to responsibly pursue it with emotional and intellectual rigor. It’s why students don’t just come to The Miami Valley School.
Here, they become.
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Any school can prepare a student for one thing.
Here, we prepare them for anything. Graduates of The Miami Valley School have achieved great success as Wall Street titans, worldfamous chefs, Emmy-winning actresses, and university presidents. But not every MVS student will go on to such high-profile positions. And that’s okay. Not every student wants to.
Experiential learning
Intellectual curiosity
Personal excellence
Leadership
Individuality
Community
Promote it so that students learn more by doing more.
Foster it so that students learn to never stop asking questions.
Develop it so that students learn to live a life of responsibility, dignity, and integrity.
Emphasize it so students learn to pursue it in all of their endeavors.
It’s not our place to instill our passions or purposes in your student. It’s our life’s work to help your child discover and cultivate theirs. Here’s how we do it. Here’s how we’ve always done it.
Embrace it so that students learn the value of teamwork and the joy of belonging.
Celebrate it so that students learn to appreciate their own unique talents and the talents of those around them.
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The #1 reason to apply to The Miami Valley School?
Take your pick. There are a number of reasons to consider The Miami Valley School. But the number one reason to apply is that we offer a relevant, real-world education you won’t find anywhere else in Dayton—one that helps students develop the knowledge and skills to succeed at anything they put their heads and hearts to. And we’ve done so for over 50 years.
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of our seniors attend college
27 1841
average ACT score (class of 2014)
8:1
average SAT score (class of 2014)
studentteacher ratio
Our students have completed
92% of students study abroad (2014)
3,500+ hours of community service
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At The Miami Valley School Early Childhood Center, children ages 3 to 5 come to do, taking an active interest in learning, asking questions about their world, and exploring it in search of answers.
Claire McConnaughey, 2005
Katherine Brown, 2014
Here, children don’t come to sleep their days away. Doug Jenks, 1987 Elea Karras, 2016
Max Mader, 2019
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They come to dream of what their lives can be.
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Lower School at The Miami Valley School isn’t your typical K–5 education. Here, it’s about educating students for K through Life. Because what children learn during these incredibly formative years—and how they learn it— will impact who they become as adults. So our students learn to read and write, to conduct science experiments, and to create art, sing songs, play instruments, and speak Mandarin. They also learn how to conduct research, communicate effectively, and collaborate with others. But the most important thing we teach them? To love learning and to spend their lives doing just that.
Here, students don’t just come to learn what it takes to progress to the next grade.
They come to take their learning to the next level. 8
Experiential Learning Just one way we feed hungry minds. Each spring, the Lower School’s Kindergarten Restaurant opens for business—and for reading, writing, Singapore math, health and nutrition, science, and social studies. Planning starts in the fall, when kindergartners take field trips to several Dayton-area restaurants to taste-test foods, ask questions, and gather information for their own restaurant. Following an immersive, hands-on study of all things food,
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students brainstorm and select a name for their restaurant, research recipes, plan meals, write the menu, and ultimately prepare and serve the food. Throughout the restaurant’s one-week run, each child has the opportunity to be chef, maître d’, server, and cashier, and they collectively manage the restaurant with minimal adult assistance.
Middle School at The Miami Valley School is a place where teachers are committed to turning one of the most challenging times in a young person’s life into one of the most rewarding. It starts with teaching students about what’s around them, while giving them the opportunity to discover what’s within. This combination not only makes a world of difference in our students, but also empowers them to make a difference in the world. Environmental Lab, Greenhouse, and Gardens
Here, students don’t just transition from grade school to high school.
Green thumbs make for great minds. Celebrating the vital relationship between man and his environment, our Human Ecology Program enables students to plan, cultivate, and harvest their own gardens. Housed in the Zorniger Environmental Lab, a state-of-the-art, self-sustaining greenhouse nestled within our Outdoor Exploration Center, students grow vegetables from around the world, including China, Asia, and Africa.
They’re transformed.
“Gardening gets you in touch with the earth. It’s good for the soul. It’s especially good for children, who have so little control over their own lives. Learning that their actions can affect the world is an important lesson that can last a lifetime.” Patti DeLotell, Facility Coordinator
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Upper School at The Miami Valley School is a place where young adults show what they’re capable of knowing and discover all that they’re capable of doing. Although a rigorous curriculum ensures that students are prepared for college, we also emphasize experiential learning, including community service projects, interdisciplinary clubs and activities, social and emotional education, and a unique immersion program.
Immersion One subject to explore. 30 days to explore it.
Here, high school students don’t just attend class.
They own their education. 12
At the Upper School, students are afforded an entire month to dig deep into a single subject that fascinates them. For some, it’s exploring the geographical, cultural, and biological diversity of the Amazon rainforest, or researching the habitat, conservation, and migration of Dayton’s 278 bird species. For others, it’s studying the history of clothes and the world of contemporary fashion; investigating the criminal justice system at the federal, state, and municipal levels; or traveling to France to experience the country’s history, culture, and language. We call it Immersion. Students call it a one-of-a-kind experience and a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity.
College Counseling The one Dayton-area school where 100 percent of students attend college. The first with a Director of College Counseling. Beginning in the ninth grade, and continuing through graduation, our director and a team of college counselors assist students and their families with the college planning process, from identifying colleges that match individual goals and aspirations to admission testing, essays, letters of recommendation, and applications. Here, it isn’t just about getting students into college; it’s also about ensuring they get into the college that’s right for them.
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Music and the Visual and Performing Arts Creativity is essential to making a good living and to living a good life. Children are naturally drawn to the arts. Making something out of nothing—a painting, a song, or a character—is not only great fun, but also a wonderful opportunity for creative self-expression. It’s also crucial to a child’s development. So the arts are a part of a core curriculum that begins in kindergarten and continues through graduation. For instance, children up through third grade learn to become beautiful, artful and tuneful. Starting in fourth grade, they participate in full-scale theatrical productions. Finally, during their time in Upper School, students have the opportunity to participate in two theatrical productions each year.
Here, students are exposed to art in all of its forms, and they’re inspired to incorporate what they learn into their personal and professional lives, whether as creators, observers, or collectors. Because a student doesn’t have to be a born artist to have a lifetime of appreciation for the arts. Visual Arts Painting | Sculpting | Printmaking | Design | Ceramics | Art History
Technology and Innovation Using technology to connect students to each other and to their world. Our teachers design the student experience around the fact that technology is here to stay, evolving faster than ever, and imperative to communication and collaboration. Free WiFi covers the entire campus, every classroom is equipped with a digital projector and sound system, and each faculty member carries a laptop to enable on-the-go learning. And tablets are used alongside traditional tools to take advantage of the benefits of online and handson learning.
In addition to learning how to properly, effectively, and safely use technology, students study topics as diverse as search strategies, recognizing unreliable sources, and the concepts of intellectual property, and they communicate with experts around the world through online video conferencing.
Music Band | Choir | Jazz and Rock Band | Music Theory and Technology | String
Community Service
Stage Acting | Directing | Set Design | Costuming | Makeup
Learning to lend a helping hand by experiencing the difference it can make firsthand.
Eight varsity sports. One team.
Along with a holistic education and an all-in sports program, we emphasize service projects, because well-rounded students know that it’s important to give back to their community. So we aim to create compassionate, globally aware students who can identify the issues affecting others, and take action to effect positive change.
Sports enrich students’ lives and enhance their intellectual and emotional development. They’re also an essential component of the Miami Valley School experience. In Lower School, students are exposed to various sports and develop basic skills. Middle School emphasizes a balance of participation and competition. And in Upper School, we promote athletic excellence and high-level competition.
Lower School Each fall, the grades adopt a service cause. Students then spend the year learning about and serving local organizations, including the Humane Society of Greater Dayton, the Veterans Affairs Center, and Hannah’s Treasure Chest, where students prepare hygiene kits. At the school’s closing ceremony in the spring, students share their experiences.
Athletics
Every student is invited and encouraged to participate in any sport of their choosing. And no student has to try out; if they’re enrolled at MVS,
they’re already on the team. Because a boy or girl shouldn’t have to sit on the bench or stand on the sidelines simply because they’re not as tall or not as fast. And here, they’re don’t. Fall Cross Country | Golf | Soccer | Tennis Winter Basketball | Swimming Spring Lacrosse | Tennis | Track and Field The Miami Valley School is a member of the Metro Buckeye Conference.
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Middle School Students complete service projects on and off campus, including traveling to local parks to plant seeds and remove invasive species, supporting Homefull
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and the St. Vincent Shelter, and creating thank-you cards to American soldiers serving abroad. Upper School At the start of the school year, students vote on a social justice theme. After studying the theme in depth, they work with advisors on projects in the community, ultimately performing 20 hours of community service. Past projects have included United Rehabilitation Services, the Salvation Army’s literacy program, and 4 Paws for Ability, which provides service dogs to children and veterans.
Here,
we treat students like the individuals they are, so they’re empowered to discover the men and women they’re meant to be.
H b Contact us to schedule a visit or for more information. 5151 Denise Drive Dayton, OH 45429
937-434-4444
mvschool.com