Cambridge School of Weston
“Meaningful Discourse”
At a recent all-school assembly, students, faculty and staff engaged in a deep and meaningful discussion about what The Cambridge School of Weston means to them as individuals and as a community.
One young woman stepped forward and said, “At CSW, there is the opportunity to question, listen and learn, and to discover what we are passionate about.“ Another student said, “ We aren’t here to prepare for life, we’re already engaged in life.“
Assemblies, along with our town meetings, are a microcosm of everything we do. They are workshops. They are classrooms. They offer an opportunity for creative problem solving and finding your voice. The quality discourse unfolds over an hour together — and over the course of the school year. All voices are heard and all voices are equal. The environment is collaborative and democratic, and it is at the root of our identity.
When talking about our school, students used phrases and words that resonated with them, words such as “courage,“ “innovation,“ “commitment,“ “humility” and “action.“ These are all powerful words spoken by our students about CSW and their education.
Engagement like this is ingrained in our school culture. At CSW, faculty and students work together to build a dynamic and comprehensive curriculum that is responsive to emerging and interdisciplinary topics. Our program de-emphasizes memorization and rote learning, focusing instead on process and spirited classroom exchange. Active, participatory learning is central to the CSW experience. Students connect with course content in personally meaningful ways through debate, hands-on experiences, laboratories, studios, rehearsals, service-based learning, collaborative projects and off-campus research. Faculty are skilled mentors, getting to know each student and offering constructive guidance in addition to evaluating student work through grades and narrative comments.
Another student said, " We aren't here to prepare for life, we're already engaged in life."
Each department seeks to go beyond facts, formulas and equations to develop liberal arts skills that can be applied to any subject or experience. Teachers challenge students to read critically, consider multiple perspectives, challenge assumptions and analyze and interpret complex information. Creativity and collaboration are emphasized in all areas of the curriculum. Students reveal their best work through a process of feedback and revision. They become clear and powerful writers and communicators.
Our Module System, also known as the Mod Plan, has been a cornerstone of our distinctive academic approach since 1973. Offering an innovative structure for our academic program, the Mod Plan allows for intense focus and impressive breadth. With a fascinating array of artistic and academic subjects covered in more than 300 class offerings, students have countless opportunities to explore their passions. Students work with their advisor and the Academic Office to create an individualized schedule that allows for the development and refinement of skills, exploration of interests, and completion of foundation requirements. Having only three academic classes at a time allows for more focus, which ultimately leads to deeper learning.
Today’s increasingly global and interconnected society demands fluency in multiple disciplines and perspectives, the ability to see connections where they are not readily apparent, and the capacity to distill meaning from complexity. The development of these skills is emphasized in every department and everything we do at CSW.