FB pixel

Watkinson School

Category: Academics

  • Long-Time Education Institutions Announce Meaningful Collaboration: Scholarships, Tuition Discounts, Academic Synergy

    Long-Time Education Institutions Announce Meaningful Collaboration: Scholarships, Tuition Discounts, Academic Synergy

    Watkinson School and the University of Saint Joseph partner to promote academic excellence

    Watkinson School and the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) announced a collaborative partnership that will include a new USJ scholarship for Watkinson seniors, a USJ tuition discount for Watkinson employees, and a reduced tuition rate at Watkinson for the children of USJ employees. 

    Beginning in fall 2024, Watkinson graduates with a 3.0 GPA or higher, enrolling in any of USJ’s undergraduate degree programs, will receive the new Independent Scholar Award. This $5,000/year scholarship, up to $20,000 total, is renewable annually for up to four years with continued full-time enrollment and meeting USJ’s academic criteria. It may be supplemented by other USJ merit and need-based financial support.

    “Since its founding, USJ has nurtured students for success in rigorous academic programs, preparing them for life after college,” said USJ Vice President of Enrollment Management Kimberly Crone. “This partnership with Watkinson is a way to support and acknowledge the students seeking a university that incorporates academic excellence, mission, and core values into the college experience.”

    Like USJ, Watkinson prioritizes the implementation of progressive, evidence-based approaches to teaching. To support this priority, USJ will provide a 30% tuition discount to Watkinson employees. And, acknowledging the two institution’s shared values, Watkinson will provide a tuition waiver of up to 25% to the children of USJ employees.

    “USJ’s educational practices have always resonated with us. This partnership highlights our shared pedagogical ideals, benefitting the region’s students and educators,” said Watkinson Head of School Teri Schrader. “This principled collaboration between secondary and higher education is something people talk about. I am thrilled to embark on this potent, actionable work and am confident there is more to come.”

    USJ and Watkinson are also developing a concurrent enrollment program through which Watkinson students earn USJ credit for completion of designated Watkinson classes. This is modeled after a successful existing arrangement between USJ and Northwest Catholic High School. 

    “Watkinson emphasizes authentic learning to promote depth of knowledge and skill rather than just content coverage, which readies graduates for success at colleges like USJ, known for small, hands-on classes,” said USJ President Rhona Free. “Additionally, the Watkinson experience is something many USJ faculty want for their own children, affirming our shared values and educational approach make this a natural partnership.”

    About USJ: The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) is the premier small private university in Connecticut developing professionals for in-demand fields with its undergraduate and graduate degree programs designed for the student’s goals. To learn more, view their website at www.usj.edu.   

    About Watkinson School :Watkinson School is Hartford’s oldest co-ed independent day private school for grades 6-12/PG. Watkinson’s mission is to develop in its students the power to shape their lives and the world around them; come see for yourself at our next info session for prospective families. 

  • Watkinson Artists Awarded At Connecticut Scholastic Art & Writing Awards  

    Watkinson Artists Awarded At Connecticut Scholastic Art & Writing Awards  

    Congratulations to the students below for winning awards in the Connecticut Region of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards! The work of the Gold Key winners qualifies to be judged for the national competition.

    The Connecticut Regional Scholastic Awards program is a professionally juried event that recognizes only the best Connecticut student artwork. This year, seven Watkinson students won awards or honorable mentions; this is noteworthy given that Watkinson has 250 students and is competing against large, regional public schools. 

    Jacob B. ’23 — gold key, photo

    William E. ’22 — Gold Key, CAEA Best in Drawing Award, Drawing Category 

    Hannah J. ’23 — honorable mention, photo

    Evan P. ’22 — silver key, sculpture

    Ayana P-M ’22 — silver key and gold key, painting

    Z Reed ’23 — silver key, drawing

    Alina W. ’22 — honorable mention, film

    Alina W. ’22
    Ayana P-M ’22
    Ayana P-M ’22
    Evan P. ’22
    Hannah J. ’23
    Jacob B. ’23
    William E. ’22
    Z. R. ’23

    Watkinson School, a private school for grades 6-12/PG, is Hartford, CT’s oldest co-ed independent day school. To schedule a tour of our private school and to see what our students’ parents and alumni have to say about their experiences at Watkinson School, click here. Our next info session for prospective families is April 7 at 9am.

  • New History Electives Announced At Our Hartford Private School

    New History Electives Announced At Our Hartford Private School

    Watkinson School is proud to announce a new slate of history electives for 11th and 12th-grade private high school students. Six years ago, in the midst of strategic planning, faculty envisioned redesigning the senior year which would also mean redesigning aspects of the upper school curriculum that leads to the senior experience. During our five years of implementation of the strategic plan, a Humanities approach is being taken in the 9th and 10th grade, the English electives were redesigned last year, and the Senior Project — a yearlong independent study that culminates in a public exhibition — was launched last year.  This new roster of history electives, which ranges from “American Exceptionalism and the American Dream” to “The Age of Genocide” to “Revolution: Causes and Consequences” and more, is the latest step in this work. 

    Upper School Head and history teacher Ryan Reese reflects, “These electives, following the work we’ve put forth in building the 9th and 10th-grade Humanities courses, make real our ideas about what skills and ideas students should build and confront during their time with us in Watkinson’s upper school.”

    History Department Co-Chair and 11th and 12th grade Academic Dean Rob Deitelbaum remarks, “Being part of a process that began with, “What are the most important aspects of history that we think every student should learn?”, and distill that to a list of 10 courses, each driven by an essential question, was so invigorating as an educator.”  Watkinson’s collaborative culture helped these educators and school leaders do their best work. History Department Co-Chair Justin Zelenka describes, “It was so much fun, and honestly inspiring, to sit with my colleagues week after week and work together to create the ten essential Watkinson History courses.There was so much knowledge and experience in the room, and I’m really proud of what we created together as a team.”

    Reese concurs, “As a teacher, it is rare to be given the opportunity to think, create, write, and materialize an entirely new scope and sequence of courses and curricula. Instead of building out traditional survey courses that are content-driven and remain unchanged for years at a time, these electives, each crafted around an essential question, will adapt to various teachers taking up the questions each semester and the changing and evolving world around us.  They’re not just “cool courses” that any teacher would love to teach, but they mark our best thinking about the broad and expansive thinking that is necessary for taking up serious historical study in the 21st century.  I am so excited for the students to see them, to read the course descriptions, and to begin bringing them to life next fall. 

    Head of School Teri Schrader adds, “I am beyond proud of this curriculum development. This is how you build a school. You set a cohort of gifted teachers to the task of determining what skills and habits our students need today. This collection of electives represents smart, essential schooling.”

    See the full list of English and History electives here.

  • Watkinson Private School Senior Recognized by National Merit Scholarship Program

    Watkinson congratulates their private high school senior Clare C. ’20 for being named a Commended Student in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program. A letter of commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the program, will be presented by Ms. Schrader to Clare for her scholastic talents.

    About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although ineligible for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2020 competition by taking the 2018 preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

  • Upper School Head Selected by Anti-Defamation League

    Upper School Head Selected by Anti-Defamation League

    Watkinson School is pleased to announce that Upper School Head Ryan Reese was selected by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to be one of nine educators nationally to pilot ADL’s new Civics Education Program. ADL announced that this new program stems from the belief that, “…enabling students to explore their civic engagement and identities through an anti-bias and social justice lens is essential for creating more inclusive and equitable schools, communities and society.”

    Reese attended a two-day professional development training in Chicago on August 12 and 13. Piloting this new curriculum involves teaching, and then providing feedback on,  six lessons that address the core civics themes of Structures of Democracy, Civic Participation, Social Justice and Civil Rights, Power and Privilege, Identity and Membership, and Media and News Literacy.

  • Upper School Head Published – Watkinson Private High School

    Watkinson’s Head of Upper School Ryan Reese was recently published in the University of Chicago’s Journal of Education, Schools. He co-authored an article called, “School’s the Right Place for Love, or Why We Keep Teaching” with Charles Logan from Ohio State University and April Peet Vos from the Maple School in Northbrook, Illinois.”

    In the article, these three educators 12 years into their careers discuss what they’ve learned about teaching. The educators, all of whom attended the same undergraduate institution and completed their student teaching together, begin by reflecting on their training experience and how it prepared them (or didn’t) to face the daily challenges of the classroom. The conversation turns to significant failures, proudest moments, and the vital role creativity plays in teacher longevity before settling on reasons these educators keep teaching despite the fact that more and more people are leaving the profession or avoiding it altogether. By the conversation’s end, a message of hope emerges, one that identifies imagination and community as fundamental to a teacher’s long-term success.” — from journals.uchicago.edu

  • Our Watkinson Private High School Students – Social Justice Day 2019

    Our Watkinson Private High School Students – Social Justice Day 2019

    by Harrison Richman, University of Hartford Communications Intern

    Wednesday, April 10th wasn’t just another Wednesday at Watkinson, but rather Watkinson’s second annual Social Justice Day. Once a year, a mixture of our CT private high school students and special guests run socially conscious workshops to bring awareness to issues or subjects that they find important.

    These topics are discussed in a classroom setting with teachers and students alike sharing ideas and values that they find critical to understanding a given issue. Senior, Oliver A., who wanted to discuss all of the angles surrounding gun violence, ran a workshop in the global studies room. Here, he spoke with about 20 students and 2 faculty members about how they feel gun violence should be handled and why. Not only did Oliver deliver a great workshop, but also the students were engaged and curious as to the implications and restrictions on guns in America.

    Another on-campus workshop was run by Leadership Greater Hartford’s Destiny Davis. Her workshop was based on building leadership and cultural skills while teaching the students to remain respectful of each other’s core values and ideals. This included a number of exercises organized by Destiny to ensure that each student understands what happiness is and how each person’s idea of happiness or success is different. By the end, it was apparent that each student got something out of the workshop and was ready to apply what they’d learned to a world outside of the classroom. Oliver and Destiny, alongside the others who ran workshops, helped to make this year’s social justice day a special one.

  • Upper School Model UN heads to Dartmouth

    Upper School Model UN heads to Dartmouth

    Watkinson’s upper school Model United Nations attended Dartmouth Model UN (DartMUN) last weekend (April 5-7) with 8 private high school students. Jackson F. ’21 won an “outstanding delegate” award for his work representing the Chief of Staff for the Philippines Navy (PN) – Carlito Galvez Jr.; his committee was the Duterte Administration.

    DartMUN was comprised of students playing the roles of specific real people, with President Duterte largely communicating with them via Twitter.

    Heartfelt thanks to alumni private school parents Kasha and Peter Novak (parents of Caroline ’13) for their consistent generosity; they have donated the use of their house in Quechee for the past 6 years for the team to stay in, which makes for a great group experience and a very affordable trip.

  • Global Studies Students Attend UConn Event “Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor”

    Global Studies Students Attend UConn Event “Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor”

    by Harrison Richman, University of Hartford Communications Intern

    This month, the upperclassmen will have a big opportunity with global impact. A global studies event held at the University of Connecticut will give the students the
    societal tools they need to understand other cultures as they move into the collegiate world. This Global Studies Event will be a conversation between students and bestselling author/journalist Yossi Klein Halevi, alongside Palestinian authority advisor Ghaith Al-Omari. 

    Both men are critically acclaimed for their work making it a unique and informative experience. University of Connecticut professor and Vice President of global affairs Daniel Weiner will moderate the Q&A and students will be able to ask questions at their leisure. The conversation will surround the current political and social climate of the Middle East and why it is so difficult for Israelis and Palestinians to find peace in their native countries. Our private school students will be asked to prepare questions ahead of time and will get a chance to ask them to the panel directly. The event will be held at the University of Connecticut Storrs campus at the Konover Auditorium at Dodd Research Center on March 25th.