The Head of School – October 16, 2024

Flint Hill Community,

As our classes are in full swing, so have been the opportunities for our students to extend their learning beyond the classroom.

In recent days, we’ve had kindergarteners at the Oakmont Farmers Market learning about community connections, 8th Graders extending their understanding of History at the Holocaust Museum and WWII Memorial, and Upper School art students visiting the Hershorn and National Portrait Gallery.

These instances, and the many more to come throughout the year, offer ample opportunity for our students to see the concepts they’ve studied applied in the real world, shake up the norm of learning within a classroom setting, and connect with their teachers, one another, and the larger community beyond Flint Hill in authentic ways.

As a student-centered community, our approach to field studies is guided by the academic and social development of our Huskies. Early on, our JK students engage in “Forest Fridays,” exploring the natural world and imaginative play within nature. As students progress in the Lower School, experiences include field studies trips to the National Zoo, the National Air & Space Museum, Colonial Williamsburg, and the US Capitol, among others. Our Middle School students experience Advisory Scavenger Hunts on the National Mall, impactful service learning at various local nonprofits, and apply their earth and space science learning at the Udvar-Hazy Center. In the Upper School, we anchor the entry and exit from the division in whole grade level bonding activities for our 9th and 12th Graders, respectively, in partnership with Calleva.  Additionally, course-specific and optional, international field studies trips have included watching the Supreme Court in action, language-based cultural immersion trips to other countries, and so much more. In fact, last week, a group of Upper School students reflected on their experiences with the Charles Kenney Legacy Trip – a fully-funded summer trip where students experience WWII history firsthand, walking the beaches of Normandy, guided by expert military historians, which solidifies their understanding of global conflict, foreign service, and geopolitics.

With the exception of optional, overnight or international trips during spring and summer breaks (Upper School students only), these learning experiences are a key part of our Flint Hill education, and therefore covered by our tuition for all students (or, in the case of the Kenney Legacy Trip, via philanthropy from a generous Flint Hill supporter). They are also made possible by the intrepid and always curious Flint Hill faculty and staff who seek ample opportunities to extend learning beyond our campus gates.

Over the course of this year, and in the years to come, your Husky will engage in many of these experiences – and the impact will be meaningful for their learning and social development, as well as our community, near and far.