Students of All Ages Take on Real-Life Experiences during Weeklong Beyond College Prep Program
ROCKFORD, Ill. (Oct. 21, 2019) – Students at Keith Country Day School will be learning at locations throughout the region this week, as the school launches its first session of an innovative continuous learning program.
Beyond College Prep: Continuous Learning, Community Collaboration, and Creativity partners with dozens of area businesses and organizations to offer hands-on experience to Keith students. This is the first year Keith is offering the program, with two weeklong intersessions that combine traditional classroom learning with exploratory, hands-on activities appropriate for students at each grade level.
“We’re thrilled to offer this unique educational approach to our students,” said Charo Chaney, Co-Lead Head of School at Keith. “As educators we must provide our students with different avenues to think and learn outside the traditional classroom. After all, life happens outside of our campus. These intersessions provide inspirational and aspirational opportunities for our children to learn while having fun.”
Members of the media are invited to observe students this week as they visit age-appropriate businesses and organizations, including:
Angelic Organics. Preschoolers have the opportunity to learn about a working farm and sustainable local food systems.
Discovery Center. Keith’s Kindergarten and Junior Kindergarten students will work with experts at the science museum to watch chicks hatch, prepare a worm farm and explore the lives of bees.
Rockford Park District and YMCA. These community partners will lead first through fourth graders on an outdoor exploration. As the children learn about environmental sciences, they will experience team building and physical fitness.
Medieval Times. Hosted for children in fifth through seventh grades, this learning experience includes Viking wire weaving, calligraphy, illumination, wood carving, medieval cooking and clothing as the students study middle ages of the world. An overnight stay and two days of outdoor activities at Stronghold Castle complete the week.
Burpee Museum. Students in seventh and eighth grades will be able to interface with current science research. Working in a Biology Lab and Paleontology Lab, students will learn about cutting-edge techniques in sharing science with the general public.
High school students will be touring local colleges and job shadowing various careers during this week. They will attend workshops on writing college essays, taking entrance exams and filling out applications.
The enhanced learning opportunities created by intersession experiences are based on what tomorrow’s leaders need to be successful in professions, economies and interrelationships that don’t exist yet, including:
- An ability to think critically and creatively
- Constant curiosity
- An entrepreneurial spirit
- An ability to translate theory into practice and apply lessons to real-world problem-solving
- A global perspective and inclusive nature
About Keith Country Day School
Celebrating more than 100 years of educating children, Keith Country Day School proudly stands as the premier college-preparatory school in the northern Illinois region. Keith has a rich tradition of preparing students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 in academic rigor, character development and leadership skills. Keith’s mission is to prepare children for lives of meaning and purpose.
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