Vision 20/26 pushed Shipley to “advance its position as a recognized leader in social, emotional, and ethical development education” as part of its drive for Educational Excellence. Since then, the School has become a pioneer in the field of Positive Education. It is now pushing the boundaries around what it means to educate for flourishing by incorporating DE&I and pedagogy principles into its evolving, science-based framework. Well-being is a school-wide priority that goes beyond students to include all adults in the Shipley community, and data is a vital component of that work.
What You Treasure, You Measure
Data plays an important role in Shipley’s efforts to become a leader in this space. Data/studies suggest that people who have higher levels of well-being ultimately perform better. Since 2016, regular surveys have measured student and colleague well-being at Shipley, gathering both quantitative and qualitative data. Findings have informed targeted interventions to enhance well-being at the group level, as well as to provide personal support for individuals with a high risk of depression and anxiety.
Supporting Teachers
Teacher well-being can have a direct impact on student outcomes, and Shipley showed its commitment to supporting it last year. Dozens of changes and initiatives were aimed at enhancing well-being, including significant investments in extra staffing to reduce non-teaching duties; morale-boosting activities and edible perks; a larger gratitude campaign organized by families; and Teaching Resource Center sessions focused on core well-being skills like resilience and recovery.
Looking Ahead
Co-Directors of Positive Education Sharron Russell and Nick Holton are excited to enhance Shipley’s use of data by piloting a tool called FlourishDx. The system is designed to help both students and colleagues more regularly provide and access empirical self-report data on their own well-being and/or the well-being of their students or advisees. The platform offers many of the tools Shipley has used to assess well-being in the past, plus additional measures that will be used to gauge other aspects of the student/colleague experience.
Survey Says...
Data collected from Shipley colleagues in the fall of 2020 informed efforts to help boost the well-being of Shipley colleagues during an immensely challenging time.
5,000 data points collected from Shipley colleagues during the 2020-2021 school year.
66% of respondents reported struggling with burnout/exhaustion.
34% of respondents reported struggling with their mental health.
83% of respondents reported “living well despite struggle” or “not feeling bad, but just getting by”
17% of respondents were “consistently thriving” or really struggling.
Head of School Michael Turner talks about Shipley's focus on community building during the 2022-2023 school year, highlighting the importance of belonging and connection on the mental health of our students.
The COVID pandemic gave people a unique opportunity to explore the meaning and nature of community. In its absence, we developed a newfound appreciation for its importance and impact in our lives. This has certainly been the case at Shipley, where students, teachers, and administrators have put community building at the forefront in their pursuit of educational excellence.
More than just sleepovers, grade-level overnight trips build relationships and community, foster belonging, and prime the brain for learning. Learn more about how trips in each division serve students' academic and social interests.
Shipley’s pursuit of educational excellence incorporates a multi-faceted approach to student well-being and mental health that includes a combination of protective skill building and individual support. The School’s efforts align with recommendations made in the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2021 public health advisory on teen mental health. Learn more about how Shipley supports student mental health.
To know Betsy Leschinsky (or Mrs. L, as the kids like to call her) is to love her. She is humble about her role in Shipley becoming a leader in social emotional learning, but Mrs. L’s sweet, gentle demeanor and small stature belie a giant in our community. Learn more about Shipley's beloved Lower School SEED Teacher, Betsy Leschinsky.
Ninth grade marks a special milestone that presents a host of different challenges. To more effectively meet students’ needs and ensure that they will thrive within the classroom and beyond, Shipley revamped its advisory program by forming a specialized team to guide ninth graders through this transitional time.
Chris Lengthorn, Shipley's Director of Squash, dedicates his career to pursing two simple goals: to bring squash to the people and help them achieve whatever their definition of success may be. "I teach students how to manage setbacks and overcome adversity through hard work, discipline and resilience." Learn more about Coach Lengthorn in this Q&A.
“New” traditions can mirror those from the past. And while times may have changed, the goal remains the same: To create a sense of belonging, connection, and school spirit. Learn about two "new" 2022-2023 school year initiatives aimed at generating more school spirit across the divisions.
When Helen “Honey” Beuf ’78 lost her daughter to suicide, she turned her grief into action. Working with a good friend who is a movie producer, Honey and her other daughter, Tess, decided to produce a documentary film called My Sister Liv. In making the film, Honey says she became aware of unmet needs of kids in learning about suicide prevention and mental health.
Carter Barnhart ’10 is the co-founder and CEO of Charlie Health, with the goal of providing high-quality, personalized mental health treatment to a broader population through a virtual intensive outpatient program (IOP) that combines group, individual, and family therapy sessions delivered entirely online. In 2022, Carter was named to Inc. Magazine’s Female Founders 100 list for her work to rapidly grow Charlie Health.
This beloved former French teacher and Admissions Director retired from Shipley in 2009 after 32 years of serving in various teaching and administrative roles. Having served on the Boards of Church Farm School and Benchmark School, Mr. Coleman is back at Shipley as a member of the Board of Trustees.
Shipley is lucky to have two of its own at the helm of a re-energized Alumni Engagement Office after a two-year hiatus from hosting regional and major events. Aly Mason ’07 took over the role of Director in September 2022, joining Assistant Director Ali Schwartz ’10 in the shared endeavor of connecting with alumni of all ages through robust alumni programming.
Jenny Rieg Gellert ’99 attended Shipley for 12 years. While she was a student, she served as captain of the field hockey and lacrosse teams, was Yearbook Editor, and served on the social committee. After graduating from Trinity College, Jenny taught at schools in New York City and the Philadelphia suburbs for 13 years.
Middle School STEAM teacher John Harris thrives on the moments when information becomes crystallized in a student’s mind: “It could be any subject, any day, any project, but it’s rewarding to see them become confident enough to then teach that knowledge to someone else.” An engineer before he came to Shipley, Mr. Harris's background informs his everyday interactions with students. Learn more about Mr. Harris.
As founder and Chief Executive Officer of Keiki Capital, Dan Lichtenberg ’99 marries his technical and financial expertise with his passion for developing creative solutions to global problems—global warming and climate change, food and water insecurity, income and wealth inequality—and transforming data into actionable intelligence.
Shipley is proud to announce the publication of three critically acclaimed books by alumnae authors, including Echoes from Wuhan: The Past as Prologue by Gretchen Dykstra ’66, Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Kirby Dark ’71, and Roll Red Roll by Nancy Schwartzman ’93.
I love the feeling that the start of a new school year brings—the sense of possibility, the excitement, the hope (in some cases, the nerves). This year, that feeling is especially poignant because it feels, dare we say normal. Though challenges still exist, we have learned so much about how to live with COVID. As a result, and following a summer that emphasized having an actual summer, we begin the 2022-23 school year with what can best be described as a pre-pandemic sense of normalcy. This year, we are really going back to school.
In an era of polarized politics, social media echo chambers, and growing national division, teaching students how to respectfully challenge and discuss differing points of view is more important than ever. Using the Harkness Method as a form of assessment is one way that Shipley teachers are helping students learn how to engage in civil discourse—a skill in short supply these days.
The Interpreting Data for Art Installation course combined iterative design with data collection and analysis. Upper School teachers Wendy Eiteljorg ’86, Tania O’Donnell, and Elizabeth Zodda instructed students how to use data on multiple levels to interpret the world around them. For the class's final project, students chose to address climate change for their large-scale multi-media exhibit.
Some of our most memorable experiences as students are the ones teachers curate for us outside of the classroom. After two years of COVID restrictions, Shipley students and their teachers ventured out into the world during the 2021-2022 school year. Scroll through a slideshow of images from some of the trips.
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.