Students choose from a variety of fun, focused, and in-depth courses.

Did you know that for the past 25 years, our Middle School students embark on exciting adventures during the week before spring break for the much beloved annual mini-courses? Students choose from a variety of fun, focused, and in-depth courses that combine hands-on field trips and classroom discussions. Courses give students the opportunity to delve deep and learn about their topic in a unique, unforgettable way.

Each year, the mini-courses evolve to fit current trends and students' interests. Our teachers offer something for everyone, reflecting their own skills and interests in art, technology, global cultures, music, science, the outdoors, sustainability, service learning, and more. In the past couple of years, we have added both domestic and international overnight trips too. See what's in store for 2020. Take a look!

Colloquium for the Common Good is an opportunity for students to engage in deep thinking around some of the most challenging and important social issues of our day. 

As an Episcopal Church school, St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes believes that we need to examine the way that “goodness”—key to the School’s mission—is manifested outside our campus. That is why we have a special day of learning at our Upper School the week of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. 

In preparation of Earth Day, Sunday April 22, I scoured the internet to gather some fun and easy activities perfect for pre-school, kindergarten and elementary school-aged children. With any luck, Mother Nature will cooperate by bringing the beautiful spring weather we're anxiously awaiting. And really, these are amazing nature-inspired family outdoor activities to enjoy any day of the year.

I overheard a parent remark about her fourth grader’s curriculum, “I can’t expect my kids to get what the Amazon Rainforest is, if they don’t even know where the Potomac River is!”

I agree with her.

Our children need to understand the places and the processes within their community before they can comprehend the challenges that lie beyond it.  Children learn the best in the places they have experienced first-hand.