#whitfield school

[electronicsquid]

Archery class

(Michael Rougier. n.d.)

[skillm]

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us Investiture ceremony is that solemn occasion when we as a school, respect and acknowledge the upcoming leaders and repose our faith in them.

[matthewrhibbard-blog]

Weigh class size, technology before making choice

From the St. Louis Business Journal...

When it comes to choosing the right private high school for your child, doing a little homework of your own will go a long way in the selection process.

Traci Hodges, accounting lecturer for the University of Missouri-St. Louis, started looking for high schools for her daughter in the fall of her 8th grade year. At first, she did her research online, but later she attended adult outreach opportunities and open houses. Hodges decided Whitfield School  was the best fit.

Hodges said technology was a major factor in her selection. Working in a school setting, she said she sees firsthand the importance technology plays in education and how it can enhance the school’s curriculum. She advises parents to look for examples of how technology enhances experiential learning in the classroom.

On one tour, Hodges said she saw how the school took concepts taught in a biology lab were expanded via the Internet. “Students were enhancing their Internet skills, search skills, gaining more knowledge on the subject and developing presentation skills,” she said.

“It’s not just about passing tests. It’s all about the future learning process,” Hodges said. “To me that’s worth paying for.”

Hodges also advises parents to consider how their child’s experience and skills learned in high school can be transferable to the university classroom and to the workplace.

“The traditional lecture-based classroom experience, for example, does not provide the skills to be successful,” she said. “Consider this when assessing different types of schools because the university classroom is changing.”

Kim Corliss, director of store support operations for Brown Shoe Inc.  , said location was a factor when deciding to send her two children to Crossroads College Preparatory School . Her family lives in the city and understands the correlation between proximity and participation.

“If all the activities are 40 minutes away from where you live, it’s more difficult to participate,” she said.

Corliss said parents also should talk to the school about financial aid, as most offer assistance.

Greg Dosmann, principal of Edward Jones, moved to St. Louis in 1997 and enrolled his daughters in a public elementary school before transitioning to Westminster Christian Academy for high school. He said, when it comes to choosing the best school for your children, the parents should be the ones making the decision.

“Go with your own heart and own mind,” he said. “A decision on a high school should not be decided by a 12-year-old.”

Dosmann said parents should consider class sizes in their selection process, noting that a small class size allows for more diversity and involvement in school activities.

“It gives kids a bigger, better opportunity to be stretched,” he said. “What percentage gets to play on the basketball team, in the band?”