Intentional Community
We believe education is about relationships—with each other and with ideas. Connecting and collaborating play key roles in learning at The Northwest School. We create opportunities for upper and middle schoolers to come together with common goals and a shared purpose. Working side by side with upper schoolers, younger students have the benefit of positive role models, while the older students get the chance to mentor and lead. International and domestic students collaborate on classroom and social service projects. Everyone gains a sense of belonging and responsibility to the community they’re building together.
A sense of membership in the larger, all-school community comes from attending weekly Community Meetings together.
All-school celebrations foster strong bonds between upper and middle schoolers and domestic and international students.
Lunch is a time for connection and community. Faculty and students from all grades come together for delicious food and conversation.
Students from Upper School and Middle School work together in teams to clean the school four times a week.
We're all students. We're all teachers.
Community Meeting is one of the hallmarks of The Northwest School experience. During the academic year, all students and faculty meet every Wednesday for announcements, presentations and performances.
Middle Schoolers eat with all grades and faculty, participate in all-school celebrations, and join students from every grade on overnight skiing, biking, hiking, and kayaking trips.
Four times a week, the Environment Program brings students together in teams led by seniors to clean and care for the entire campus and our surrounding neighborhood. They take care of recycling in all buildings and maintain the gardens and the sport court. During this regular cleaning, students develop responsibility for their own environment, and Upper Schoolers gain leadership skills as team leaders.