On Friday, students signed up for their first elective classes of the year. Just glancing at the list of offerings, you get a sense of the fun – yoga, crime scene investigation, backpacking, collage, cycling, songwriting, and rock climbing, to name just a few. But electives are about a lot more than fun.  Electives are also about choice. We know that choice is important to middle school students as they assert their independence in the world, and so we build choice into many different parts of our program, from electives to Exploration Week. We structure the sign-up…

The Hyla Board of Trustees is happy to officially announce that our Interim Head of School for the 2016-2017 school year is Paul Carroll (pictured here with is daughter, Colleen, and wife, Betsy). As many of you may know, Paul founded Hyla in 1993, and served as Head of School for the first fourteen years. The Board agrees unanimously that Paul is the right person to serve as Interim Head of School and to lead Hyla through this next year of transition – with passion for middle school education, with devotion to the Hyla mission, and with great depth of…

A Message from the Hyla Board   Dear Hyla Families and Friends, On Wednesday May 18, our Head of School, Vicki Jenkins, announced to the Hyla Board that she will not renew a contract at the end of this school year. Vicki has made the difficult decision to leave full-time work so that she can focus on health issues within her family. Please take a moment to read her thoughtful letter (below) explaining the nature and timing of her decision. Hyla has always supported its teachers and staff as individuals with vibrant lives, identities and responsibilities outside…

Mark your calendars for the Hyland Games! Sunday, May 15th from noon to 3 pm Click here for more details about this fun event.

With tremendous gratitude in our hearts for his long career at Hyla, we announce Kris Van Gieson’s retirement from teaching. Just as you would expect, Kris is already helping us through this transition with words of wisdom about change. For all who know and love him – and there are so very many of you – please take a moment to read his thoughtful letter to the Hyla community, and stay tuned for information about a celebration to honor his years of service to Hyla. Dear Hyla Families, I want to let you know that after twenty-one years at Hyla,…

Ultimate Frisbee has long been a core sport at Hyla. Over the years, many alumni have shared that Ultimate has given them a footing in life in often unexpected ways. Alumna Amy Allen told us, “I was introduced to Ultimate Frisbee at Hyla, and I credit Hyla for the opportunities I’ve had since college thanks to Ultimate.”  She went on to explain that when she moved to new places in her twenties, she always sought out the Ultimate clubs as a starting place for making friends and building community. Another Hyla grad, Conrad Zimney, wrote about…

Before Winter Break, we finished up 2015 with Mini-Term: an annual tradition when we break from the normal academic schedule for a 3-day intensive dive into one topic. We rotate topics every three years to examine social justice, the environment, and culture.  This December, our focus was on the environment. When we returned from Winter Break, we picked up where we left off. Students and teachers gathered in Room E to take another look at the hurricane we built during Mini-Term: a colorful swirl representing the causes (red), negative consequences (yellow), solutions (blue), and positive actions (green) related to global…

Two Hyla teachers, Kimberley Gorman-Trick and Laura Jones, will present at the ACEI Global Summit on Childhood to share Hyla’s methods for inspiring youth activism and leadership. When an international audience gathers next spring at the Global Summit on Childhood, hosted by the Association of Childhood Education International (ACEI), they will learn about Hyla: our culture, our teachers, and the many ways our students are learning to be leaders, global citizens, and change agents for social justice. Click here to read the full article.

Introducing the Jim Hamilton Fund for Teacher Excellence: A new professional development program for teachers. After a year of review of Hyla’s sabbatical program, the Board’s Personnel Committee introduced a new professional development program called the Jim Hamilton Fund for Teacher Excellence. With the goal of providing increased support to teachers to encourage their professional development, the committee explored more inclusive options and ultimately arrived at a plan that offers more frequent opportunities to more teachers. Whereas one teacher was eligible for funds every 2-3 years in the former sabbatical program, the new Fund is open to 4…

Today during Morning Meeting, faculty members briefly described their visions for this year’s mini-term explorations.  Yes, mini-term is a month away!  We are excited to start Tuesday afternoon, December 15th, 2015.  Our kick off will take place in Room E.  We are thrilled to welcome back Dana Lyons.  Dana is an activist and singer/songwriter from Bellingham, WA.  He travels the world speaking and singing about environmental issues and social justice.  He has been a part of three of our mini-terms in the past and is excited to be back this year.  Stay tuned for more information…