The Winchendon School – For professional thinkers and dreamers

“Our signature programs include a school-wide Service Learning program, a dedicated focus on feedback and self-reflection, personally relevant and experiential learning experiences both inside and outside of the classroom, and our Character Attributes that weave through all that we do. Courage, one of those Great 8 attributes, is our theme for the year.” – Laurie Lambert, Head of School

Invested, motivated and engaged young leaders are what Winchendon strives to inspire. Here, students are enlivened and encouraged by interactive learning that extends well beyond the classroom walls and into the working environment, producing innovative thinkers and entrepreneurs who excel at every level.

This is an institution that does everything it can to appreciate every child, acknowledging each student as a unique, valued individual. Faculty emphasize the teacher-student relationship, providing the round-the-clock support they need to unleash and achieve their best.

This co-educational school is also a cultural melting pot, catering to students from all backgrounds and walks of life. The school’s flagship Global Dynamics program enhances a universal spirit, giving students a flavor of the forces at play behind international headlines. Through a rich blend of hands-on interactive projects, policy, history and sociology, students are instilled with the confidence they need to face a complex world with a critical mind.

Winchendon is the ideal home for those keen to expand their horizons in a dynamic and forward-thinking setting. With a curriculum that homes in on three core concepts – practical learning opportunities, individualization for essential skill development, and self-reflection to encourage ownership and awareness – students are consistently transformed into strong, global graduates equipped with the skills needed to thrive.

The school’s student-focused teaching and learning strategy can be evidenced in the Service Learning initiative, in which students interact with local community groups to comprehend, analyze and implement long-term solutions to the challenges of our world. The program taps into the students’ sense of resilience, empathy, courage and responsibility, while simultaneously teaching them crucial lessons on practice in a competitive, corporate sphere.

To maintain teaching standards that are stimulating and real-world relevant, the school has implemented a number of visionary strategies to produce bold and courageous professionals. The ColLABorative Learning and Internship Program (ColLABs), for example, gives students an authentic insight into their future; here, students develop their expertise by working in various fields of interest, encouraging them to uncover their passions and thus potential college majors and careers. Thousands of connected parents and alumni have expressed how the school’s flagship programs and tailored learning approach not only ensured they received the best possible education, but also served as the engine for growth and success as they progressed through life.

“In a 2-week immersive experience, students have focused time to explore a personal question or area of exploration,” the Winter 2018 Symposium video shows. “This can take a number of forms: travel, art, music, science, culture, sociology, policy, or something completely uncharted. With faculty support, the personal exploration of their chosen subject coupled with the collaboration with peers becomes a pursuit of knowledge that students hold throughout their adult lives.”

Winchendon’s ColLABs program promises that students are moved and motivated by the issues that matter most. It is an opportunity for the participant to reflect on how a positive, ‘can-do’ attitude impacts daily life, driving them to success in the classroom, on the field, in the home, on stage and beyond. This elective, interdisciplinary, immersive and co-operative project represents the pinnacle of practical field-based study. Examples of current and recent ColLAB projects include Sophie SingsHouston Field Immersive, Reducing the Carbon Footprint: Carbon Sequestration of Our Land, and the Science and Culture of Food, to name but a few.

But by no means does the school’s emphasis on work-based learning stop there; students are also urged to participate in internship placements throughout the year, often resulting in further placement opportunities that take place over summer. Not only does this elevate students’ future employment portfolios, but also provides a taste of what a career is all about. Former students have interned at a regional animal hospital, a marine mammal rehabilitation center, a national marketing firm and a school in Vietnam, forming an unparalleled foundation in their prospective professional fields.

“While our school continues to evolve, the program has not strayed from Lloyd Harvey Hatch’s vision of a school that provided ‘a Custom Education – with a scholastic program fitted to the needs and aims of each student’,” Laurie Lambert, Head of School, concludes.

“…Our faculty are trained in teaching methodologies and the current brain science,” she adds, “and they serve as role models for the students – individuals devoted to teaching habits, skills, and curriculum, and life long learners who share their knowledge, their dedication to the community, and their passion for continued growth.”

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