The Next-Gen Boarding School
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global boarding – washington, dc global boarding – washington, THE NEXT-GEN BOARDING SCHOOL Washington, DC THE FIRST GLOBAL BOARDING SCHOOL WASHINGTON, DC • SHENZHEN whittle school SUZHOU • BROOKLYN, NY & studios www.whittleschool.org [email protected] +1 (202) 417-3615 THE FIRST GLOBAL BOARDING SCHOOL WASHINGTON, DC • SHENZHEN SUZHOU • BROOKLYN, NY www.whittleschool.org [email protected] +1 (202) 417-3615 global boarding 1 SHENZHEN, CHINA WASHINGTON, DC One School. Around the World. BROOKLYN, NY SUZHOU, CHINA 2 whittleschool.org global boarding 3 4 whittleschool.org global boarding 5 The Story of Whittle A Global Collaboration to Transform Education We aim to create an extraordinary and unique school, the first truly modern institution serving children from ages three to 18 and the first global one. We want to change for the better the lives of those students who attend and, beyond our own campuses, contribute to the cause of education on every continent. We measure our merit not through the narrowness of exclusivity but through the breadth of our impact. In the fall of 2019, we opened our first two campuses simultaneously in Washington, DC and Shenzhen, China — and soon after announced our next campuses to open in Brooklyn, New York (later this year) and Suzhou, China (in the fall of 2021). 6 whittleschool.org global boarding 7 Introducing The Next - Generation Boarding School Boarding lies at the heart of some of the world’s greatest schools. There is good reason for this: The opportunity to live in a learning community, to A global school with opportunities to form lasting friendships, and to develop confidence and independence when away from home can be life changing. Whittle School & Studios is reinventing study at campuses around the world. education for a new generation of boys and girls, including in our approach to residential life, which is experiential, vivid, fun, and caring. Our boarders build memories, learn from the vibrant city in which they live, and generate a sense of family that will stay with them for life. We invite you to join this truly global, residential Whittle community. JIM HAWKINS CHANCELLOR FORMER HEAD MASTER, HARROW SCHOOL 8 whittleschool.org global boarding 9 Our Guiding Values Dare to imagine. Our hopes are high because we are not afraid of change. We dare to challenge current paradigms, to search out great thinking and practices, and to relentlessly imagine how things could be better tomorrow than they are today. Honor potential. We believe that each human being has magnificent potential. We see the uniqueness and value in every one of us, and continually look for ways to strengthen and grow that individuality. Forge connections. We are better when we are connected. We draw strength from relationships. For this reason we commit ourselves to building meaningful bonds—local and global ones—deepening our understanding of both ourselves and the world. 10 whittleschool.org global boarding 11 WASHINGTON, DC 12 whittleschool.org global boarding 13 We chose Washington, DC as the location for our first North American campus because of its dynamic and international culture as well as its global significance across the spheres of government, Why DC? diplomacy, advocacy, activism, politics, and law. With a curriculum oriented around the exploration of real-world problems, our DC campus provides students with the opportunity to connect with the institutions addressing these issues at the highest level. DC TRENDLINES DC CAMPUS: AT A GLANCE In 2018, Amazon announced one of its two second headquarters locations will be built in the DC area. • Located in Van Ness, only minutes away from the DC Metro and in the heart of DC's diplomatic district, our DC campus Bloomberg News recently named DC the sits on thirteen acres on International Drive. "Most Exciting Food City in America." • Serves grades Pre-K 3 and up. For 2020-21, we will offer seven- day and five-day boarding options for 8th through 11th grades. The New York Times designated DC as its top travel destination in 2020. 14 whittleschool.org global boarding 15 AN The Whittle INTERDISCIPLINARY Global Curriculum APPROACH THAT CONNECTS LEARNING TO THE WORLD'S AN EDUCATIONAL MODEL FOR THE 21ST CENTURY We've taken the program knowledge we've gleaned from years of research and combined MOST PRESSING it with the most advanced thinking on teaching practices, learning science, and habits of skills-based acquisition. This result is an exciting program that is content rich and inspiring, enduring, and transferable. Built into our program is the premise that students CHALLENGES. learn in different ways, at different paces, and that they will develop different interests. EDUCATIONAL PRINCIPLES AT LEARNING BY DOING CHOICE & VOICE SEEING THE Experience, inquiry, and Optimal learning is WHOLE STUDENT problem-solving are keys empowering and targeted to Holistic engagement along to rigorous and challenging where the learner is, how emotional, intellectual, learning, deep mastery, they learn, and where their physical, ethical, and social permanence, and growth. passions reside. dimensions. COLLABORATION GLOBAL CONNECTIONS CREATING & MAKING & TEAMWORK & LOCAL ROOTS Creativity is a fundamental Humans learn in thoughtful Fostering social awareness, human drive. Students learn relationships: through responsible citizenship, to innovate and create in an friendship, empathy, and inclusiveness, and active environment where it is safe communication. community engagement. to try and fail. 16 whittleschool.org global boarding 17 OVERVIEW The Whittle Global Curriculum is a curated set of best practices from curricula around the world. In order to deliver the future of education, our education design team has spent the past four years visiting and researching the world’s leading educational institutions. Guided by the Center for Curriculum Redesign at Harvard, our team has been encouraged to rethink education according to what we know from the science of learning and to retain the best of traditional practices, while employing the best progressive practices and respecting local cultures, in the development of schools that meet the demands of a new era in global education. CurriculumCentral to our approach is the Every aspect of the curriculum, down to THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM consideration of who our graduates the way the daily schedule is structured, ENGINEERED FOR THE MODERN are going to be. In order to face the is built around ensuring that students are STUDENT AND THE 21ST CENTURY challenges and opportunities of the well developed in three spheres of life: the 21st century, students need to learn world of humanity, the world of the self, more than just course content. Whittle and the world of knowledge. We believe students will learn how to solve deeply in the power of education as a problems in creative ways, how to transformative force in society and in the work well with others, how to research lives of students. Our school is dedicated and synthesize information, and how to cultivating in our students the skills, to apply their learning to real-world creativity, and character necessary to problems. They will be firmly rooted in solve the world’s existential challenges. their own culture and gain great respect Our graduates will leave Whittle School & and knowledge of other cultures. Studios with unique strengths as resilient individuals, rigorous scholars, and compassionate citizens. 18 whittleschool.org global boarding 19 THE UPPER-SCHOOL CURRICULUM Humanities Mastery Bands Advisory A TYPICAL MONDAY AT WHITTLE A two-year core program integrates Math Meeting multiple times per week, students English language and literature, A two- or three-level mastery- work closely with an advisor to guide TIME FOCUS history, politics, economics, and based sequence (completion of the their school, travel, and extracurricular religion. Ninth graders engage in third level is required for study of activities, and to plan for college and their thematically oriented, project-based advanced topics) integrates algebra, careers. For example, 9th graders may use 7:45-8:15 a.m. Mind & Body study of modern world history and geometry, precalculus, and statistics an advisory period to develop goals for literature, culminating in a capstone topics, leading to advanced study in each class, including how they will use project. Tenth graders study modern calculus or statistics, independent their Acceleration period that week. 8:35-9:35 a.m. Interdisciplinary Block: Humanities United States history and literature, study, and/or electives (basic and using Washington, DC as a lens advanced). Math study in the Athletics to examine our national history. Upper School is problem-based and The aim of the Physical Education program Students also have the opportunity also integrates focused work on 9:40-10:40 a.m. Interdisciplinary Block: STEM is to create the disposition to be physically to choose from a diverse menu of computational thinking and financial active for life, coupled with experiencing elective seminars on topics ranging literacy alongside the acquisition the joy of movement. Physical Education in from poetry to journalism to urban of more traditional math skills and 9th and 10th grades will expose students to 10:45-11:20 a.m. Advisory / Acceleration planning. knowledge. a myriad of activities with the concept of Language and Culture physical literacy being at the center. In 11th STEM Students choose between an and 12th grades, courses will allow students 11:20-11:55 a.m. Lunch A two- or three-level core sequence immersive study of either Spanish to specialize in a particular area such as (completion of the third level is or Chinese, leveraging our global exercise science, exercise physiology & required for study of advanced network for authentic experiences anatomy, sport science, athletic leadership, 12:00-12:55 p.m. Physical Education topics) integrates traditional science and cross-cultural connections. strength & conditioning, martial arts, tai disciplines (life sciences, physical Opportunities for full cultural chi, yoga, and dance. sciences, earth and environmental immersion exist through our Global sciences) with technology, Rotation program.