The Seven Hills School is providing the very type of education that Lamorinda parents truly want for their children – a curriculum that’s based on character development, and rich in discussions and activities that encourage curiosity, exploration, discovery, risk-taking, expression, empathy and action. LamorindaWeb tells you how and why The Seven Hills School offers Lamorinda’s young learners the very best education available.
January is such a reflective time of year. It’s all about New Year’s resolutions, a chance at a fresh start, an opportunity to reshape, retool and refine.
Unless, of course, you’re The Seven Hills School.
This decades-old independent school is already a well-oiled machine. No reshaping, retooling or refining needed. It is a standout of a school, a Walnut Creek institution that does so much more than provide a “standard” education. Indeed, The Seven Hills School fosters well-rounded students who excel not just in academics, but all aspects of life.
The school’s mission is “to develop the intellect, engage the spirit and foster respect for, and responsibility to, our world.” It’s a mission that The Seven Hills School knows is best presented at the get-go. That is, what and how children learn during even their very earliest years will shape who they become and what they accomplish in life.
Many of these young learners are here in Lamorinda. And while many young families find a good fit in their neighborhood schools, The Seven Hills School is close, too, and is providing the very type of education that Lamorinda parents truly want for their children – a curriculum that’s based on character development, and rich in discussions and activities that encourage curiosity, exploration, discovery, risk-taking, expression, empathy and action. In short, The Seven Hills School offers Lamorinda’s young learners the very best education available.
Past, Present and Future
“This is our 49th year in business, so next year will be our 50th anniversary,” Headmaster William H. Miller proudly declared. “We have so many wonderful alums out there, a lot of families that we’ve touched. This marks a significant milestone in our history.”
It’s a history that the school plans to formally recognize next year – complete with graduates warmly welcomed back.
“We want to have a nice, big celebration,” Miller explained.
Naturally, current students, their families and staff will be a part of the celebration, too – they are the people who continue to make The Seven Hills School what it is – a popular independent, non-profit day school favored by many East Bay families for its ability to so aptly teach preschool through eighth grade children.
2011-2012 enrollment stands at 384, spread between the Preschool program, the Lower School (K-5) and Middle School (Grades 6, 7 and 8).
“We have about 38 full time teachers who are delivering education in the classroom,” added Miller. “We also have classroom assistants and specialists in our music and foreign language subjects. We have 2 librarians, physical education teachers, applied music teachers and after school teachers. We have a big group of support specialists and extended daycare staff.”
Do the math and Miller thinks any parent would be impressed by a student-to-staff ratio that encapsulates the school’s emphasis on quality education.
“We make a commitment,” he stressed, “to having librarians, quality curriculum, specialists in foreign languages, and directing resources into the classroom.”
Miller speaks with the wisdom and insight he’s cultivated in a nearly 40-year career in education, including 20 years at The Seven Hills School.
He’s been immersed in education nearly as long as The Seven Hills School has been in operation – though few may realize the school’s history hasn’t always been rooted in the bucolic rolling hills where it lies today.
The institution’s earliest days were in Orinda as the St. Stephen’s School, so named by an Episcopal bishop. A few years later, a benefactor had the great insight to snag a sprawling piece of land for sale above Heather Farm Park. A brief experiment as the English-inspired “Canterbury School” gave way a few years later to the independent day school operating today.
“Apparently there was a contest to re-name the school, and it just so happens that we’re sitting on the Seven Hills Ranch,” Miller spun the tale of the school’s history. “So it wasn’t a big leap to make it The Seven Hills School.”
The contest was well before Miller’s tenure began, though he has heard his fair share of folklore, including a rumor that “Peacock Hall” was also in the running.
These days, the name of the school is firmly ensconced in the minds of local parents who are in search of a superior education for their children.
“I like to think our school sells itself,” opined Miller. “When parents come and visit and see what’s happening in the classroom, they walk away thinking ‘Wow, I’m so impressed by the kids and how happy they are.’”
Pursuit of Happiness – And Much More
Visiting parents may take notice of the happy kids on campus, but it’s par for the course for Miller and his stellar team of educators. He would have it no other way.
“We focus on our teachers,” Miller said. “We’ve put the stake in the ground and say that we want great teachers at this school. And we put time, energy and effort into our teachers’ professional development opportunities.”
“That sets us apart. We’re aggressive about that,” he said. “And so we get people who are excited and feel like they’re being supported. The people who work here love it. And that creates a nice environment.”
“We like to say that we’re a learning environment, and the learning by the students is only reflected by teachers as learners as well,” explained Karen Malin, Head of Lower School (K-5). “Not just keeping on top of new curriculum and trying new things but also as models for the students, because they are continually learning.”
Miller reasons that the students like knowing that their teachers are students themselves.
“When the teachers, staff, the headmaster are learners, too, it improves the environment and atmosphere. What could be more important and positive?”
Part of that positive energy comes from The Seven Hills School defining itself as a “professional learning community.”
“About five years ago we started to really look at our learning community,” Malin recalled. “We were collegial and everybody got along and we would meet and talk and share ideas, but it wasn’t a structure of being real collaborators. There’s a difference between collegiality and collaboration.”
Malin immersed herself in research, conferences and training seminars, and started a dialogue on campus about what the teachers wanted for themselves, professionally.
“It’s just amazing what has evolved from that,” Malin enthused. “We started working cross-grade. For instance, our teachers’ learning communities will have somebody from a preschool classroom, Middle School, and a P.E. teacher. In the beginning the teachers didn’t see how such different subjects could benefit one another.”
“So we started really training the teachers on how to collaborate,” she continued. “It’s not instinctive. You get together but you need to know how to get the most out of the conversation.”
That means sharing lesson plans – yes, preschool and P.E. swapping lesson plans – giving feedback and looking for ways to cross-teach.
“You have to integrate subject matter,” echoed Head of Middle School and Assistant Headmaster, Scott Espinosa-Brown. “That’s the hallmark of a Seven Hills education. I don’t want these children to learn in isolation. That’s not the 21st Century. That’s not any century we’ve ever been in, truthfully. Everything is crossing over. That’s what we expect of our students, how to apply what they’re learning in each class and bring it to the next.”
Espinosa-Brown, who in addition to administrative duties does his share of classroom instruction, delights in seeing his students connect the dots between classrooms.
“The crossover from subject area to subject area is great,” he remarked.
In fact, he recently set the wheels in motion when he taught an Ancient World History class on King Tut. Was the boy pharaoh cursed?
“The kids then go to the science teacher, who’s passionate about his side of the subject. So the children have to synthesize the information, they do additional research, even. For me, when that type of spark goes off, that’s a pretty special time for any educator.”
Crafting the Curriculum
Given the school’s emphasis on subject-to-subject synergy, curriculum planning counts.
“We have a scope and sequence that we follow,” Malin explained. “We take state and national standards as a starting point and reach from there. Sometimes the standards are asking kids to do things that we think aren’t really developmentally appropriate. We look at that and we base our curriculum on those standards and much more.”
“It’s not just about content but about teaching students how to learn,” she said. “Teaching children to be excited about being students. Teaching them it’s OK to take a risk. Maybe it doesn’t always work out so well. What do you do? Go back and look at it differently.”
“It’s important to teach children how to think,” she continued. “It’s not just about coming up with what the right answer is.”
“With curriculum, there are layers. There’s what you want kids to know, but there’s also how to interact, making connections. You want them to be able to make inferences and predictions. And then there are skills like looking for detail, thinking critically or being able to see things from a different point of view. It’s those kinds of things that really help kids learn,” she stressed.
By fourth grade, students at The Seven Hills School are mastering the art of an agenda book, too. These skills so expertly honed in the younger grades are put to good use in Middle School, where The Seven Hills School has an incredibly diverse lineup of classes that goes well beyond the standards: Restorative Justice, for instance, teaches students about the importance of conflict resolution.
“It’s one of the most important classes we teach,” declared Espinosa-Brown. “If we can get our students to understand themselves, their emotions, when they move to a larger group they can mediate conflicts that may arise. For them to understand that conflict is normal, to understand the conflict cycle, that’s huge.”
“We’re always talking about preparing our children for the next century, that’s a concept that’s gotten so much buzz. Number one, you had better be able to get along with people and function in a group,” Espinosa-Brown reasoned. “That’s all part of being an effective citizen in the 21st Century.”
The Seven Hills School doesn’t just teach leadership. The students practice it.
“We want to put these children in leadership positions,” Espinosa-Brown explained. “For instance, our 7th graders are trained to be peer mediators. Then once they become 8th graders, they can help younger students work through a conflict. There is some sage wisdom in 8th graders talking to 6th graders. They’ll listen to them, they want to emulate them.”
Crafting The Campus
Without question, a considerable amount of time is dedicated to mapping out the curriculum. But, Headmaster Miller isn’t just an educational architect – he’s something of a playground planner, too.
“I just think the environment you create should feel very positive,” he summed up the school grounds, which could aptly be described as an interactive campus.
“This is so intentional on our part, everything we’ve done,” Miller beams. “Not one time did we say ‘we need a building.’ We’ve always tried to ask ‘what is the program, what is it that the kids will be doing?’ And so design, all around the school, it’s about the students and enhancing their learning programs.”
“A great example is our preschool barnyard,” pointed out Miller. “We designed it so that children could work on their small and larger motor skills.”
That means places to dig and explore, discovering science through planting and gardening, and even pumping water out of a well.
Hunt Hall, a $7 million building project, is under construction, and will ultimately be a new learning environment for the Middle School students, complete with space for expressive arts like drama, photography, dance and technology.
“We felt that we needed a place where students could be on stage, have debates, give speeches, have an audience,” said Miller.
Students at The Seven Hills School aren’t just exercising their minds, mind you.
“When you read about what’s going on with the overall health of our society, it’s pretty scary. So, we really wanted to say, look, going forward, how can we create opportunities for our kids to be more health-conscious? So we’re putting in a huge climbing wall, which is not only fun but will also challenge kids to take risks. We’re going to have a wellness center with equipment where they can work on their cardiovascular health. We’ve expanded our gymnasium so we can meet the needs of our athletic teams to a greater extent,” Miller detailed.
The campus lends itself to down-time, too.
“We have a placed called The Knoll,” said Miller. “A place for reflection, a place where students can sit on rocks and read books or listen to music. We have the greatest views so we developed this area, it’s a magnificent place with tables and chairs, chess boards, a view of Mt. Diablo.”
“Our Yin/Yang Garden,” Miller continued, “includes a fountain area. It’s not an active place, it’s reflective.”
He describes the Yin/Yang Garden as one of the go-to places if an educator needs to help a student work through a problem or issue.
Miller is also proud of the F.A.O. Schwartz-like element of the playground: “a giant chess board,” he enthused. “It’s been a dream of mine for forever. I love chess and wanted to make it a part of our school.”
Parents Pitching In
Still, at first blush, the front of The Seven Hills School might look like most others – at least in the morning. Cars do line up curbside for drop-off. But, the cars aren’t necessarily pulling away from the curb right after drop-off.
“We not only invite parents on campus but we expect parents to be involved. When a family comes here, the parents get involved and engaged in the school in so many ways. We welcome it and we ask for it, and that helps to make our community vibrant,” explained Miller.
“This is not a school where we want parents to just drop their kids off and say goodbye,” echoed Espinosa-Brown.
Parent interviews are part of the school’s admissions process.
“We want to know that the family will be right for our community,” said Miller.
That means parents who are willing to get out of the car, so to speak, and be active on campus.
“Likeminded families who believe in the education we provide, that helps create our community,” Miller reasoned.
Asking About Admissions
It should come as no surprise, then, that the admissions process is such an important one.
“It takes a lot of time,” Miller said of the application period. “We’re making very important decisions about who comes to our school the following year.”
“It’s a job that we take extremely seriously and we spend a lot of time on it,” he stressed. “We work hard to figure out the best balance for our school. We want to know that the entire family is right for our community, will contribute their talents, thoughts, ideas and enthusiasm. Is their philosophy and what they want for their child within the same zone as our school? Here, we have likeminded families who believe in the education we provide, and that’s what makes our community.”
The Student Body Comes Full Circle
Meshed somewhere within all the pomp and circumstance of 8th grade graduation, the administration is able to gauge another successful year for The Seven Hills School.
“I think one of our most poignant moments is in the spring,” confirmed Espinosa-Brown. “We invite former students who are graduating from high school back to talk to our 8th graders about readiness. That’s one of our key ideas, we want them to be ready for the world.”
Miller and Espinosa-Brown are both quick to compliment their former students, who offer a wealth of information to the 8th graders. And it’s not just about the academics. The former students willingly field questions about all sorts of topics - peer pressure, social circles – all the great unknowns of high school.
“We ask them to reflect on their Seven Hills experience, their high school experience, their readiness. For 45 minutes, you can hear a pin drop,” Espinosa-Brown smiles. “To hear from our graduates, they’re turning to the 8th graders and telling them, “You’re ready.”
These returning alums reaffirm what it is that The Seven Hills School is doing – getting the students ready – not just for the next grade level, but for every stage of life. The school’s focus on the process of learning, from preschool through 8th grade, serves its students well. They will graduate 8th grade confident in their ability to participate and excel in their future academic adventures and the subsequent communities to which they’ll contribute.
The Seven Hills School. 975 North San Carlos Dr., Walnut Creek. (925) 933-0666.
sevenhillsschool.org
Photos courtesy of Seven Hills School.
