Guiding Students on the Path to Success: Shipley’s Sixth Grade SEED
Holly Caldwell
A pack of sixth graders weaves through the bustling maze of the corridor before bounding into Ms. Annie Griffin’s SEED (Shipley’s social emotional learning program) class. Within seconds, the classroom fills with the cacophonous rhythms typical of middle school environments—perky voices swapping stories accompanied by shrills of laughter. As class begins, students steal final glimpses of their screens and scramble to wrap up conversations with their neighbors. It’s no wonder why these sixth graders are jockeying until the last second to connect with their classmates; it is during the middle school years when social circles become central to forming students’ own identities, and their academic identities begin to take shape as they make the transition to more challenging academics. As students learn more about themselves as individuals, helping them identify their strengths and weaknesses—both academic and interpersonal—is an essential goal for any educator guiding them on the path to success.
One of the ways that Middle School Dean and Academic Support Coordinator Ms. Griffin prepares sixth graders for the rigor of middle school is by taking the VARK assessment, which stands for each of the learning modalities it measures: Visual, Aural, Read/write, and Kinesthetic. Students squirm in their seats and patiently wait to share their results, which evaluate the degree to which they use different sensory modalities to process and learn information—their wriggling hands revealing how many in this age group fall within the Kinesthetic category. While some find that their brains favor one mode, many discover that they are “multimodal,” meaning they grasp concepts through a variety of media, stimuli, and delivery.
To maintain their attention and interest in the classroom, Ms. Griffin has students engage in a variety of learning activities and hands-on learning experiences that suit their individual needs. In keeping with Shipley’s model of encouraging personal discovery while providing rigorous academics, she challenges academically strong students by “teaching them how to use their strength to study.” Noting how the visual student might find it helpful to transform difficult vocabulary words into pictures, Ms. Griffin recently coached a sixth grader who was trying to learn the term “emaciated.” He understood the definition to mean “sickly and thin,” so she encouraged him to draw what he pictured in his mind. The result? A sketch of a “skinny, fragile twig” with “emaciated” written on the twig in silver sharpie, which crystallized his comprehension of the word.
One cornerstone of the sixth grade SEED curriculum is having students explore their own learning styles and apply this knowledge to forming relationships. After analyzing their own VARK scores, students are tasked with creating scenarios in which classmates with various strengths could all play an integral role. As part of this simulation, students are asked to identify potential conflicts that might arise and how to resolve them. Such skills are essential for navigating the complicated emotions and social aspects of adolescence. Ms. Griffin notes: “I want students to view situations from multiple perspectives and understand, for example, why their friends might not want to do an activity without having that difference lead to conflict.” By encouraging students to take pride and ownership in their strengths, the SEED program equips them to embrace their individuality, and in so doing, contribute to the collective well-being of the Shipley community and beyond.
After an extensive international search, Head of School Michael G. Turner announced the appointment of Chantra Reinman as Shipley’s next Head of Middle School, effective July 1, 2023.
In the Lower School Student Council, fourth and fifth graders hone leadership skills like collaboration, public speaking, and planning as they help with divisional assemblies and other student-led initiatives, while serving as student representatives at admissions events and more. Though the group is diverse, they all have one thing in common: a desire to give back to Shipley.
Shipley's Middle School Boys' and Girls' Squash teams competed at the National Squash Championships in Philadelphia, finishing ninth and 20th, respectively.
Congratulations to Shipley senior Zion Alexis ’23 for receiving numerous awards in the 2023 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, presented by Philadelphia Writing Project, including a Gold Key for his poem, "black boy, PREP SCHOOL." Read the poem and learn more about Zion, his interest in creative expression, and how Shipley has pushed him to grow as a writer in this Q&A.
Head of School Michael Turner announced that Rebekah Adens will be Shipley’s next Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, effective July 1, 2023.
Middle School science teacher Ace Schwarz was one of 10 educators selected to participate in the 2023 NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP), which partners small groups of educators with a research astronomer for original, year-long, authentic research projects.
On Saturday, December 3, Shipley’s Upper School Science Olympiad team participated in the 2nd Annual Dick Smith Memorial Invitational. Competing in the B Division, Shipley’s Upper School team finished 31 out of 74 teams. Several students also placed in individual events.
Chess team members Srijan Velamuri ’23 and Adithi Srinivasan ’25 earned first and second places, respectively, at the Interscholastic Chess Tournament, hosted by Shipley on December 9, 2022.
What happens when you combine passion, professional learning, and appreciation of beauty and excellence? You get a teacher who brings enthusiasm and energy to her classroom and students who learn while doing. Learn more about how Middle School Latin teacher Anne Smith shares her passion for mosaics, Roman history, and the Latin language with her students through multiple modalities.
It’s common to associate colors with emotions, as Kathryn Otoshi does in her book, One. Dr. Harley Givler asked his third grade students to imagine what the book's characters and their emotions would sound like as a musical composition. The third graders performed the composition for their PreK Book Buddies, sharing lessons in emotions, tolerance, and being an upstander, as well as inspiring a love of music.
On Friday, December 2, Shipley hosted the Philadelphia Area Math League for Independent Schools 2022 Playoffs. As a result, the Gators finished fifth out of ten teams in the group category and Bambi Tang ‘23 finished first in the individual category.
You can see Lower School Art Teacher Bonnie Goldstein's new work in "Beyond Boundaries" an exhibit on display at 705 West Printshop + Gallery in Jenkintown. An opening reception is being held on Sunday, December 4 from 2:00 - 5:00 pm.
With over 70 clubs and activities to choose from, Shipley's Upper School students can enjoy a broad range of areas to discover and develop their passions and interests. Student writer Andrew McCarthy ’23 shares details about six of them in this article, originally published in the December 2022 issue of the Beacon, the Upper School student newspaper.
After rigorous auditions, five Shipley musicians have been accepted into auditioned choral and band ensembles including the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 11 Chorus, the American Choral Directors Association National Honors Choir, and the Philadelphia Youth Symphonic Band.
Catch Theater Director Phillip Brown as he stars in the Lantern Theater Company’s Philadelphia premiere production of The Royale by Marco Ramirez, onstage through December 11, 2022, at St. Stephen’s Theater.
As we head into the holiday season, it is important to remember to help those who struggle with food insecurity. To address this issue in our local community, The Shipley School organizes a yearly Turkey Drive that takes place in November. Read more about Shipley's annual Turkey Drive in this article, originally published in the November 2022 issue of Shipley's student newspaper, the Beacon.
The Shipley School is a private, coeducational day school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, we develop within each student a love of learning and a desire for compassionate participation in the world.