Welcome to Williams
The strength of our school’s community is grounded in our traditions with a commitment to innovation and learning that is transformational. The Williams School was founded on the premise that all children are to be challenged, engaged, and honored for their uniqueness. In fact, our motto is Honor Before Honors and it is held as the single most important feature of our interactions with one another.
In partnership with parents/guardians, The Williams School faculty and staff work to build upon our dynamic history while moving to new horizons. Our diversity, ambition, and creative accomplishments are grounded in our pursuit of Honor Before Honors.
The curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices at The Williams School are dynamic and based in developing each child’s potential for rigorous coursework. Learning is designed to honor the natural curiosity of our students. Purposeful questioning, student-centered teaching and learning methods, and authentic projects permeate every classroom from Kindergarten through grade eight. At Williams, student learning is designed to promote engagement, not competition, among our students. They learn by doing and not through passive or textbook-based lessons. A walk through our classrooms reveal:
- Classroom agreements for academic, social, and emotional collaboration developed by students.
- Goal setting and monitoring to see realistic, measurable personal and academic goals and working with teachers to plan, monitor, and assess progress toward those goals.
- Problem-based learning where students solve a real world problem applying knowledge and skills, developing deep understanding and advanced skills, in a meaningful and authentic way.
- Project-based learning where students are creative producers finding and solving problems of interest to make a positive impact for others.
- Creative Problem Solving where students use a variety of creative thinking methods for generating ideas that solve a problem and then using varied critical thinking methods to narrow their ideas to what they consider the best solution.
- Inquiry and investigation across the curriculum to develop advanced skills and to formulate deep understanding about the world around them.
- Teachers as facilitators of learning where students are active, engaged, and supported.
- Traditions at the The Williams School include a commitment to service and community engagement. We are proud that our students engage in The Presidential Volunteer Service Award Program where they make a difference in our school, Commonwealth, nation, and throughout the world. From our youngest Owls to our graduating eighth graders, the entire community actively engages in service to use our gifts and talents to make a difference for others.
- Learning at Williams extends beyond the classroom as students participate in a variety of expeditions to develop the mind, heart, and soul. From weekly Kindergarten outings to explore our wider world to camping adventures for our sixth and seventh graders to extended expeditions by our eighth graders, our students develop an understanding of the environment and global citizenship. Travel extends the teaching and learning in the classroom to help students grow, explore, take risks, and work collaboratively. Expeditionary learning is an integral part of the student experience at The Williams School.
I am the proud Head of School at The Williams School, and I invite you to consider its potential as a best fit for your child(ren). We are open, inclusive, dynamic, and committed to our strong traditions and the creation of a bold and vibrant future.
Kelly A. Hedrick, Ed.D.
