“At Stone, we believe that education is more than a list of credits and a carefully curated college activities list. We believe that it’s just as important for a student to graduate feeling a sense of intellectual identity and selfhood as it is to be prepared for the demands and authentic assessment of the job force and prepared to thrive in a college setting without the safety nets of early adolescence. “

“Whenever I ask people in my life what learning looks like, I notice that I seem to get a certain kind of answer: ‘I know I’ve learned something when I can do it without help.’  ‘I know I’ve learned something when I can do it in front of other people.’  Or: ‘I know I’ve learned something when I can teach it to someone else.’  Or: “‘ know I’ve learned something when I can use that skill to make something new.’”

“There is near consensus on this perspective.  In a 20023 Forbes magazine article titled, “From Jobs to Skills: What The Future of Work Will Look Like”, Matthew Daniel, Senior Principal at Guild, comments: “Skills have never mattered more...When employers hire based on skills, rather than things like degree requirements, they create a more diverse and tailored talent pool, driven by insights — which is absolutely necessary to keep up with the pace of change.”"

“In the Middle School, a shadow student might start the day off with a creative exercise in Chinese Language, and also take part in that House Competition, before working with other 8th grade students to create data sets that track migration in STEAM 8, then shift toward Algebraic equations in Math 8, then spend an hour outside for lunch (yep: our lunch break is a full hour) and end the day with improv games in Theatre 8.”