Private high schools in the Philadelphia area have a reputation for being some of the best in the state. Based on how school administrators and educators are transforming their programs to better equip students for the world beyond their doors, however, locally based private schools have their sights set even higher.
There’s Archbishop John Carroll High School in Radnor, for example, which has aspirations of becoming “one of the finest Catholic high schools in the nation,” in the words of the school’s president, Frank Fox. It’s investing significantly—in new faculty members, in new technology and in closer relationships with colleges and universities, among other critical areas—as it prepares to accomplish its ambitious goal within the next few years.
Archbishop Carroll is in very good company. Private schools in neighboring suburban counties, as well as within city limits, are evolving to suit the needs and lifestyles of students who live in a rapidly changing, increasingly global world. Technology is perhaps the most visible example of how classrooms have changed compared to, say, 10 years ago, or even five years ago.
At Friends’ Central School in Wynnewood, technology is top of mind right now, as the school recently rolled out a one-to-one initiative, whereby students and teachers in every classroom use iPads to form deeper connections with the subject matter. Likewise, St. Basil Academy in Jenkintown is incorporating a “bring your own device” program, which will allow students to use technology to complement their learning. At the same time, however, the school is embracing “more traditional ways of doing research, including journal research and original source study,” according to Gwenda Coté, principal of St. Basil Academy.
“Our goal is to help students to be well rounded and expansive in their study and research,” she says. “While students are highly adept and comfortable with technology, they do not always know how to balance its use with other types of learning. As we develop our technology program, it has been important that we not just blindly accept technology as the ‘be all and end all’ of education.”
At The Baldwin School, an all-girls prekindergarten through grade 12 school in Bryn Mawr, students have access to computer science and coding through a DREAM Lab—DREAM being short for design, robotics, engineering, arts and math—beginning in lower school and continuing in middle school. Head of school Sally Powell suggests that the use of such technology helps “inspire the imagination, enables creativity to flourish and leads to greater and deeper understanding.”
“To use technology well, students and teachers must be able to analyze and verify web content and be discerning, critical thinkers,” Powell says. “At Baldwin, research and analysis skills begin to be developed as early as kindergarten. By high school, all girls are completely at ease creating a well-crafted, engaging, accurate and informative research piece, whether it is a written paper, oral presentation or digital production.
“Today’s teens are accustomed to living their lives on and through social media,” she continues. “Therefore, the human, personal relationships they build with teachers, mentors or coaches at school fill an important void that wouldn’t otherwise exist. … By providing easy access to faculty, mentors and trusted friends and advocates, each girl is given the tools to achieve her personal goals and potential.”
Neuroscience has made considerable strides over the past few years in terms of understanding the mechanics of the human brain, so it makes sense that schools specializing in teaching students with learning differences have evolved as well. Delaware Valley Friends School in Paoli, for example, has formalized a “metacognition workshop” in the ninth grade to help each student in the understanding of his or her own thought process.
“The workshop helps students to demystify the processes involved in learning, explore their own learning strengths and challenges and develop advocacy skills,” says David Calamaro, associate head of school and academic dean. “A key component of this workshop spills over into our student-parent-advisor conferences, where students ‘sit at the table’ as an equal party, often taking the lead in developing action plans around their own learning.”
The school has also expanded its curriculum to include STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs. Here, students apply “out of the box” creative thinking to design challenges. Middle school students, for example, build and test model “green roofs,” wind turbines and solar-powered houses and cars, while the upper school features robotics courses and a CAD (computer-assisted design) engineering course. In fact, DVFS students have won awards two years running at the annual Drexel Sea Perch Robotics Competition, placing in the top five out of approximately 50 schools, according to Calamaro.
One of the primary skills students need to thrive going forward is their ability to integrate and apply knowledge, according to Coté of St. Basil Academy.
“As an academic community, we are developing our integrated learning program to help the students to recognize the interconnectedness of their learning,” she says. “This would include learning on all levels both inside and outside of the school curriculum. The second step is learning to apply learning. Knowledge is of limited use if it cannot be taken out of the classroom and applied in real life situations.
“As education changes and the expectations of the world change, students must learn how to thrive in a team learning and problem-solving environment,” she continues. “As they embrace future learning, as well as the evolving professional job market, being able to function as a working team to develop new ideas and solve problems will be critical. … We are helping our students to develop their ability to work in problem-solving teams and to think critically individually and together in order to establish the best learning or product possible.”
Reinforcing spirituality is another core component of education in many private high schools, Catholic or otherwise. At Bishop Shanahan High School in Downingtown, the school aims to shape its students into the following: ethical Christian people who serve others as a result of their formation as “People of God and People of Others”; responsible and contributing members of a global society; young adults who are academically prepared, emotionally mature and spiritually developed to meet the challenges of the future; and critical thinkers who are prepared to meet the moral, scientific and technological challenges that will confront them.
Bishop Shanahan helps prepare students to meet the trials awaiting them in college and beyond through rigorous academic offerings, including 21 Advanced Placement courses, according to Sister Regina Plunkett, president of Bishop Shanahan. It also offers dual-enrollment partnerships with Immaculata University and Widener University, one-to-one technology, Pre-Engineering, Honors Allied Health and Teachers Academy, and a rich selection of electives. Lastly, popular club activities centered on forensics, business and robotics, among many others, help students develop life skills, deepen friendships and provide hands-on experience for their future career paths. As Sister Plunkett says, “There is truly something for everyone at Bishop Shanahan.”
‘Reach the Heart’
Private high schools are teaching students not only in the classroom but also in the ways they interact with their surrounding communities. In the words of Mary T. Michel, president of Villa Joseph Marie High School in Holland. “Education must reach the heart as well,” The school does so by teaching the value of “giving back” through active service to others.
“Annually, Villa participates in Mini-THON, under the auspices of the Four Diamonds organization, to raise awareness and funds to eradicate pediatric cancer,” Michel says. “The students take ownership of the planning, organization, publicity and execution of this 10-hour dance marathon, which raised $60,000 last year. Students learn that each person can and should make a difference and, as an upshot, gain critical public relations, organizational and interpersonal skills.”
“Giving back” can extend beyond community to include the environment. Church Farm School, a private boys’ school in Exton, has been powering more than 80 percent of the campus’ annual electricity needs through a solar array. The 1.1-megawatt installation, which leads to a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, is saving the school “many hundreds of thousands of dollars” in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner. “Our students have a real-life laboratory to explore and learn more about their energy future,” says Rev. Edmund K. Sherrill, head of school. “That we reduce our energy costs along the way is an added bonus since it will redirect dollars spent on energy to our school’s [education] mission.”
Clearly, private high schools in the Philadelphia area have become sanctuaries where students not only master the fundamentals of an education but also learn vital lessons in social justice, integrity, diversity and compassion. In other words, private high schools have become incubators where young men and women prepare to be effective leaders in a world that looks vastly different than the one their parents discovered when they left high school.
“Understanding on a global level will prepare students of today to be our leaders of tomorrow,” says Powell. “Only by opening our students’ minds to difference can we build a strong community that reflects the world in which we live.”
High Achievers
Excellent private high schools abound throughout the Philadelphia area.
BUCKS COUNTY
Archbishop Wood High School
215-672-5050
archwood.org
Conwell-Egan Catholic High School
215-945-6200
conwell-egan.org
The George School
215-579-6500
georgeschool.org
Holy Ghost Preparatory School
215-639-2102
holyghostprep.org
Solebury School
215-862-5261
solebury.org
Villa Joseph Marie High School
215-357-8810
vjmhs.org
CHESTER COUNTY
Bishop Shanahan High School
610-518-1300
shanahan.org
Church Farm School
610-363-7500
gocfs.net
Delaware Valley Friends School
610-640-4150
dvfs.org
Devon Preparatory School
610-688-7337
devonprep.com
Malvern Preparatory School
484-595-1100
malvernprep.org
The Phelps School
610-644-1754
thephelpsschool.org
Villa Maria Academy High School
610-644-2551
vmahs.org
DELAWARE COUNTY
Academy of Notre Dame de Namur
610-687-0650
ndapa.org
Archbishop John Carroll High School
610-688-7610
jcarroll.org
Bonner Prendergast Catholic High School
610-259-0280
bonnerprendie.com
Country Day School of the Sacred Heart
610-527-3915
cdssh.org
Delaware County Christian School
610-353-6522
dccs.org
Valley Forge Military Academy & College
610-989-1200
vfmac.edu
Westtown School
610-399-0123
westtown.edu
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Abington Friends School
215-886-4350
abingtonfriends.net
Academy of the New Church
267-502-2500
ancss.org
The Agnes Irwin School
610-525-8400
agnesirwin.org
The Baldwin School
610-525-2700
baldwinschool.org
Bishop McDevitt High School
215-887-5575
mcdevitths.org
Christopher Dock Mennonite High School
215-362-2675
dockhs.org
Coventry Christian Schools
610-326-3320
coventrychristian.com
Friends’ Central School
610-649-7440
friendscentral.org
Germantown Academy
215-646-3300
germantownacademy.net
The Haverford School
610-642-3020
haverford.org
The Hill School
610-326-1000
thehill.org
Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy
610-922-2300
jbha.org
Lansdale Catholic High School
215-362-6160
lansdalecatholic.com
La Salle College High School
215-233-2911
lschs.org
Merion Mercy Academy
610-664-6655
merion-mercy.com
Mount Saint Joseph Academy
215-233-3177
msjacad.org
Phil-Mont Christian Academy
215-233-0782
phil-mont.com
Pope John Paul II High School
484-975-6500
pjphs.org
St. Basil Academy
215-885-3771
stbasilacademy.org
The Shipley School
610-525-4300
shipleyschool.org
West-Mont Christian Academy
610-326-7690
west-mont.org
PHILADELPHIA
Father Judge High School
215-338-9494
fatherjudge.com
John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls’ High School
215-563-8930
jwhallahan.com
Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls
215-455-6900
littleflowerhighschool.org
Nazareth Academy High School
215-637-7676
nazarethacademyhs.org
St. Joseph’s Preparatory School
215-978-1950
sjprep.org
West Catholic Preparatory High School
215-386-2244
westcatholic.org
NEW JERSEY
Notre Dame High School
609-882-7900
ndnj.org
Princeton Day School
609-924-6700
pds.org
