Wooster School StrengthtoStrength2023-24
The Early Middle School Program
We are excited to announce the next iteration in our ongoing efforts to create the best possible Middle School at Wooster with the evolution of our 5th and 6th Grades into the Early Middle School Program. As we continue to better incorporate the teaming model, and sharpen our focus on meeting students where they are in terms of skills and dispositions development, we see an opportunity during the first two years of our Middle School program to create a learning and development experience like no other.
Understanding the underlying purposes of the program requires stepping away from grade level identification (5th Grade, 6th Grade, etc.) and instead creating a program designed for the learning and development needs of all 10-12 year olds. The program is designed to deliver skill-building and knowledge acquisition that is individualized to the jagged learning profiles of students, and delivered in level-alike small groups and larger, whole class experiences. For instance, students who may be struggling in an area like reading, can also have the opportunity to move forward and accelerate in math if they are ready, and vice versa. By building from an understanding of what students need, and utilizing content, projects, and experiences as the context for learning, our Early Middle School Program is designed to ensure that all students are ready to transition into the final two years of Middle School with the skills, dispositions, knowledge, and confidence they need to be excited and confident about learning, school, and their unique abilities as they begin the rest of their Middle School journey.
While built to align with expectations of more traditional grade levels, the Early Middle School Program is different in that it starts with the fact that young people at this age should be expected to be jagged, meaning that they’ll already be strong in some areas and weaker in others. This should not be the cause for alarm that it is in so many schools but rather a natural expectation given what we know about childhood and adolescent development. We also know that young people need to be engaged in order to learn, and building confidence through the successful navigation of challenging experiences. We see the Early Middle School Program at Wooster School as a great opportunity to meet student learning needs while also fostering a love of learning, strong relationships, and a fun community in which all students are known, challenged, and supported.
Wooster School
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Features of the Early Middle School Program are:
● An emphasis on small groups and individual opportunities for targeted skill, knowledge, and disposition building within the context of the regular school day.
● A project-based design for learning which keeps students active and engaged, often outdoors on our expansive campus, and interacting with each other and their teachers as they learn, collaborate, and build strong relationships.
● A curricular design which “loops” content, concepts, and knowledge year to year, resulting in strong preparation for the 7th and 8th Grades at Wooster School.
● A favorable student to teacher ratio (5-8:1) which supports our ability to understand student needs and keep them moving on an upward trajectory in terms of their learning and development
● Fun and engaging projects and design elements like:
○ Forest Fridays: Students will spend most of each Friday outdoors, using our natural environment for science, observation, reflection, challenge, and collaborative leadership adventures.
○ Making and Design
○ Agency Hour
○ WIN Time
○ Music and Art
9th and 10th Grade Academy Component of the Student Guidance Program Wooster School
The Student Guidance Program in Wooster’s Upper School aims to develop students’ emotional intelligence, self-reflection, and understanding of relationships and well-being, while also helping them navigate life pathway options and key transitions, including the college search process. The program is committed to helping students become responsible members of a safe, healthy, and just learning and living environment.
Building on personal strengths and moving along a continuum that begins when students enter ninth grade, our Freshman and Sophomore Academies and Junior and Senior Seminars offer practical and theoretical tools that invite students to explore who they are, and who they might become. Broadly stated, the purpose of the program is to introduce students to the concept of what it means to think about leading one’s own version of a good life. Evidence-based research on topics such as “the Science of Well-Being,” Mindfulness, and Flow provide context for students to examine what it means to create and experience a fulfilling life.
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The Academies cultivate competencies of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making, consistent with the framework of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). An emphasis on building transferable skills such as time management, writing, research, collaboration, and organization is also a programmatic priority across all four grade levels. Ninth Grade students meet every Wednesday during G Period for Academy, while Tenth Grade students experience Academy as a part of the Humanities schedule. Next year the Tenth Grade Academy time will also occur in a dedicated letter period once per week.
The Student Guidance Program is designed to strengthen skills of introspection, leading to greater self-awareness. Specifically, the program seeks to broaden students' understanding of the nature and connectivity of relationships, stress, habits, mental health, curiosity, risk-taking, and agency – all in the context of creating a life in which they are flourishing. Students are challenged to consider questions such as, “Who am I?” and “Who do I wish to grow into being?” Overarching themes at each grade level are Discovery (9), Service (10), Leadership (11), and Design (12).
Students in Freshman Academy begin the year with an assessment of individual character strengths using the VIA Inventory of Strengths Youth Survey. Students engage with theories and research from the field of Positive Psychology, the scientific study of human flourishing. They study the effects of positive experiences, positive character strengths, positive relationships, and positive institutions and practices that nurture self-efficacy. An emphasis on experiential learning through interactive activities encourages students to apply what they are learning to their lived experiences.
Positive experiences take into consideration emotions about the present, such as pleasure, contentment, savoring, and laughter; the past, including feelings of nostalgia, pride, and a sense of accomplishment; and the future, including feelings of hope, joyful anticipation, and optimism. Positive character traits include each of the 24 strengths identified in the VIA Inventory of Strengths. Among a great many other prosocial behaviors, students reflect on what it means to be Gentle, Generous, Truthful, Kind, and Brave.
Sophomore Academy places particular emphasis on traits of Service, Empathy, Engagement, and Kindness. These four virtues form the acronym SEEK, which is intended to evoke a sense of exploration. It builds on the importance of discovery, a major theme of Freshman Academy. It encourages students to look within themselves and also to connect outwardly for meaning. Positive relationships include the ways in which our connection to others influences our sense of belonging
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and well-being. Examples include our relationships with friends, family, classmates, co-workers, and the greater community. It can also be reflected upon in terms of spiritual connectedness and transcendence, a relationship which also has a scientifically-validated basis for personal protection against debilitating emotional states. Finally, students explore positive institutions, including schools, work environments, clubs and other community groups, healthy families, and civic organizations whose values promote compassion, moral conscience, and intentional structures of support that allow each individual to thrive.
Upper School Pathways Program
As the overall design for learning at Wooster continues to emphasize the building of specific skills and dispositions for school and life learning, we are recognizing that some of our students need additional support in practicing and applying these habits and techniques in their everyday work. As such, we’ve designed the Pathways Program, which will provide the direct instruction, support, and accountability necessary for students to learn and grow in these areas. Students who enroll in the Pathways Program will become part of a student cohort that will meet with the Pathways teacher as a part of their weekly schedule, much like they would for an academic class. Over the course of the year, the Pathways’ curriculum will focus on building understanding and skills in the areas of Agency, Self-Awareness, Adaptability, Organization, and Collaboration, all in the context of the schoolwork students are doing as part of their day to day program. Our intention at present is to start the Pathways Program in 9th Grade next year, with other grade levels to be added in the future. If you’d like to know more, you can read an FAQ and/or go deeper into the skills-based focus of the program. Like tutoring, there is a fee for adding Pathways as an additional service at Wooster School.
Safety and Security Improvements Through Gala Fundraising
Wooster School continuously monitors and evaluates safety and security on campus, making incremental improvements to policy, procedures, protocols, and the physical environment each year. This year we are hoping to make a number of additional improvements by making safety and security the primary focus of our Gala fundraising. We have identified a number of physical improvements that we feel will make the daily experience of our students safer and provide additional layers of safety and security after school hours and/or in case of emergency.
Wooster School
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Sidewalk Extension: We are proposing to extend the existing sidewalk which runs along the main road on our upper campus to continue down the hill in front of the Science Building, with a crosswalk at the entrance to the parking lot, to continue in front of the Reception Center and finally down to the entrance of the Alumni Gymnasium. We are also exploring a formal pathway or stairs connecting the outdoor entrance of Alumni Gymnasium with the outdoor entrance to Forever Young Gymnasium. At present, students walk on the side of the driveway to traverse this route.
Front and Rear Campus Gates: We are proposing that we install gates at both bridges over Miry Brook. While gates which can be controlled remotely would be optimal, we are not certain that our fundraising would support that level of technology for the gates (our current approximate cost estimate for both gates is $100,000). As such, we are exploring gates which are more affordable and could be closed manually in the event that an off-campus emergency or threat requires that we close off the campus. These gates could also be closed at night, after all activities on campus have concluded. At present, we do experience frequent vehicular traffic after hours, which often leads to the dumping of trash, occasional damage to fields, and other behaviors which are potentially dangerous.
Lighting: We are proposing that we improve the pathway and parking lot lighting on campus, to include the areas of the Junior and Art Center lot and the aforementioned new sidewalk connecting the lower and upper campus.
Radios: We are proposing an upgrade to the existing “walkie-talkie” style radios that are used in the event of an emergency on campus.
