Semester school

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A semester school is a school that complements a student's secondary education by providing them with the opportunity to step out of their regular school for half an academic year and step into a uniquely different educational setting while continuing their required academic studies. [1] [2] The academic curriculum at semester schools tends to be college preparatory, interdisciplinary, and experiential. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Characteristics

Benefits

Attending a semester school can:

Growth

The first semester school was Milton Academy's Mountain School which opened in 1984 in Vershire, Vermont. Since then more than a dozen additional semester schools have opened across the United States of America and in other countries. The list of opening dates below shows the growth in semester schools over time and their geographic diversity.

1984 – Mountain School, Vershire, Vermont
1986 – Swiss Semester, Zermatt, Switzerland
1988 – Maine Coast Semester, Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki, Wiscasset, Maine
1995 – The Outdoor Academy, Pisgah Forest, North Carolina
1996 – CITYterm, Dobbs Ferry, New York (closed Fall 2019)
1997 – High School Semester at Sea (Ocean Classroom), Western North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea (closed July 2014)
1998 – High Mountain Institute, Leadville, Colorado (originally named Rocky Mountain Semester)
1999 – The Island School, Cape Eleuthera, Bahamas
1999 – Oxbow School, Napa, California
2000 – The Traveling School, Southern Africa & South America with a home office in Bozeman, Montana
2004 – Woolman Semester, Nevada City, California (closed)
2004 – Kroka Semester School, Marlow, New Hampshire
2009 – School for Ethics and Global Leadership, Washington, D.C.
2009 – Finding the Good, Nevada City, California (closed)
2010 – Coastal Studies for Girls, Freeport, Maine (closed)
2010 – Conserve School, Land O’ Lakes, Wisconsin (closed)
2012 – Alzar School, Valley County, Idaho
2012 – Burr and Burton Academy Mountain Campus, Manchester, Vermont
2016 – Steward Outdoor School Ivoryton, Connecticut

References

  1. Semester Schools Network
  2. 1 2 "The Hotchkiss School - Semester Off-Campus Opportunities". Archived from the original on 2009-11-30. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 National Association of Independent Schools: Semester Schools Archived 2011-06-11 at the Wayback Machine
  4. 1 2 3 4 Peterson's Semester Schools: Great Opportunities Archived 2010-06-27 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Private School Review: Semester Schools
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Information from a review of semester school websites
  7. College Bound Network: Living and Learning at Semester Schools
  8. New York Times - Semester Away
  9. SEEN Magazine - Semester school programs [ permanent dead link ]
  10. The Lovett School - Semester School Programs Archived 2009-06-26 at the Wayback Machine
  11. College Bound Network: A New Adventure at Semester Schools