Educational Philosophy

At VCS, children are immersed in their education. Students experience handson, project-based learning as well as direct instruction, repetition, review and reinforcement. We teach subject matter in depth with a strong interdisciplinary focus; children gain a substantial body of knowledge along with the ability to make connections between various areas of learning.

Our program challenges students to reach their full potential through myriad opportunities for cognitive, social, emotional and physical growth. Children master material in different ways; we provide diverse approaches to subject matter. Teachers may ask students to write about a topic, graph it, debate and test it, contact a worldrenowned researcher about it, act it out, paint it or explore it through other activities that tap into the children’s talents.

VCS students are intellectual investigators who question assumptions, express their opinions with confidence and turn to one another – not just the teacher – as valued sources of information. The lively discourse of a diverse classroom advances their thinking and self-expression. They are empowered to take intellectual risks that discipline and stretch their minds.

We develop self-motivated students who continue to value learning as a challenging and rewarding process throughout their lives. Our graduates are skilled readers and writers, critical thinkers and creative problem solvers, respectful leaders and enthusiastic collaborators; they are well prepared to succeed in high school and beyond.