My notes from a recent visit to  The Winchendon School…

I didn’t expect to be so taken by the beautiful campus; beyond beauty, the campus boasts a golf course, new academic building and  new ice hockey rink. The student body appears very diverse and multicultural.

Winchendon is working to expand the strength of its boys athletics to it’s girls teams. Boys athletics sports strong PG programs in boy’s soccer, basketball and ice hockey. The school will have a girl’s ice hockey team for the first time this year.

Academics are influenced by Ted Sizer’s principles of the Coalition of Essential Schools, with “teachers as coaches, students as workers.” The curriculum emphasizes individual skill building, team effort and positive reinforcement.

Students seem happy and focused! Students with learning difference could be very successful academically at Winchendon through the support of their daily tracking and grading system. John Kerney seems a great new Head of School who has made some good changes and will make some more.

Photo credit: The Winchendon School