Exciting Updates in the Upper School

Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year! As the Upper School Director, I have the pleasure of working with our oldest students as they prepare for their next academic pursuit and beyond. This year, we have several new programs to help with this preparation as well as to complement our students’ list of ever-growing accomplishments. Whether you are a new family to The Meadows or have been with us for many years, I hope that you are looking forward to seeing the positive impact these additions have on each student as much as I am.

 

As our advisory program continues to develop in order to support students and properly reflect our core values, one of the changes to our sophomore advisory curriculum is the addition of a trip to Puerto Rico in the spring. We have partnered with Walking Tree Travel in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution to provide our students with a week of authentic, safe, and engaging cultural and service-learning experiences. Mr. Ronquillo and I went on this trip in June, and we are thrilled to be able to provide this opportunity to our sophomores.

In an effort to further support our students in their academic and extracurricular endeavors, the Upper School has developed a Learning Lab program after school in the Library from 3:00-4:00 Monday-Thursday each week. This is dedicated time and space for students to effectively complete homework and receive assistance from teachers, Writing Center consultants, and student tutors. Although this program is based on the NCAA model to support student-athletes, all Upper School students are welcome to take advantage of this opportunity.

As we embark on our 35th year, I reflect on what it is that makes The Meadows School the amazing place that it is, but also what we are doing across various programs to make it even better. Every day, our expert and caring faculty inspire our talented and hard-working students to reach the highest level of academic standards, and the success is evident. We offer 25 Advanced Placement and 11 individualized Advanced Topics courses. Last year, 139 students took 339 AP exams and 68% of the scores earned were 4's and 5's. Further, 25% of the students in the senior class are National Merit Semi-finalists.

As we continue to maintain the highest academic standards, we are also focusing our efforts on developing an amazing athletic program under the expertise and unparalleled vision of Mr. Claude Grubair, supporting our students' social and emotional needs through programs being developed under our Director of Counseling and Wellness Ms. Allie Hersh, and further improving our college counseling program with the addition of Ms. Melissa Lustig as Co-Director of College Counseling.

 

In addition to the excitement that comes with these programs and improvements, the energy in the Upper School is even more palpable with the entrance of the class of 2023, the largest freshman class ever.

Happy 35th year, Meadows School! It's going to be a great one!

 

Dana Larson

Upper School Director