Mul-ti-di-men-sion-al
First, to preface the story I have to give credit to Sam Scheinman, Portledge Class of 2010, who is now studying at Cornell University. Sam is the one who first referred to Portledge as a place of “multidimensionality” in our 2010 yearbook, Collage. And it got me to thinking. I have been working at Portledge for over a decade, and we as a school are always looking for ways to be both descriptive and concise in articulating who we are, and here, in one stroke of creativity, Sam hit it on the head—Portledge is Multidimensional!
So what does it mean? To me, it starts with the Portledge academic program. Portledge is a school that spans the development of two-year olds first venturing into pre-nursery and extends all the way to our seniors who matriculate into top colleges and universities. The complete school that we are, allows us to offer something that is truly unique, a comprehensive college prep curriculum that is vertically integrated and develops students with 21st century skills from day one through to graduation. The academic program is rooted in our core curriculum which focuses on advancing each student’s ability to read critically, write eloquently, speak confidently, and work collaboratively. The student experience is enhanced at Portledge with the inclusion of art, music and athletics as part of the educational program, and expert instruction that broadens student perspective and helps each of them to find passions both in and beyond of the classroom.
Multidimensional describes the people of Portledge as well. The faculty at Portledge serve as teachers, coaches, mentors, and partners in education with the students, helping them grow to be people of character. But it is the students themselves who best represent this concept. The Portledge student body is diverse in the students’ cultural background, geography, interests, talents, and abilities. Yet the student body is unified under a common theme: their love for Portledge. The students here are happy! And this joy of school generates spirit and energy, creating a culture of involvement and participation. (Get the inside scoop from our
Student Bloggers.) The Portledge community is one of our greatest strengths. Here people take a personal interest in each other. Serra Sozen, Portledge Class of 2018, noted in her 2011
“Moving Up Day” speech that “(at Portledge) we have an inseparable bond between us, and we treat each other like family.”
Finally, there is our campus, the place our students often refer to as “home”. Our 60 acre campus, located on the North Shore of Nassau County, provides us a multidimensional space for the early childhood to take nature walks, serves as a source of inspiration for our artists, is the home to some of the best natural athletic fields in the metropolitan area for our athletes, and is a safe environment where full attention can be on learning and growing.
So, Sam Scheinman, thanks for providing me with the single word that speaks to the Portledge experience! And I invite you to give me a call, set up an appointment and come
visit Portledge School to see firsthand the multidimensionality of our school.
Sincerely,
Michael Coope (
mcoope@portledge.org)
Director of Admissions