Welcome.

It’s an exciting time to be at Rowland Hall -- St. Mark’s School. This fall marks year two of our one-to-one laptop program in the Upper SChool.  While our first year of implementation went better than I could have imagined, we are only beginning to pursue the benefits of every student having such an amazing tool in his arsenal.   Click on my Blog page to read about ways teachers are using laptops in the classroom.

RHSM had a tremendous year in 2007-08 in many measurable ways.  For example, we won five 2A State athletic championships;  three of our students were finalists in the state vocal music competition, and we boasted the highest percentage National Merit Scholarship Finalists in the state again. 

That said, we don’t want to measure ourselves simply by trophies and accolades.  What makes a school like RHSM a wonderful environment are the faculty and the students. This year’s faculty is easily the strongest I’ve worked with in my five years here.  They are innovative, dedicated, and most importantly, caring professionals in their fields.  The students at RHSM are worldly and curious; they care about each other and give of themselves to the larger community.

In our first convocation of the year, I challenged the students to consider how each of them would contribute to our community.  On the athletic field?  The stage? In student government?  Equally importantly, who will be the one to ask the question in class no one else will ask?  Who will say to the new student eating alone in the cafeteria, “Hey, come over here and sit at our table.”  We are all privileged to work or study at a school like RHSM.  We have a responsibility to make our own positive mark every day.

From time to time I will post writings on education, links to presentations, and articles relevant to programs in the Upper School and thoughtful articles on education in general.

Currently on the site you can find articles about technology, the challenges of teaching for breadth v. depth, the evolving use of video games to teach -- including the game Peacemaker, that puts the “player” into a leadership role in the Isreali/Palestinian conflict, and a review of a new book The Overachiever, that chronicles the college application process for seven high school juniors and seniors at a school in Bethesda, Maryland.

I welcome your thoughts and comments on anything you find here that inspires you.  Email me at leethomsen@rhsm.org.