Quick Q&A Private Schools 2016
Choosing the right school is one of the most important decisions you can make for your child. What sets the private schools of The 330 apart from each other? Whether your child is in elementary, middle, or high school, or preparing for college, akronlife can help.
This section invites you to review the information our featured schools have provided with your child. Each school has its own mission, vision and teaching style. Which one is right for you? Use our Private Schools Comparison Chart to help make an educated decision.
Next, check out the schools’ upcoming open house dates. You and your child can visit the schools for a closer look and to chat with admission directors about the curriculum, learning environment, and availability of scholarships.
St. Hilary School
Our mission is to keep Christ at the center of all that we do. In partnership with our parents and parish community, we will inspire our students through innovative and challenging academic experiences to be leaders capable of making a positive change in the world.
Q: How does St. Hilary School combine tradition and innovation in the classroom?
A:From Catholicity to cursive to cyber-learning… St. Hilary School does it all with a unique blend of tradition spanning more than half a century and innovation as cutting-edge as the latest e-device, all packaged neatly into a faith-based environment.
Traditional teaching methods, time-tested curriculum and solid core values form the foundation of this school that is also a leader in technology and innovation in the classroom. We foster servant leadership, respect, self-discipline and development of interests while emphasizing fundamental skills in math, language arts and other key areas as the basis for learning modern concepts.
All students have access to iPads to assist in their studies. St. Hilary is the first elementary school in the area to offer a 1:1 iPad program for its sixth, seventh and eighth grade students. Apple TV technology merges with students’ iPads and classroom SmartBoards to check individual understanding during classes. Hands-on lessons and participatory learning help students master and retain information in courses across the curriculum. With this dynamic blended approach, the school provides a complete and well-rounded academic, spiritual and social package that prepares students for success in high school and beyond, enabling them to develop into the leaders they are meant to become.
Q: What sets St. Hilary apart?
The tie that binds the school to the community and sets it apart from others is faith. Prayer begins and ends each school day and is sprinkled throughout the day. Service to the community is a natural extension of the faith and values upon which the school is based, and every student performs service in a variety of ways. At least once during the school year, all students go into the community to engage in hands-on, real-world service to others.
Respect for others, kindness and servant leadership also extend from the faith-based environment of the school. The school’s buddy program bridges the gap between younger and older students and helps foster leadership qualities and solid character attributes. Leadership opportunities, such as Student Council, Future Catholic Teachers, musical and speaking performances, are abundant at the school.
Further bridging gaps is the school’s foreign language program, whose three languages promote an understanding of and respect for cultural diversity. In this faith-filled, extended family environment, nurturing faculty and involved parents care about all children as their own and want to help them succeed.
St. Vincent de Paul Parish School
The Mission of St. Vincent de Paul Parish School is to develop young Catholic men and women with creative minds, a sense of understanding for one another, and the ability to change the world, while keeping Christ in the mind, body and heart.
Q: How do students become well-rounded through an education at your school?
St. Vincent de Paul Parish School has so much to offer to every learner who chooses our education. As we continue to grow a S2TEM (Stewardship, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) academic program, we find some learners have a passion for problem solving through our Technology and Engineering courses. We also have a phenomenal Fine Arts academic program that focuses on the creativity and originality of each individual. Learners may find their passion in our Visual Arts, Music, Band, Orchestra or Foreign Language programs. The spiritual aspect of our academic program is a highly significant part of our success. Each student knows and understands they are given talents and gifts from God, and they use their gifts to better our school, our community, and the world around us.
Q: How does your school measure success?
St. Vincent de Paul Parish School measures success by the achievement of each individual learner. Whether a fantastic test score, a generous use of time through a service-learning opportunity, an effective use of critical thinking skills to problem-solve, or even just displaying characteristics of changing the world to make it a better place—each child at St. Vincent de Paul is successful.
The Lippman School
Founded in 1965, The Lippman School is celebrating 50 years of excellence in Akron as a co-ed, independent school for children in kindergarten through eighth grade. With small classes, carefully selected teachers and a fast-paced curriculum, The Lippman School encourages students to flourish in a diverse, vibrant, hands-on, dual language environment.
A global perspective is woven throughout academics, art and experiential programming. With value-added character development, international perspective and a robust sense of community, students easily connect with their peer group and gain confidence through a sense of belonging.
Q: What does your school do to maximize a student's potential?
The Lippman School offers very low student-teacher ratios and a highly individualized curriculum. This model allows us to help students work to their ability, not bound by a singular curriculum that is necessary in schools with larger, less flexible models. In many cases, we are either bringing advanced curriculum into the classroom, or accelerating students beyond their grade level for multi-age groupings. This model offers academic as well as social/emotional benefits for our students.
Q: What are three unique aspects of an education at your school?
First, The Lippman School offers a cross-cultural exchange with the Northern Cheyenne Nation where middle school students from Akron visit the reservation in Montana, living and learning with tribal peers and elders. Also, our flexible multi-age groups allow students the ability to work one and two years beyond their typical grade level. Finally, our values-based learning concepts emphasize comparative cultural and religious study that results in a highly diverse student population.
St. Sebastian Parish School
St. Sebastian School is dedicated to Christ and committed to excellence in education. We honor the Catholic traditions of the past, work to develop our talents today, and prepare for Christian service in the future.
Q: How does your STEM program benefit students?
St. Sebastian Parish School concentrates on inspiring the critical-thinkers and problem-solvers of tomorrow. In September, the Parish school launched its new STEM education program that emphasizes Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The program in year one focuses on professional development, robotics, coding and hands-on, student-centered investigations across all grade levels. The goal is for students to learn how to question, think, analyze, predict, evaluate, communicate, collaborate, design and create in ways critical to STEM fields. Skills and knowledge in STEM topics will benefit students and help prepare them for careers in this increasingly important segment of our economy.
Q: What does your school do to create lifelong learners?
St. Sebastian School prepares students to become lifelong learners using a three-faceted approach. First, students need to have strong foundations on which to build knowledge. We provide students with a rigorous academic experience that builds a strong foundation. Lifelong learning only occurs when there is a genuine sense of curiosity and wonder about the world. We are building an academic experience that allows students to question, experiment, explore, discover and make connections between subjects that will drive their inquisitiveness. Students also need to know how to use the tools at their disposal to uncover, process and evaluate new information. We have a state-of-the-art Learning Resource Lab, iPads, Chromebooks and other technologies that students use to reinforce their learning. We support this by helping students learn how to find, assess and utilize the information that technology makes so available to them.
Spring Garden Waldorf School
We are committed to educating each child so that he or she will contribute to the future of the world with clear and creative thinking, compassion, moral strength and courage. Spring Garden Waldorf School is part of a long-standing Waldorf tradition, a world-wide movement putting Rudolf Steiner’s educational philosophy into practice. This method works because it addresses the whole child—cognitive, social and creative—and meets the needs of each individual through a challenging and multi-sensory environment.
Q: How do Waldorf teachers help students become critical thinkers?
Storytelling plays an essential role in how Waldorf teachers help students become critical thinkers. Academic material is presented through fairy tales and mythology in the early and middle grades. These stories contain moral dilemmas that encourage conversations about respect for diversity and finding alternative solutions to problems. In the upper grades, stories become lectures about history, science, literature and math. Moreover, especially in science and math, students are given the opportunity to observe, explore and experiment with concepts prior to lectures, allowing them to develop critical thinking skills as they test their own hypotheses about the subject at hand.
Q: What are some of the advantages to a Waldorf education?
SGWS offers many key advantages over other educational philosophies. Here we will highlight two. First is the amount of time children spend working and playing outdoors, in all seasons. In addition to daily recess periods, class work in gardening, science and physical education is often conducted outdoors, fostering in students a reverence and respect for nature. Another SGWS advantage is that main lesson teachers "follow" their students through the grades. This creates a strong relationship between the teacher and child, allowing the teacher to truly know, challenge and support the child while working in tandem with parents to develop each child's capacities to the fullest.
Lawrence School
To teach students who have distinct learning styles, ignite their potential, and inspire academic and social success.
Q: What do your teachers do to encourage leadership among students?
At Lawrence School, it is our goal to empower each student to explore their unique learning styles in order to gain the ability and confidence to successfully advocate for themselves, both in the classroom and in life. Furthermore, we provide student life opportunities that allow them to explore a wide range of personal interests, give back to the community and help shape their school experience—all in an environment that allows and encourages personal growth, and develops strengths and passions.
Q: How is technology incorporated into lessons at your school?
Simply put, technology levels the playing field for students whose learning differences prevent them from achieving success in a traditional classroom environment. As such, technology at Lawrence School is embedded and integrated into the learning and teaching that takes place each day. The use of assistive technology and an array of other ever-present tools help bridge deficits in executive function and language processing, allowing students to learn and explore in a manner consistent with their skills and interests.