Middle School Outdoor Education Excitement

Middle School Outdoor Education Excitement

Emerald Mountain School kicked-off a new monthly outdoor education program for Middle School students this year. It all began with a day of dog-sledding and survival skills. Students built snow shelters and started fires in adverse conditions in the Flattops. They worked in teams and expanded their abilities to cooperate and learn from each other. Our second trip of the year focused on safety in the back country in winter, especially in avalanche conditions. Beacon training, snowshoeing, and cross country skiing figured prominently, and the students were treated to a surprise visit from a rescue helicopter. Each month, Emerald’s Middle School students have the opportunity to learn about the outdoors IN the outdoors. Aside from just being plain fun, these outdoor expeditions provide learning opportunities related to science, social-emotional development, survival skills, the environment, situational awareness, mindfulness, and working in teams. These monthly outdoor education experiences augment the intensive winter skills training that Emerald Middle School students will engage in during mid-February. For three days, students will camp in rustic conditions and learn to be self-reliant even in the most challenging conditions. The culminating event for our eighth grade students includes a six-hour solo wilderness experience where each student employs the winter survival skills (s)he has learned, practices mindfulness, and builds confidence. Through Emerald’s outdoor education program, students learn about themselves as they learn about the world around them and as each student pushes his or her limits.

Johnny Spillane: Passion for Learning Comes Full Circle

Passion for learning comes full circle

Opportunity. It comes up a lot in conversation with Johnny Spillane about his experience at Emerald Mountain School, both as a former student and, now, parent of a bright-eyed, energetic kindergartener ready for the world of learning. 

Johnny was one of the first students to walk through the doors of the school founded by his mother, Nancy Spillane, more than 20 years ago. He spent seventh and eighth grades here, nurtured by a personalized education that helped him excel academically as he pursued his athletic career in Nordic Combined skiing. 

A hometown Olympic champion, Johnny is also dad to Hadley and Genevieve. When it came time to send Hadley to kindergarten, Johnny and his wife Hilary knew they wanted it to be Emerald Mountain School. "It's been a unique opportunity to watch the school evolve and be able to send her here. It's a great school and, for me, the best option available."

Most notable in Johnny's years at Emerald were the small classes and phenomenal teachers, who allowed him to move at his pace academically and enjoy his favorite subjects, math and science. His education also helped prepare him for the outside world, fostering problem solving and the ability to work well with others. "It gives you the opportunity to succeed. I'm very excited to watch Hadley grow and learn here." 

What Makes Emerald Unique

What Makes Emerald Unique

It’s a great time for education in Steamboat, with multiple choices available at several schools. Steamboat’s newest option, a Montessori school, raises the question of what you will find, uniquely, at Emerald Mountain School.

At Emerald, we inspire passionate learners through personalization, close relationships with subject specialist teachers, and small class sizes. At Emerald you find academic excellence, confident learners, and community involvement and leadership.

Our students are held accountable to the highest academic standards in the country, making more than a year’s worth of progress during each year they attend Emerald. Small classes allow students to learn to advocate for themselves, and public speaking and performance opportunities teach them the communication skills to do so effectively.

The warm and family-like environment at Emerald gives students a sense of belonging which stimulates a desire to reach out and help others in both the school community and the wider Steamboat community.

Emerald & Montessori offer:

·         An alternative to traditional education

·         Mixed age (grade) classrooms

·         A focus on developing passionate lifelong learners

Emerald offers:

·         Structured curriculum: focus on strong academics personalized for each student

·         Child-centered approach to learning: Students find success and are challenged in ALL areas of the curriculum (vs. child-driven approach at Montessori)

·         Smaller class sizes: Emerald classes are capped at 18; 7 to 1 student/teacher ratio

·         Unique programming: art, music (strings), outdoor education

·         Passionate teachers who are subject specialists: teacher-student relationships are nurtured year after year

·         A philosophical emphasis on personal accountability as a member of the greater school, local, and global communities

·         A centralized location in the heart of town since 1993