The Colorado Springs School
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| Colorado Springs School | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| 21 Broadmoor Avenue Colorado Springs, Colorado |
|
| Information | |
| Head of school | Kevin Reel |
| Enrollment |
~530 |
| Faculty | ~63 |
| Type | Preparatory school |
| Campus | 32 acres |
| Mascot | Kodiaks |
| Color(s) | blue and white |
| Established | 1962 |
| Information | (719) 475-9747 |
| Homepage | http://www.css.org/ |
The Colorado Springs School (CSS) is a private, nonprofit, college preparatory school serving pre-kindergarten to 12th grade in Colorado Springs.
The Colorado Springs School (CSS) is a co-ed college-preparatory school that includes grades Preschool through 12. The 32-acre campus is located on the former Claremont Estate, built in 1907 as the home of Charles and Virginia Baldwin. The main building, known as The Trianon (formerly called "Claremont"), is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The School is set in a beautiful residential neighborhood at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.
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[edit] History
CSS was established in the early 1960s by a group of parents, educators, and other concerned individuals who were drawn together by their desire to provide a strong, educationally innovative, college preparatory school for girls in Colorado Springs.
A certificate of incorporation for the school was drawn up in July 1961. The name of the school originally was The Colorado Springs Episcopal School for Girls, but in March 1962, the school dropped its affiliation with the church and was renamed The Colorado Springs School for Girls. That spring, the school’s founders interviewed Margaret Campbell, the Head of the Upper School at Beaver Country Day School near Boston. Janet LeCompte, one of the founders, wrote, “she was, of course, irresistible to us and on her part eager to found a new school.” Thus, in September 1962, the school began with 23 students in the former home of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Drake on Pourtales Road with Margaret Campbell as its first Headmistress. By the spring of 1967, enrollment had nearly quadrupled and the Board of Trustees voted to purchase both the Trianon property at 21 Broadmoor Avenue and nearly 12 acres known today as Boddington Field. Otis (“Utley”) White and Bill Boddington were central to the delicate negotiations surrounding this purchase. Many generous donors made the acquisition possible, including Mr. and Mrs. Philip G. Cole, Russell T. Tutt, William Thayer Tutt, Raymond J. Montgomery, Ben S. Wendelken, Mr. and Mrs. James A. Krentler, Mr. and Mrs. Oliver LeCompte, Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Norris, and El Pomar Foundation. New programs were added in response to market changes and demands.
In the fall of 1965, the school initiated a full-fledged boarding program in the former Heintges home at 24 Pourtales Rd. Boys were admitted to the 7th and 8th grades in 1970 and to 9th grade in 1974. In 1975, the Board of Trustees voted to make the school fully coeducational for grades 7 through 12 and renamed The Colorado Springs School.
Then, in 1976, the school merged with the newly formed Children’s School to offer a comprehensive program for Kindergarten through 12th grade. That year also brought the creation of the Experience Centered Seminars (month-long academic and experience-centered courses) in the Upper School. Since then all grades have incorporated experiential education into their coursework. The first male boarding student graduated in 1977. In 1994, a much requested PreKindergarten was established for four-and five-year-olds. In the fall of 1998, preschool was added to the Children's School.
In the fall of 2000, CSS's boarding program was phased out and in its stead came the Homestay Program which continues today. Between 1991 and 1995 enrollment grew dramatically from 180 to more than 400 students. Today, the school enrolls about 530 students in all grades. CSS is the only pre-K through twelfth grade program that commits itself to academic and personal excellence supported and enhanced by experiential education.
CSS is a member school in the ASSIST exchange program.
[edit] Campus Buildings
The Colorado Springs School has a children's school building and an upper/middle school building. The upper/middle school building is called the El Pomar Building, as it was donated by the El Pomar Foundation. The Louisa Theatre is a functional theatre used daily, and is located next to the gymnasium, the Louise Honnen-Tutt Field House.
[edit] Mission Statement
Through superior academics and mentoring, The Colorado Springs School prepares students to think independently and to meet the challenges of a dynamic world with leadership, ingenuity, problem-solving skills, and personal integrity.
[edit] Experiential Education in the Children's School
The Colorado Springs School embraces the concept of learning by doing, both within and beyond the classroom. Our Children's School students also travel throughout Colorado on curriculum-based trips designed to teach academic principles and life lessons through firsthand experience.
[edit] Experiential Education in the Children's School
The Colorado Springs School embraces the concept of learning by doing, both within and beyond the classroom. Our Children's School students also travel throughout Colorado on curriculum-based trips designed to teach academic principles and life lessons through firsthand experience.
[edit] Fall Trips
In the fall, students in Kindergarten through Grade Two participate in school activities beyond the normal school day. Kindergartners and First Graders stay at school to participate in community-building activities, and then go home with their parents at 7:00 p.m. Second graders spend the night in the classroom with their teachers. Students in Grades Three through Five spend the night away from CSS. Grade Three tents at a campground, Grade Four stays at a lodge in Monument, and Grade Five stays at Ponderosa where they participate in a challenge course for team building and personal growth experiences. All students will develop team-building and personal growth skills.
[edit] Spring Trips
In the Spring, the Children's School classes study the early cultures of Colorado. Kindergarteners spend the night in the classroom while First Graders spend one night in a lodge and Second Graders spend two nights in a lodge. Parents help with the preparation, transportation, and food, but do not spend the night with the kids. Students in Grade Three travel to John Martin Reservoir where they camp for three nights and participate in day activities to Bent's Old Fort and museums in the area where they can learn more about life along the Santa Fe Trail during the early days of Colorado. Fourth graders camp out at the Great Sand Dunes where they visit Fort Garland and the town of San Luis as they study Colorado's early settlers. Fifth graders travel to Mesa Verde to learn about the Ancient Puebloan culture.
[edit] Dessert Theater
Each Children's School class presents a Dessert Theater performance in which they combine performing arts with one of their Themes of Study. Performing on stage gives children opportunities to share what they've learned and to develop confidence and poise. Presenting their theme also helps students retain the knowledge they gained during their classroom studies.
[edit] In-class
Learning through our rigorous curriculum is deepened through experiential teaching techniques that occur in-class or on campus. Our teachers work hard to bring hands-on experiences into day-to-day learning. The Themes of Study method employed by the Children's School allows many opportunities to incorporate active learning into the curriculum. Examples may include having students team up to build components of a space station while studying space, imagining the needs of human scientists living on board; creating quilt blocks from paper as they study math and geometric shapes; and reenacting the early 20th century immigration of Europeans and their experiences through Ellis Island.
[edit] Experience-based learning in the middle school
Our Middle School students also travel throughout Colorado on curriculum-based trips designed to teach academic principles and life lessons through firsthand experience. Through our teaching method of strong academics supported by experience-based learning, each student: Learns subject matter more thoroughly, more deeply, and retains information longer than in traditional, passive learning environments. Is an active participant in a relaxed, focused atmosphere. Gains responsibility and independence, while at the same time learning the importance of collaboration. Learns through a hands-on curriculum that includes Experience Centered Seminars, Middle School Seminars, Children's School trips, and other unique, academically-based outings. Discovers how to apply learned information to new settings. Learns about him- or herself, others, and the world. Develops the confidence that comes only by doing.
[edit] Walkabout
Eighth grade students at the Colorado Springs School participate in a unique program each May called Walkabout. The Walkabout is a rite of passage at The Colorado Springs School. This program has been a part of CSS for over ten years, and families often report it is truly a life-changing event. At a time when students yearn for more adult privileges and the chance to make decisions, Walkabout provides them with an experience that demonstrates the incredible responsibility that comes with growing up. Named for the famous right of passage for Australian Aboriginal young adults, the CSS Walkabout first strives to remove students from familiar surroundings and old roles. Students travel to the Four Corners area where the program uses the outdoors as a vehicle for teamwork and problem solving situations. While adult leaders are committed facilitators during Walkabout, students are given the tools and opportunity to make many decisions during this 12-day experience. The students are responsible for preparing meals, organizing themselves for solving problems within the community, and making decisions for the group's activities each day. Students learn how to work as a team, and most of the decision opportunities ask students to consider what is good for the group, as opposed to what is good "for me." Students who have relied on adults in the past to set their priorities, schedule their day, and complete tasks when they grow weary, now blossom in an environment where they must step up to accomplish their goals. Many efforts fail at first, but faculty leaders facilitate reflection that leads to another effort. Faculty leaders do not hesitate to interfere in matters of safety and extreme frustration, but spend most of their time facilitating student progress with suggestions as opposed to "doing it for them." The trip's foundation includes a curriculum that focuses on six pathways to adulthood. Each evening, students come to the circle to listen to readings and participate in discussions regarding the pathways. The six pathways are: Lessons (there are no mistakes only lessons) Growth (altruism, responsibility and confidence) Relationships (the person you present to the world has something to do with how others treat you) Challenge (non-action, as well as action, has consequences) Gifts and Giving (you get what you give, and it is important to identify the unique gifts you bring to any group) Discovery (growing up does not mean you stop having a sense of wonder) Each day, as the lessons unfold, students work to incorporate the six pathways into their life. Each student receives a personal challenge for the trip from the faculty leaders. Sometimes the challenge is something the student determines; sometimes the leaders will suggest a challenge. The challenges are unique to that individual, and are chosen with careful thought. At the end of this experience, students return home with a sense of capability and respect for the adult responsibilities that come with the privileges they are eager to earn.
[edit] Seminars
The Middle School faculty prepares three academic seminars each year that allow students time to immerse themselves in a topic of study. Lasting from four days to about two weeks, each seminar has a curriculum designed to advance both academics and personal growth.
[edit] In-Class
Learning through our rigorous curriculum is deepened through experiential teaching techniques that occur in-class or on campus. Our teachers work hard to bring hands-on experiences into day-to-day learning. Examples may include having students carefully dig through a large container of sand to find "archaeological evidence," recording their findings and increasing their understanding of how archaeologists work and reconstruct ancient civilizations; measuring the height of a classmate and the length of the classmate's shadow, then using ratios to determine the height of a tree; and using mathematical principles to construct a simple pinhole camera, and using the camera to with correct exposure and composition principles to produce photographs.
[edit] Upper School Experiential Learning
Our Upper School students also travel throughout Colorado, the United States, and the world on curriculum-based trips designed to teach academic principles and life lessons through firsthand experience. Through the teaching method of strong academics supported by experience-based learning, each student: Learns subject matter more thoroughly, more deeply, and retains information longer than in traditional, passive learning environments. Is an active participant in a relaxed, focused atmosphere. Gains responsibility and independence, while at the same time learning the importance of collaboration.
Learns through a hands-on curriculum that includes Experience Centered Seminars, Middle School Seminars, Children's School trips, and other unique, academically-based outings. Discovers how to apply learned information to new settings. Learns about him- or herself, others, and the world. Develops the confidence that comes only by doing.
[edit] Experience Centered Seminars
Experience Centered Seminars (ECSes) are an integral part of the Upper School program and give our students the skills necessary to conduct large-scale investigations in college and beyond. Each March, our students participate in a three- to four-week-long study that immerses them in academic subjects through a hands-on, interdisciplinary approach. ECSes approach broad, interdisciplinary questions to optimize the teaching of critical thinking, organized inquiry, in-depth analysis, and synthesis of information. They demand direct active participation and primary research in an environment outside of the classroom. Academic requirements include oral and written presentations, term papers, group work and projects, or final exams.
[edit] Head of school
The succession of the Heads of School at CSS is as follows: Margaret Campbell (1962-1974); Robert MacDonald (1974-1979); Jerel Cathey (1979-1983); Donald W. Fudge (1983-1986); George S. Swope (1986-1989); Mary Flemke (1989-2000); Mickey Landry (2000-2007); and Kevin Reel (2007-present).
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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