The Madeira School will welcome just more than 340 high-school girls back to its 376-acre campus Aug. 23. The students will be overseen by 43 teaching faculty members, 91 percent of whom hold advanced degrees.
Madeira’s students will kick off the fall semester with the first of seven five-week-long learning modules. Madeira began using the module system in 2013, but is adjusting some campus guidelines for the new school year.
“We are taking a multi-pronged approach to address our students’ well-being and safety,” said Christina Kyong, who is starting her second year as Madeira’s head of school. “We will be banning the use of cellphones during the school day.”
Madeira also will build in student-wellness programming such as “Mental Health First Aid,” healthy technology use, boundary-setting and drug-and-alcohol-awareness programming, she said.
“We know that our students need more skills and tools to navigate this world right now, and we will dedicate the time and space to be able to equip them with these,” Kyong said.
New courses and extracurricular activities this fall will include an Introduction to Machine Learning, Introduction to Web Development, Psychology in Sports, Space Exploration and a robotics team. Madeira’s state-of-the-art STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) Education Center, which opened last fall, will host many of those curriculum additions.
Building upon the STEAM Education Center’s impacts on Madeira’s program, the school soon will begin construction on a new riding facility that incorporates modern best practices in equine care and safety.
“Beyond the benefits to our renowned riding program, the new facility enables innovative expanded curriculum with experiential learning for all students, not only riders, in ways that have never before been possible,” Kyong said. “For example, the building will be a laboratory for experiential learning in soft skills, such as emotional awareness and leadership.”
Kyong also hopes the upcoming presidential election will offer plenty of teachable moments.
“As educators, it is our job to make sure that our students here at Madeira learn and understand the importance of living in a democratic society rooted in civic engagement and civil discourse,” she said. “Healthy dialogue, rooted in curiosity and critical thinking, are keys to protecting our country.”
