A Customized AI Learning Tool for Students Watkinson School, Hartford’s oldest independent private day school for grades 6-12/PG, is pleased to announce that longtime faculty member Tom Gromak has created Babbleborg, a customized AI learning tool with important safeguards for middle and high school students. Gromak is Watkinson’s academic technology coordinator. For the last two

You’re better than AI. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming more and more ubiquitous. Tools like Siri and Alexa have become commonplace. Yet when ChatGPT was made available to the general public in late 2022, educators everywhere considered the implications for their work. Nationwide, many schools, particularly K-12 schools, are still struggling with students seeing AI

An interview with Dr. Heather York “I’m not a molecular biologist. My expertise is ecology—the study of relationships between living organisms and their environments. I get excited to bring my interest in birds, mammals, and bugs into my classes.” Zoologist and science teacher Dr. Heather York is passionate about bringing animal ecology into the classroom

Beyond the work we do in the classroom, the students in the Global Studies Diploma Program learn from experts off campus when we attend talks at universities,  the World Affairs Council, as well as local organizations. Our annual New York City trip with CAP provides the students with the opportunity to expand their connections with

This winter, special guests from Hidden History joined our eighth-grade social studies classes to study the institution of slavery in colonial Hartford. Under the tutelage of these master teacher-historians, students conducted original primary source research of maps, wills, church baptismal and marriage records, and inventories to uncover the story of an 18th-century enslaved Hartford family. Through the study

Watkinson students attended the ADL’s Never is Now Summit in New York City for the sixth consecutive year (virtually in ’20 and ’21). 17 students from Chai (our Jewish affinity group), the Global Studies Diploma Program, and other interested Upper Schoolers attended workshops such as “Disinformation: How Social Media Shapes the 2024 Election” and “Voices Against

A reflection from Upper School Head Ryan Reese We love our seniors, but if we are doing our jobs the right way throughout their time at Watkinson, we also want them to leave. We want them to have the skills, the desire, and the confidence to go out in the world and do all the

It wasn’t exactly professional development, but we were there as professionals.  It wasn’t quite personal time, but it felt remarkably personal.  It wasn’t loud, showy or grand, but it was a big deal.  Late Wednesday afternoon, approximately forty or so colleagues and trustees traveled to Real Art Ways in Hartford, where our viewing of The Holdovers became

On Wednesday, September 20, Dr. Bilal Sekou, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Hartford, visited our Global Studies Program Seminar to add to the discussion of their summer reading, The Bill of Obligations: 10 Habits of Good Citizens by Richard Haass and the role American citizenship plays in global citizenship. Dr. Sekou focused on our

In the constantly evolving landscape of education, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful tool that has the potential to revolutionize the way private schools operate and enhance the learning experience for students. With its ability to process vast amounts of data and perform complex analyses in real-time, AI can be a valuable asset

Watkinson’s Head of School Teri Schrader regularly asserts that the true definition of being a progressive school is that you regularly make progress on how you deliver on your mission. One way that Watkinson does this is by annually offering faculty the opportunity to apply for summer Curriculum Development Grants. Working in cooperation with and

A Reflection on Traveling to China with APEX International After traveling almost 24 hours, our small group of American travelers, sponsored by APEX International, arrived in Guangzhou, China. At the airport, I was excited, but also increasingly anxious about my ability to work with families and meet students in this new country. As we stepped

When students take the skills they are working on out into the world, powerful learning happens. At the end of the last school year, under the guidance of English teacher Lisa Roberts, Watkinson’s sixth graders collaborated on a creative writing assignment with residents of Duncaster, a retirement community in Bloomfield, CT, just down the road

At the end of last week, the upper school tech club, including Ben S. ’23, Jack M. ’25, Nick K. ’23, finished construction of a new 3D printer. When the previous Watkinson 3D printer stopped working, the club (under the leadership of Science Department Chair and Club Advisor Jean Kracke) looked into ways to repair

A deep exploration into the language of Shakespeare is important to Watkinson’s eighth graders. It’s a tradition, a rite of passage in fact. For almost thirty years, the study and performance of Shakespeare’s plays on Shakespeare Day has been a hallmark of the Watkinson middle school experience. This year, students applied new and refined skills

Eighth grade is an important year in the life of a young person, as preparation continues for making the transition from Middle to Upper School. It is an exciting and pivotal time for building the foundation for future educational experiences in Upper School, college, and beyond. Keeping this in mind, our private school curriculum has

Just prior to Thanksgiving, Watkinson had some important visitors from our sister private independent school, Renbrook School. Our four guests included: Their day included attending our All-School Meeting, the centerpiece of Watkinson’s community and culture. Then, as good visits often include a reunion, our guests reconnected with the children they used to teach. Amidst choruses

Creative Arts Program Director Stacy Donovan has wanted to bring the Fringe Festival experience to Watkinson for a while. She wanted to create the festival feel for the benefit of both those making and seeing art. “Imagine you went to your favorite arts fair and all the artists were there! As a teacher, I want arts

Watkinson’s Student Foundation, a club formed in the early 2000s, recently ran an outstandingly successful fundraiser to support relief efforts in Ukraine. In just over two weeks time, the private school students and their advisor, Dr. Andy Aavatsmark raised $1130 for World Central Kitchen, a global nonprofit that provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate,

Know your process, understand your intent. Tamara Berdichevsky’s classroom in the DeFeo Art Barn is quite special. Bright, clean, and open, the space makes you feel like you can be an artist… even before you have learned anything.  Recently, Berdichevsky’s 7th graders did a project that started with a graphic design segment. They began with