The Gurian Institute is proud to welcome Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School (VDOH) to our family of Gurian Institute Model Schools!   Located in St. Louis, MO, VDOH is an independent, Catholic school in the Sacred Heart tradition.  To visit the school online, please click: http://www.vdoh.org.  Michael Gurian visited the school and reported, “Catholic education has a long tradition of excellence, and Oak Hill carries that mantle powerfully.  Walking the grounds, meeting teachers, students, and parents, I was proud to be associated with this multi-cultural approach to student development.”

Principal of the Lower School, Oak Hill, Dr. Peter Schroeder, provided this testimonial:  “Since we began this Model School program a year ago, Oak Hill School has seen positive improvements in academic achievement and school culture, and increased teacher effectiveness and student engagement.  We believe that being designated a Gurian Model School will help us maintain our competitive edge in the St. Louis marketplace as an independent, Catholic school.  Our work with the Gurian Institute has helped us adapt our already powerful teaching model to provide excellence in our academic program-for both girls and boys.”

Today’s blog features more comments from Principal Schroeder, including his vision of the school and the program.  To learn more about the Gurian Model School program, please visit https://gurianinstitute.com/becoming-a-gurian-model-school/.

By integrating technology with the curriculum, we invite students to video conference with schools in Taiwan, take virtual field trips to Colonial America and email student “pen pals” in Israel. The international scope of Sacred Heart education fosters the global awareness vital for student success in the 21st century. These opportunities for exchange are stepping stones to developing cultural collaboration; language acquisition; and a broad, critical vision of the global marketplace. Education at Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School is never really complete, as it inspires students to explore the world long after their graduation.

As a school of excellence for both boys and girls, the faculty and staff have been interested in a variety of learning opportunities about gender-based educational approaches.  Through professional reading and research, our elementary school, Oak Hill, discovered that the insights of the Gurian Institute would be a good fit as we sought to deepen our professional development program for our teachers, staff, and parents on the gender-specific needs of boys and girls. Trusting the Gurian research and methodology, we asked Michael Gurian to come to our school.  After his visit, the teachers and staff elected to implement additional training from Gurian Institute, with Master Trainer Dakota Hoyt, as well as trainer certification, online courses, and other elements of the Gurian Model School program.

I highly recommend this training and programming to other schools.  It is designed to encourage both boys and girls in their learning and achievement.  It provides tools for girls’ development and STEM success, as well as an understanding of the social pressures girls face and the, sometimes, tense social interactions.  The training also explores the spectrum of boys’ behavior in the classroom and assists with understanding as well as promoting boys’ academic motivation all while encouraging positive social emotional development.  It also an opportunity for collaboration and partnership between teachers and parents to understand the needs of children from within the very powerful gender lens.

Since we began this program a year ago, Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School has seen positive improvements in academic achievement and school culture, and with increased teacher effectiveness and student engagement.  We believe that being designated a “Gurian Model School” will help us maintain our competitive edge in the St. Louis marketplace as an independent, Catholic school.  Our work with the Gurian Institute has helped us adapt our already powerful teaching model to provide excellence in our academic program-for both girls and boys.

   –Dr. Peter M. Schroeder, Oak Hill Principal, 2019.  Please visit:  www.vdoh.org.