The following letter from Head of School Kim Samson is published in this year’s Admission Book. If you are interested in exploring Beaver for the 22-23 school year, check out our Admission page.
Hello! I’m so glad you are here getting to know us. As you look through our website and visit us on campus, you will see in many different forms and applications the main goal driving everything we do at Beaver: Our commitment to Expanding the Nature of School.
There are many opportunities we’ve uncovered for how to “do” school differently: new technologies, new ways of using time, new curricula, new topics and conversations needing to be prioritized, new spaces, new learning frameworks—to name a few. We are known for being nimble and always evolving as an organization, so this opportunity to do school differently is an exciting challenge. I can’t wait to see what it brings, and I hope we inspire more schools to follow in embracing this next era in education.
Disruption is a positive & exciting thing.
In a fast-paced and changing world, we have come to know that disruptive moments and how we handle them are a telltale sign of success. Beaver uses this disruption to move forward with enthusiasm and excitement—continuously engage in deep reflection of what to keep, change, and try. This applies to our diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice work. Beaver is committed to weaving the ongoing national conversation and exploration of inequities into our curriculum, rather than approaching it as a stand-alone experience. In both the Middle and Upper School, we embed the work of equity and social justice in multiple places so students read about and discuss in developmentally appropriate ways about race, religion, privilege, and politics in a variety of settings—the classroom, affinity spaces, advisory, clubs, and school meetings. There are opportunities to join the conversation at multiple levels, and this work is supported by our amazing team of leaders and our teachers—who themselves are always evolving and learning.
How we do it
Being open to—and excited about—having a culture where we view agility and responsiveness as part of our daily practice means it is important that we have a framework to guide us. This is the BVR Mindset: Launch/Test/Refine; Make Excellent Mistakes; Both/And. You can see the mindset at work throughout our website—from the Social Justice Retreat in the Middle School to Student-Directed Projects in the Upper School
What it’s going to get you
First and foremost, our commitment to expanding the nature of school helps us give your children the BEST possible education for the future they will experience. Known as a leader in education, we are constantly looking to connect our students with resources and relationships within our own community. We are also passionate about growing our network through partnering with the most forward-thinking people and organizations. It is also clear from our impressive college list that colleges and universities respect Beaver. They know they can count on our students to add greatness to their communities. Our kids arrive prepared, and authentically committed to the joy of learning.
I hope you enjoy getting to know us even better, and I look forward to seeing you soon!