Program Initiatives
Faculty & Program
–
our greatest asset
To sustain Shady Hill’s leadership role in education, the school aims to raise $6,000,000 to enhance the curriculum and overall program without raising tuition. The Board intends to put these funds in the endowment where the corpus of the gift can grow through careful investment and the funds can then be spent over time according to an endowment spending policy. However, to provide later generations at the School the greatest fiscal flexibility, these funds will be raised as unrestricted dollars, unless otherwise stipulated by the donor.
Below are the four areas that Blueprints will address.
1. ARTS & ATHLETICS
Fund the existing arts and athletic program with additional staffing ($1,200,000). Once the facilities are complete, Shady Hill will have three courts in its gymnasium (instead of two); this requires an extra faculty member for instruction to fulfill our program. Additionally, the school is committed to supporting one of its hallmarks: performance and drama, by hiring a dedicated professional to work with our students and faculty in this work.
2. FACULTY
Expand opportunities for Shady Hill teachers by increasing support for faculty salaries and professional development ($3,000,000).
Shady Hill is known for its superb faculty and their dedication to their work with students. Summer grants and other professional development opportunities give faculty the chance to experiment with media and technology, create team approaches to curriculum, and experience international places such as Greece, China and Africa which make for better teachers and mentors to students.
3. MATH, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Maintain Shady Hill’s commitment to innovation by strengthening and expanding math, science and technology programs ($1,500,000).
In the Fall of 2007, math instruction was introduced in Grade V. Previously the Math Department faculty only taught Grades VI, VII, and VIII.
4. SERVICE LEARNING
Formalize and enhance the school’s service learning program and make it an integral part of the curriculum across all grades ($300,000).
The Service Learning program at Shady Hill has been doing some incredible things under Kate Lanou's leadership.
Middle School students have volunteered their time for interviewing candidates for the new director, served dinner to new parents, greeted school buses in the morning, signed up to be Young Heroes with City Year, and joined the Student Board and Leadership Group.
Lower School students have been stewards of the playground, and the first graders have been studying their community, including the Watertown Food Pantry.
Subscribe to our RSS photo feed will keep you up to date with the most current progress as it becomes available.
“[Shady Hill School] promotes the leadership of teachers and invests in their professional development.”
- From Shady Hill’s Mission Statement
“With so many forces at play in the process of learning, it is evident that a group of teachers working together in a school must themselves always continue to learn.”
- Katharine Taylor
TTC Founder and 1st Director of the School
