PRIVATE SCHOOL PLANNER HELPING YOU CHOOSE THE RIGHT SCHOOL FOR YOUR FAMILY Join us New Upper for the School! Grand Opening All are of Stirn Hall! Hawken School is excited to announce the welcome! Fun for all ages! Grand Opening of Sunday, August 21, 2016 Grand Opening Open House Sunday, August 21, 2016 | 1 - 4 pm | Gates Mills Campus Featuring: Tour our new Experience the Tour the new Test your skills on state-of-the-art high new Fab Lab science wing the ropes course school building and enjoy campus-wide activities. Food & refreshments Scavenger hunt And much more! Hawken School 12465 County Line Road Coed Preschool-Grade 12 Gates Mills Campus Gates Mills, Ohio 44040 hawken.edu/grandopening FROM THE PUBLISHER CONTENTS elcome to Crain’s inaugural Private School Planner. W We know choosing a school is one of the toughest 4 State-of-the-art school environments decisions a parent or guardian will face. Decisions on where to 5 Building community with alumni, supporters send your child for school are 6-7 Beaumont School very personal 8-9 Benedictine High School and depend 10-11 Gilmour Academy on a family’s priorities and 12-13 Grand River Academy an individual 14-15 Hathaway Brown School child’s needs. 16-17 Lake Ridge Academy We are fortunate in Northeast Ohio to have an 18-19 Laurel School abundance of learning options 20-21 Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School from which to pick. We hope this (Formally the Agnon School) year’s guide gives you an in-depth 22 -23 Montessori High School at University Circle look at some of the educational 24-25 Old Trail School organizations available in our area. You’ll find 12 area private 26-27 South Suburban Montessori School schools in this year’s edition. Each 28-29 Western Reserve Academy school profile provides a host of 30 Programs help shape tomorrow’s leaders information on everything from extracurricular programs and unique study options to tuition costs, student-teacher ratio, average class size and more. You’ll also read about how private schools in Northeast Ohio are enhancing their experiential learning programs to meet the changing technological landscape, efforts being made to engage school alumni and supporters, and how area schools are grooming tomorrow’s leaders with curricula that promotes leadership. We hope you enjoy learning more about what some of the Advertising director: Nicole Mastrangelo, [email protected] finest schools in Northeast Ohio Managing editor, custom and special projects: Amy Ann Stoessel, [email protected] have to offer. Reporter: Kathy Ames Carr Graphic designer: Staci Buck Best regards, For more information about custom publishing opportunities, please contact Nicole Mastrangelo. Elizabeth McIntyre PRIVATE SCHOOL PLANNER 3 Crain Content Studio A TECHNOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATION Educators prepare students for the real world in state-of- the-art school environments By KATHY AMES CARR he days of students learn- ing passively through class lectures and regurgitating memorized notes on paper T tests are evaporating. Kin- dergartners are learning computer coding. Elementary students are PHOTO PROVIDED toggling between operating sys- Western Reserve Academy’s new Center for Technology, Innovation & Creativity is a 6,000-square foot tems on PCs and Macs and figur- space that enables students to transform ideas from concept to completion. ing out how biomimicry can create new technologies. Middle school Reserve Academy. “The model has The students are really excited.” capabilities are limitless.” students are unearthing the value of shifted from students being passive Benedictine High School’s Similarly, Lake Ridge Acade- wearable technologies. receptors of information to being Makerspace/Fablab Design Center, my’s new Kemper Science and En- Students’ proficiencies are even actively engaged.” meanwhile, set to open during this gineering Building offers a variety more sophisticated as time progresses, Western Reserve Academy’s upcoming school year, provides of science- and engineering-based with high schoolers designing circuit new Center for Technology, students at that Cleveland-based spaces, including its own Fab Lab, boards or conceptualizing and Innovation & Creativity, which school with the ability to design chemistry lab, research lab and physically manufacturing widgets. opened in April, is part of the from “concept to customer” by greenhouse. Private schools throughout Hudson institution’s vision for using technology and integrating “The center not only allows Northeast Ohio are ramping helping students solve real-world art, design, manufacturing and students to research problems, but up their experiential learning problems in a hands-on, state-of- entrepreneurship into the curriculum. to build and test real-life models to programs to activate students’ skill the-art environment. The center Here, students can learn how to answer those problems,” said Kim sets early on in their education, is carved into three main spaces, program computers and construct Parrish, a technology teacher at so they are prepared to tackle which feature high-tech equipment robots that can perform certain tasks. the North Ridgeville-based school. real-world challenges in an ever- that enables students to imagine, “The goal is to increase “We just hired a civil engineer who changing technologically driven prototype and build anything from problem solving, critical skills spent a number of years working frontier. Gleaming new facilities garments to door hinges. and collaboration,” Benedictine directly in the field to teach in the are sprouting up, equipped with the “The center was only opened two principal Sue Zulandt said. “In engineering lab.” tools students need to be workforce months before school let out, and order for them to compete in today’s At Gilmour Academy, technol- ready in a knowledge economy. about seven-eighths of our 400 stu- global world, students need to have ogy is integrated into a myriad of “We’re developing 21st century dents had physically made some- the opportunity to understand how projects that encourage teamwork, skills by transforming the learning thing in the space,” Gerber said. computers work. They don’t even critical thinking and ingenuity. process,” said Matthew Gerber, “They can apply theories such as realize a computer’s capabilities Upperclassmen complete English director of information and magnetism or computer program- when they begin, and once they education technology at Western ming and put them into practice. start programming, they realize the CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE PRIVATE SCHOOL PLANNER 4 Crain Content Studio engagement approach and targeted messaging has propelled the school to exceed its annual fund and auction targets. BUILDING “Our goal was $15,000 for the annual fund and $20,000 for the auction,” she said. “We raised $18,000 and $27,000 respectively. COMMUNITY We really want our parents involved in the life of our school community, Institutions focus on creating connections, now and down the road.” Cleveland Heights-based Beau- increasing engagement with alumni, supporters mont School began channeling more energy into a healthy mix of By KATHY AMES CARR believes the engagement strategies initiative that empowers parents traditional print and digital commu- helped contribute to an increase of to give to the school in other ways nication to incentivize social and fi- avid Thomas was hired 49% in total alumni giving between besides financial support. nancial support. last year at his alma mater, the school’s 2015-16 fiscal year. “We have a diverse community “There are multiple doors that Grand River Academy, in a The school’s annual fund increased with parents from a variety of different alumni can enter to offer to help position that previously had 12%, from $248,250 to $278,664. financial backgrounds,” she said. support Beaumont,” said the school’s D not existed. As the Austinburg “We’re really focused on alumni “We encourage parents to give back president, Sister Gretchen Rodenfels. school’s new assistant director of outreach, and we’ve seen more through time and talent, either through “The number of gifts has increased advancement and alumni relations, engagement this past year,” said 15 volunteer hours a year, which could along with the amount of each gift.” Thomas was tasked with assimilating Thomas, noting that social media be anything from helping with the The institution just completed alumni and current students into has played a key role in those garden or a field trip, to speaking to its largest capital campaign, with a more cohesive community, and connections. “We’re hoping those the classroom or providing expertise $9.5 million raised for the new otherwise strengthen outreach relationships convert into more as a board member.” Science, Technology, Engineering efforts. The formerly separate alumni financial support. We’re very happy.” About 90% of parents participated and Mathematics Building. The and graduation weekends merged. Indeed, local private schools are last school year in some capacity. school also established five new Alumni pitched in for the first time shoring up their engagement with Parents also have a personal scholarships, and still nearly met its to assist with the five-week summer the current parent base and alumni stake in some of the school’s annual fund goal of $220,000, with academy. Fifty years’ worth of to spur more social and financial family driven fundraisers. They are $200,000 raised. yearbooks were catalogued online, support. able to make suggestions on how “And our social media efforts encouraging students and graduates Amy Mackie-Barr, head of school funds generated are used, whether helped us exceed our $85,000 to share, peruse and share with peers. at South Suburban Montessori reinvesting in a playground or gala goal, with $90,000 raised,” Although Thomas wasn’t School, said her Brecksville subsidizing faculty travel expenses Rodenfels said. “Our goal this directly involved with the school’s institution last year intensified focus for national conferences.