The first thing that will strike you upon arriving at Wakefield School is the setting. Astonishingly beautiful even at first glance, over time the vistas become a subtle reinforcement of the broad perspective of a classical education.
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n a warm day, evidence of the breadth of the experience may appear before you leave your car. You might see fifth graders spread along the sidewalks working on applications of Newtonian physics; sophomores taking advantage of the breezeway to practice their lines for "The Raven"; advanced art students with their sketch boards perched on the fieldstone walls, trying to capture the Piedmont with charcoal and paper.
Inside, classroom appearances are more traditional, but the dialogue is no less exciting—it is the give-and-take between students and teachers that is the core of Wakefield. Whether it's a First Amendment debate in AP Government, a seventh grader in deep thought trying to design the experiment that will answer his questions, or the seniors debating Joseph Campbell's theories in their aptly-nicknamed literature course, "The Meaning of Life," Wakefield students are challenged to think about and with the material they are learning, and to seek not just answers, but further questions.
The range and diversity of non-academic activities is equally remarkable, as students launch their new TV station, manage the school’s recycling, field championship sports teams, produce the online newspaper and nationally-recognized literary/art magazine, participate in service work, or just enjoy the weekly convening of the Ping Pong Club.
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This is a school where precise, original thinking, effective, disciplined expression, and first-rate effort are all fundamental learned habits. This is also a community of possibilities. On this hilltop, with this faculty of teachers, coaches, and advisers, our students learn there is very little they can't do when they put their minds to it.