At The Wilson School, the word ‘excellence’ has a special ring. The school launched its Excellence Program 10 years ago, thanks to a generous donation from school grandparents Hal and Catherine Faught. The $2 million gift is the single largest of its kind given to an elementary school in Missouri history and supports four key areas—faculty development, programming, library and community.
“Do everything with a spirit of excellence was the Fau
ghts’ mantra, and we live by it every day,” says head of school Thad Falkner, referring to the school’s wealth of resources and its investment in teachers. Wilson, he says, spends more than most area schools on professional development. Members of the staff are encouraged to attend national and regional conferences whenever possible, and in-house professional training is commonplace. In terms of community excellence, a portion of program funding also is used for a speakers’ series of nationally renowned experts who talk to the school community as a whole about issues like parenting, character education and digital citizenship.
The donation also has allowed Wilson to form unique partnerships in the wider St. Louis community: Faculty and students from Washington University come on a weekly basis to work one-on-one with students; educators from the Saint Louis Zoo bring live animals for kindergarteners to study; and the zoo partners with upper grades on conservation efforts.
Falkner says the funding also has taken the library to new heights. It now exceeds industry standards and has doubled the number of books per student over what is recommended, with close to 60 per child. Continually refreshed, the collection contains the most up-to-date information, as well as new fiction and classics. And since the library receives around 1,000 new books annually, Wilson is able to make significant donations of books to other area elementary schools. “The library is the academic hub of the school,” Falkner says, “and plays a central role in so much that we do.”
Another pillar of Wilson education is the Caring Community, a program for the upper grades that focuses on the social and emotional well-being of students. “Teen stress levels can be higher than adults’, and we want to prepare our students and give them strategies for a stressful world,” Falkner says. To this end, local mindfulness expert Meg Krejci teaches kids ways to manage their emotional energy through breathing and creative movement. In addition, developmental and behavioral pediatrician Dr. Tim Jordan and wife Anne visit the school several times a year to deliver a program called Strong Student, Strong World, which focuses on healthy relationships, group dynamics and maintaining self-esteem.
“We know we have to help students exist in the world, to move among people of different races and backgrounds,” Falkner explains, adding that nearly 30 percent of Wilson School families have at least one parent born outside the U.S. “With this program, we are uniquely positioned to help children understand each other and collaborate across cultures,” he says.
Pictured: Teachers Debbie Wilhelms and Linda Noel in the library
Photo: Tim Parker Photography
The Wilson School is an independent, coeducational, preparatory school for students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. Its Excellence Program, celebrating 10 years, supports four key areas: Faculty development, programming, library and community. Pictured on the cover: Dr. Tim and Anne Jordan engage children in their ‘Strong Student, Strong World’ program. For more information, call 314.725.4999 or visit wilsonschool.com.
Cover design by Julie Streiler | Cover photo by Tim Parker Photography
