Shattuck-St. Mary's School - Review #2

The Shattuck-St. Mary's School experience was unique in that the class sizes and pedagogy allowed students to discover how we each learn best as individuals, and then are empowered to grow our individual academic skills to be independent learners, with a strong support system.

The people are what made my experience great, and every time I am on campus I feel the same excitement that I did when I was young.

I would have spent more time in the library!

The people. The faculty, staff, and student body truly cared about one another. That is all you need in order to have a wonderful community.

Visit Jan is the school store, and get a jar of peanut butter!

The academic programming at Shattuck-St. Mary's School allowed me to develop the skills I needed to be successful academically in my early years, and then challenged me to grow as an independent learner and to discover my academic passions in my later years. The class sizes were small enough, and the learning styles were open enough, for each student to get the focus from their teachers that they each needed. My areas of focus were identified, and then a plan was put in place for me to grow. Once I became more confident in my ability, real academic growth was able to take place with the opportunity to dive deeper into topics I grew fond of.

Being able to participate in the hockey program at Shattuck-St. Mary's School allowed me the opportunity to develop, and also gave the exposure to all levels. I also had the opportunity to participate int he theater program, and the love of the arts was, and still is, vibrant in the school community. The community itself embraces all of the various student passions, and allowed us to see the similarities that we all have, rather than the differences. We all worked extremely hard at our various crafts, and that work did not go unnoticed by our peers. That allowed the sense of community, and collective effort for growth momentum. It was fun to be around.

The arts programs at Shattuck-St. Mary's School have always been strong, and they have gotten even stronger in recent years. There are three theater productions a year, but also a drama group that meets daily to work at their craft. The school has two music programs for aspiring young singers and musicians, and each of these programs are fueling student passion and allowing a curriculum that creates opportunity for students to pursue music at the collegiate and professional levels. There is also a successful choir, orchestra, and band program for students who enjoy singing and playing an instrument, but who may not want to study music or pursue it professionally. The school also has a dance program that meets daily to work towards a number of student performances throughout the year.

There are a number of clubs and interscholastic sports for kids to get involved in. Student government, and an equity/diversity club have seemed to generate the most student interest. The school offers opportunity for kids to compete in debate, a mathletes team, and a quiz bowl team against other schools. Then interscholastic sports offerings have seemed to change from year to year based on student interest, but I have heard a mountain biking team as started and is gaining popularity.

I was a day student, but never felt like I missed out on anything. My friends who lived in the dorms seemed to love the sense of community that dorm life allowed them, while being able to spend time with peers from different walks of life in our community.

The choice was amazing. I know that the school jsut put money into a new servery, and it rivals most small colleges in quality of food, and offerings available at each meal. They even make their own baked goods daily. There is also an area for students and staff with allergies to get their food prepped and delivered away from the rest of the food being made, so it sounds like the school is being sensitive to student choice and need. The dining hall hours of operation allow for students to have ample time to get food regardless of extra curricular activity.

The local community and the Shattuck-St. Mary's School have a strong relationship. Students volunteer at local elementary schools, and there is a large volunteer day where alumni, faculty/staff, and students go out into the local community and provide services that are needed. These services range from general cleanup of parks and walking paths, to going to retirement communities to play games and music together. The relationship between the school and the community has been tremendous both during my time as a student and now.

There were activities that everyone could participate in, and there have always been multiple offerings both on and off-campus each weekend. The school has done a great job of allowing students to help drive the activities being offered, so we can have a large amount of student participation.