We are committed to a Liberal Education undertaken in an environment where it is safe to take intellectual risks and which encourages independent thought, self-confidence, creativity and imagination.
We recognize the benefits of a variety of educational opportunities, including those which occur as part of the school's Outdoor Education, Athletic and Community Service programs and we recognize our obligation to the wider community in which we live.
Finally, we believe in the intrinsic value of learning, independent of external rewards, and in the idea that a truly educated person has both the skills and the inclination to continue his or her education throughout life.
The Upper School offers a liberal arts curriculum directed toward preparing students to enter college while instilling a sense of self-confidence and an understanding of the human condition. There is an intended sense of informality on campus, where students and teachers are partners in the art of living as well as the art of learning.
Although it is expected that students will pursue their education beyond high school, the staff places great value on the knowledge that its graduates exhibit integrity, empathy and a lifelong love of learning. In addition, the school sees the community and the natural environment as laboratories for learning. An extensive outdoor program is an integral part of the curriculum, as is a Senior Project and the Senior Quest which takes students off campus into the community for the last six weeks of their senior year.
The core curriculum is designed to ensure that students master basic skills in all areas required for graduation, while enriching their experience with electives designed to capitalize on the students' individual interests. Over eighty percent of the Student Body engages in interscholastic sports and the school is recognized for its graduates who go on to become world class athletes, particularly in winter sports.
The school's library has an extensive computerized link with other libraries, allowing interlibrary loans on an expanded scale with online capacity for a bibliographic search of a wide range of materials. This facilitates the school's writing lab, where students work to improve their writing. The Community School is connected to the Internet and has developed a successful telecommunications program. More than 250 students and teachers may access the Internet from their homes.
Indeed, were there a single academic focus for the school it would be writing, for each student is taken along a carefully charted path which ensures clarity, insight and individual style. A two-hour block course in the senior year, Senior Seminar, brings to bear all that each student has learned about writing, and provides an opportunity for insightful self-expression. Few students, if any, find their college writing assignments more challenging than those they encounter in Senior Seminar.
The Upper School staff is distinguished by a high degree of scholarship, with each staff member dedicated to teaching the whole person. It is commonly agreed that the primary purpose of the teacher is to make each student successful, understanding that each child has different gifts and learning styles. To that end, we seek a staff as diverse in its teaching styles as our student body is diverse in its learning styles.
The Community School has established a reputation among institutions of higher learning, for well prepared, multi-talented learners, who fill their lives with a rich variety of activities. Therefore, Community School students are welcomed by institutions of higher learning with both enthusiasm and gratitude. But it is the testimony of the students themselves, who write from college campuses, foreign countries, or their budding careers to say, "I feel so confident and I love what I'm doing."