Philosophy

Academic News...

Michael Wu ’08 continues a winning tradition for Hotchkiss

Roberta Jenckes

For the third consecutive year a Hotchkiss student has earned a scholarship in the national competition sponsored by the Siemens Foundation.
Brad Lightcap ’08 wins national writing competition

Roberta Jenckes

The Hotchkiss senior has been selected as the 2007 winner of the annual writing competition sponsored by The Cum Laude Society, a high school academic honorary society.
"Who Killed Mr. Oberto?" An experiment in forensic science

A crime had been committed, the outline of a body was on the floor of Mr. Oberto’s classroom, and one of the students gathered for the in-school forensic science “field trip” was the "perpetrator." In a series of experiments supervised by Dr. Wen Li from the Center for Molecular Biology at Smith College, students set out to uncover the criminal.
"The Apology of Socrates" performed to great effect

Brenda Underwood

In a winter brightened frequently by high-impact events, students were treated to one especially memorable evening -- a performance of Plato’s The Apology of Socrates by Emmy Award-winning Yannis Simonides.

Learning at Hotchkiss: Advising, Faculty, Courses, and More

: As one student says, “You get rigor, but more important, you get fascination.”

Academics at Hotchkiss reflect our mission to inspire a lifelong love of learning in each and every student. Asked what most defines the learning experience, our students and faculty quickly arrive at the word “rigor.” Everyone works hard, but at the end of the day, there’s a feeling of exhilaration. As one student says, “You get rigor, but more important, you get fascination.”

One of the first things you’ll notice about our classes: students and teachers are genuinely caught up in the excitement and momentum of learning. Our average class size is 12, and the learning environment is intimate, interactive, and inclusive. Most humanities classes, for example, are taught around oval seminar tables, which results in animated discussions and active learning. In all of our classes, students have opinions. They speak up. They disagree. They learn from their teachers—and from one another.

By design, the academic program at Hotchkiss is both flexible and broad: each student works closely with an advisor to plan a balanced program of study. Since we know our students well, we can guide them in the direction that best fits their interests, ambitions, and passions. We offer a curriculum designed to prepare students for the rigors and rewards of college, community, and life.

What do our students achieve with a Hotchkiss education? Recent graduates attend colleges and universities throughout the nation and even abroad. Older alumni have found success in a wide range of career fields including the arts, public service, medicine, industry, and education. More to the point, they are making the choices that are best for them.

Academic Advising

To help students make the best choices from the wide array of opportunities at Hotchkiss, we have an advising system that puts each student in frequent contact with a faculty advisor. Almost every Hotchkiss teacher serves as an advisor. Initially, we match students and advisors, but students are also free to choose their own. In most cases, though, student and advisor are together from the student’s first days at Hotchkiss through graduation.

Advisors are often the adults students rely on most: the person who will encourage you to try creative writing even though chemistry has always been your thing, the person who brings affection as well as expectations to all your interactions. Together, advisor and student plan an academic and extracurricular program that fits a student's interests, meets diploma requirements, and puts the student in the best possible position for college applications. Advisors are also the key link in Hotchkiss’ partnership with parents, keeping them informed, and helping them to resolve any issue or concern.