What Makes Shore 'Shore'?
What makes us who we are?
Throughout this school year, we have spent many hours discussing this question with parents, faculty members, students, and even outside consultants. They've shared with us remarkably consistent views of our school. They tell us Shore stands apart because of its incredibly dedicated teachers, its emphasis on risk-taking and experiential learning, and the compassionate, involved school community which supports our families.
I would argue that the number one thing that makes Shore “Shore” is its students. They are curious. They are eager. They are happy. They look for challenge, and they persevere. Hearing about it is one thing, but seeing it in action speaks volumes for what Shore does for students and for what students do for Shore.
Shore Country Day School opened its doors in 1936. And from Day One to today, a fundamental belief of the school has been the importance of balance in considering the whole child. Now, as then, Shore mindfully provides an appropriate balance between academics, athletics, and the arts.
Whereas many schools allow arts and athletics to fit into an elective structure, Shore requires that students participate in just about everything, especially at the younger grade levels. From taking their place on the big stage for the first time, to trying a new sport, we want children to try. We want them to struggle and also succeed. We want them to find their passions by experiencing so much. And once they do, we see them blossom.
We are not a school that breeds one type of child, and we pride ourselves on that. Year to year, our graduates leave us with a different set of skills and passions. At the core, they are good kids. But one is a violinist, another a mathematician, another a lacrosse player, and yet another an environmentalist.
Attending to the whole child means not asking students to conform to a narrow set of academic standards and outcomes. Instead, it requires us as educators to meet children "where they are," engaging individual learners with individualized instruction that nurtures emotional well-being, physical health, and intellectual growth.
This approach is essential in today's world. According to the Whole Child Initiative, "The demands of the 21st century require a new approach to education to fully prepare students for college, career, and citizenship. Research, practice, and common sense confirm that a whole child approach to education will develop and prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of today and tomorrow."
At Shore, we couldn't agree more. Through incredible facilities such as our Innovation Lab and Theatre, through community experiences such as our House system and service days, and through plentiful opportunities for genuine inquiry and collaboration, our program helps children develop those critical skills we know correlate with success - and happiness - in life: teamwork, creativity, ethics, resilience, curiosity, time management.
Schools are changing, and Shore is helping to lead the way. Areas of focus such as mindfulness and movement are now finding their place across the curriculum. Student-led discussions are becoming central to learning as early as fourth grade. Concern for the community is a theme students of every age explore throughout their Shore experience.
All of these innovations, while perhaps not unique to our school, mean that we can offer a uniquely comprehensive whole-child approach that is made stronger by deep and powerful relationships between students and faculty - a hallmark of our school.
A whole faculty, absolutely dedicated to the whole child - it's a model for a whole community made immeasurably richer.
(Sara Knox is Shore's Head of the Lower School. She has a rich professional background as a classroom teacher, Language and Literacy specialist, and school administrator at the Francis Parker School—San Diego's largest independent Day School. With a B.A. from Connecticut College, she began her education career as a first and second grade teacher in Boston, and earned her M.Ed. degree at Harvard in 2007.)
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Throughout this school year, we have spent many hours discussing this question with parents, faculty members, students, and even outside consultants. They've shared with us remarkably consistent views of our school. They tell us Shore stands apart because of its incredibly dedicated teachers, its emphasis on risk-taking and experiential learning, and the compassionate, involved school community which supports our families.
I would argue that the number one thing that makes Shore “Shore” is its students. They are curious. They are eager. They are happy. They look for challenge, and they persevere. Hearing about it is one thing, but seeing it in action speaks volumes for what Shore does for students and for what students do for Shore.
Shore Country Day School opened its doors in 1936. And from Day One to today, a fundamental belief of the school has been the importance of balance in considering the whole child. Now, as then, Shore mindfully provides an appropriate balance between academics, athletics, and the arts.
Whereas many schools allow arts and athletics to fit into an elective structure, Shore requires that students participate in just about everything, especially at the younger grade levels. From taking their place on the big stage for the first time, to trying a new sport, we want children to try. We want them to struggle and also succeed. We want them to find their passions by experiencing so much. And once they do, we see them blossom.
We are not a school that breeds one type of child, and we pride ourselves on that. Year to year, our graduates leave us with a different set of skills and passions. At the core, they are good kids. But one is a violinist, another a mathematician, another a lacrosse player, and yet another an environmentalist.
Attending to the whole child means not asking students to conform to a narrow set of academic standards and outcomes. Instead, it requires us as educators to meet children "where they are," engaging individual learners with individualized instruction that nurtures emotional well-being, physical health, and intellectual growth.
This approach is essential in today's world. According to the Whole Child Initiative, "The demands of the 21st century require a new approach to education to fully prepare students for college, career, and citizenship. Research, practice, and common sense confirm that a whole child approach to education will develop and prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of today and tomorrow."
At Shore, we couldn't agree more. Through incredible facilities such as our Innovation Lab and Theatre, through community experiences such as our House system and service days, and through plentiful opportunities for genuine inquiry and collaboration, our program helps children develop those critical skills we know correlate with success - and happiness - in life: teamwork, creativity, ethics, resilience, curiosity, time management.
Schools are changing, and Shore is helping to lead the way. Areas of focus such as mindfulness and movement are now finding their place across the curriculum. Student-led discussions are becoming central to learning as early as fourth grade. Concern for the community is a theme students of every age explore throughout their Shore experience.
All of these innovations, while perhaps not unique to our school, mean that we can offer a uniquely comprehensive whole-child approach that is made stronger by deep and powerful relationships between students and faculty - a hallmark of our school.
A whole faculty, absolutely dedicated to the whole child - it's a model for a whole community made immeasurably richer.
(Sara Knox is Shore's Head of the Lower School. She has a rich professional background as a classroom teacher, Language and Literacy specialist, and school administrator at the Francis Parker School—San Diego's largest independent Day School. With a B.A. from Connecticut College, she began her education career as a first and second grade teacher in Boston, and earned her M.Ed. degree at Harvard in 2007.)
Shore Country Day School’s mission is to provide an education that inspires a love of learning and encourages children to embrace academic challenge. We seek to build character, cultivate creativity, and value diversity as we help our children become healthy, compassionate citizens of the world.
The School admits qualified students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law, and extends to them all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its admissions, scholarships, and loans, and its educational, athletic, and other programs.