Beyond the Classroom

Besides providing a full and challenging program inside the school building, Stevens believes that students must always extend their learning beyond the walls of the classroom.

Beginning with the 3s and 4s (occasionally 2s) students take walking trips to the local parks or to the other school buildings. Walking trips intended to support the block building program are taken by the PreK through 2nd grade students. These trips may include banks, restaurants, stores, post office, police station, mall, the waterfront, construction sites or other areas of interest. The 2nd grade visits the Brooklyn Bridge and may take their first bus trip to a water treatment plant or recycling center. To support the Social Studies and Science curricula, older groups go farther afield to museums, galleries, and other historical sites. The Middle School goes to a NJ Symphony Orchestra performance at NJPAC in the fall. There is no additional cost for day trips as they are included in the tuition.

In addition to day trips, 3rd through 8th grade students experience overnight trips each year. These trips give students the opportunity to bond through physical or curriculum based activities away from home and school routines. Fees are included in the tuition. The only trip fee not included in the annual tuition is the 8th grade trip to Mexico. Students in Middle School engage in fundraising activities to offset the cost of the more expensive trips. The trips are as follows:

3rd/4th Grades, Fairview Lake 1 night in October
5th Grade, Camping 2 nights in October
6th Grade, Sleepover at school 1 night in winter
6th Grade, Philadelphia, Boston, or camping 2 nights in May (decided by student vote)
7th Grade, Spring Brook Farm (Vermont) 4 nights in September
8th Grade, Washington, D.C. 2 nights in May
8th Grade, Mexican Exchange 10 nights in March or April

 

It is important that students bring a certain ragamuffin barefoot irreverence to their studies; they are not here to worship what is known, but to question it.” Jacob Bronstein,
The Ascent of Man