Frequently Asked Questions

WHY A MIDDLE SCHOOL?
If you could go back in time and relive any period of your life, would you choose your middle school years? Not many would. These pre-adolescent and early adolescent years are generally considered very difficult years socially and emotionally. It is a time of significant changes: the physical body; the adult expectations; the structure of the academic day; peer group norms; the way the brain thinks. It is a time of sudden self-doubt: I am stupid; I am ugly; nobody likes me; I can’t play. It is a time when a desire to please Mom and Dad takes a back seat to a desire to please peers because, above all, these young people have a need to be accepted by peers.

Too often, however, middle school students are caught in the middle between elementary schools that provide nurturance and smaller size on the one hand and high schools that provide greater freedom and responsibility on the other. Too many middle school students fail to leave eighth grade with self-confidence, a quality that is as necessary for success in high school and beyond as is academic preparation.

Seacoast Academy is designed to be different. It will be a haven for pre-adolescents and adolescents. It will be designed specifically with their unique needs in mind. We will challenge their minds, nurture their psyches and build their self-confidence.

WHY EPISCOPAL?
Episcopal schools have a well-deserved reputation for academic excellence. There are over 1,000 Episcopal schools in the country, and they are among the elite of private schools. Right here in New Hampshire are examples such as St. Paul’s, Holderness, and White Mountain. In nearby Massachusetts there is St. Mark’s and Groton, while Rhode Island is home to St. George’s and Connecticut to Kent School and Salisbury.

There is a large and strong national organization, the National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES), that provides advocacy, publications, professional resources and professional development in support of school leaders to all Episcopal schools, big and small, start-ups and long-established. One trustee attended the Association’s National Conference last year. Three members of our board recently spent a day with the Executive Director of the National Association of Episcopal Schools and the current Head of St. Paul’s School is on our Board of Advisors. One of our trustees is also a trustee of St. Paul’s School. Thus, we have already established strong ties to these important organizations.

But what Episcopal schools offer that other excellent independent schools, even other faith-based schools, do not is a unique spiritual component. This uniqueness is found in the fact the Episcopal schools use a decidedly Christian spiritual foundation in which to celebrate all religions. Thus, it is not the goal of Episcopalian schools, or Seacoast Academy, to promote Episcopalianism. Rather, we promote spiritual inquiry and companionship with God. We want our graduates to leave Seacoast Academy with faith in strongly held values regardless of what religious beliefs they hold.

WHY SMALL?
There is ample evidence that a critical element of quality education is small class size. Additionally, a small school allows every student to be a known quantity by all teachers and adults. Small classes and a small school allows the Seacoast Academy to be a truly family-like community where all students receive the individual attention that they need and deserve in order to develop to their fullest potential.

Academically, small classes provide teachers with better opportunities to develop the critical academic skills necessary for success in high school and beyond: reading, writing, math, study skills and critical thinking skills. These skills are not confined to just one or two academic disciplines but are taught across all subjects. The development of these skills, in turn, allows our teachers to academically challenge students at a higher level.

In and out of the classroom, our smallness allows every student to share in the spotlight and to benefit from the self-confidence that comes with positive attention.

Finally, a small school with small classes means that Seacoast Academy has the ability to develop outstanding students who are also outstanding individuals. In fact, we confidently state that if we only graduate excellent students we are not doing our job.

WHY INDEPENDENT?
Seacoast Academy will be an independent school. By definition, this means a school that is governed free from any outside organization or agency. This includes religious organizations including the Episcopal Church. This means that, while we will adhere to Principles of Good Practice for Episcopal Schools and will have the blessing of the Diocese of New Hampshire, an independent, self-perpetuating Board of Trustees will govern Seacoast Academy as a 501 c(3) not-for-profit organization.

In this regard, it is important to point out that all independent schools are private but not all private schools are independent. And the distinction is in governance. Some private schools are owned by individuals or corporations. Some private schools are governed by a religious organization. These schools are not independent because they are not governed by a independent board of trustees whose sole mission is the long-term viability of that one school.

It is because of our independence that Seacoast Academy can insure continued academic excellence. Unencumbered by the rules and regulations of outsiders, the administration and faculty of the school, with approval of the Board of Trustees, can create a program tailored to our school’s Mission and our students’ needs.

This does not mean that there is a lack of accountability. The school will apply for accreditation by the Association of Independent Schools of New England, an organization that will carefully and regularly evaluate the school to insure that we deliver what we promise. Additionally, Seacoast Academy will track students’ performance on standardized tests and in high school as a means of evaluating our curriculum and making changes as necessary. We will frequently seek feedback, both formally and informally, from parents.

Ultimate accountability for Seacoast Academy, however, will lie exactly where it should: in the hands of the school’s families. As with any free enterprise venture, Seacoast Academy will succeed because we will provide a needed service with value at a fair price.

SEACOAST ACADEMY
an independent middle school