Upper School at Wheeler
Students in Wheeler’s Upper School of Grades 9-12 embrace academic challenges, take risks, work hard and find joy while doing all of the above! Our students are high achievers who know how to collaborate. They are confident public speakers who are also good listeners. They know relationships matter while they are finding their own voice. Each is prepared to take the next steps to college and life.
Our Philosophy
It is our belief that giving students (that’s you!) the opportunities to take risks, embrace challenges, and find great joy in the learning process is as important as what each student learns. We hope that you, with the support of teachers who are experts in their fields, will not only graduate with a strong foundation of skills for college but that you will develop interests that will sustain you throughout your life. You can take a traditional path through a rigorous curriculum that is expansive and inspired. You can also take a road less traveled through our Design Shop seminars and follow a studio approach to learning with project teams and critiques that mirror the world of innovative design thinking.
Our Program
The Wheeler Upper School is academically rigorous, artistically rich and athletically competitive. Curricular disciplines are not so much crossed as melded — 11th graders in a short story elective create a three-part fictional podcast in Wheeler’s Digital Production Studio, for example. An intentional curriculum focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion, health and wellness, metacognition and social-emotional learning. We build the ‘muscles’ of empathy and resilience. We share, listen and laugh together. We disagree with respect and we learn with purpose.
Our Co-Curriculum
Upper School students participate in a variety of co-curricular experiences. Through Wheeler’s signature Aerie Approach, we connect students with passionate interests (from quantum physics to learning Turkish) with academic mentors from the surrounding colleges and the Providence community. Community Service Learning (CSL) is an important part of the Upper School experience at Wheeler and a graduation requirement. The program is designed to broaden horizons, foster individual responsibility, and strengthen leadership skills through a commitment to service. Through structured reflection, students assess the impact of their service on the organization, the community it serves, and themselves. Opportunities exist to assume leadership roles as members of clubs, class officers, and participants on one of our many academic and athletic teams.
Contact Neeltje Henneman (neeltjehenneman@wheelerschool.org), Upper School Head, for more information.
Upper School Administration
See Our Stories
Nest students and their families recently had their first family community adventures of the school year! Each season, our five Nursery homerooms take turns hosting a special gathering for families in their learning spaces. Last week, the Cardinals and Peaceful Pines took the lead!
The Peaceful Pines answered a “Question of the Day” to decide where to go: Pageant Grounds or Wheeler Pond? The vote was in, and they headed to Wheeler Pond! There, they spotted two pairs of mallard ducks before gathering for a gratitude circle and their daily chant: “Thank you, Mother Nature!” 🦆💚
Meanwhile, the Cardinals and their families explored the cross-country trail together and enjoyed warm apple cider outdoors! 🍎☕
“When families step into our environment, they get a glimpse of their children’s experiences, share in their learning, and strengthen the bonds between home and school,” says Nest Director Michelle Dolan. “These gatherings remind our learners that their families are part of the community supporting them as they grow.”
We look forward to the Chickadees, Mighty Oaks, and Mockingbirds hosting their seasonal family gatherings next! 🍂🍃
Oct 13
Sixth-graders recently learned about five Francophone countries and territories: Algérie, Côte d`Ivoire, la Guyane Française, la Nouvelle-Calédonie, and Guadeloupe 🗺️. Working in groups, students researched their assigned country or territory, and created posters highlighting its location, flag, food, and culture, as well as the reasons why French is spoken there. Each poster also included three fun facts and eight new French words the students learned along the way.
The groups then presented their findings to the class – some of the presentations included playing national anthems 🎶!
French Teacher Olivia Wilcox said the project gave students an opportunity to put their creativity and collaboration skills to work, and the groups approached it with “beaucoup d’enthousiasme” (plenty of enthusiasm)!
Oct 13
We’re celebrating this October’s Dyslexia and ADHD Awareness Month with a range of activities organized by the Hamilton School at Wheeler. This Thursday, the Hamilton Institute will hold its annual Learning Differences Seminar featuring Dr. Greg Fabiano. The topic will be “New Directions in Intervention and Treatment for Children with ADHD.”
Thank you to Mr. McCarthy and Charlie, Langston, Declan, and Wes for helping us learn more about dyslexia, Hamilton, and this month’s programming!
The virtual seminar is one of numerous events coming up this week at Wheeler:
MONDAY:
– Indigenous Peoples’ Day, school is closed.
TUESDAY:
– Intro to the Upper School’s Polaris Program for Hamilton Grade 8 families
WEDNESDAY:
– Wheeler Family Association (WFA) Presents: Clothing Sale Donation Day
– WFA Presents: Meet-Up and Walk for Parents and Guardians
– WFA Presents: Homecoming Committee Planning Meeting
– Coffee, Cupcakes, and Conversation. All parents and guardians are warmly invited to join us for an evening of cross-cultural conversation, facilitated by History Department Chair Virginia Laffey P’14, P’19, about how you can guide your children in having effective and respectful political discourse.
THURSDAY:
– Opening Reception for “Everyday Wonder,” an exhibition featuring the work of artists Maria Napolitano and Karen Roarke, from 5-8pm at the Chazan Gallery on our Providence campus.
– Hamilton Institute Presents: 5th Annual Learning Differences Seminar Series (Virtual), at 6pm.
– 9th-Grade Parent and Guardian Night
FRIDAY:
– WFA Presents: Meet-Up and Walk for Parents and Guardians
SATURDAY:
– Fall Open House for Prospective K-12 Families, from 9am-12pm on our Providence campus. Visit wheeler.org/enrollment/ for more information.
You can see additional details about all of these events in the Parent and Guardian Portal and in last Thursday’s e-newsletter.
For now, we hope you enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend, and we’ll see you back at school on Tuesday!
Oct 11
We’re dancing our way into the weekend, courtesy of the Upper School’s “Foundation of DJ’ing” class.
“In this Aerie Enrichment, we cover the essentials of DJ’ing,” says faculty member David Schiano P’26 who, in addition to serving as director of operations for Wheeler’s radio station, WELH 88.1FM, has over three decades of professional DJ experience for events, nightclubs, and weddings.
During this course, Mr. Schiano shows students the layout of digital controllers and teaches them how to count beats, bars, and phrases so they know how and when to transition between tracks, to match the tempos of two different songs, and to align their beats manually or using software tools.
The Foundation of DJ’ing class was a former enrichment that Mr. Schiano was inspired to bring back this year when he saw student William G. ’27 sitting in the cafeteria one day, spinning music using a small controller. “I told him I’ve been a DJ forever, we started talking, and we made it into an official Thursday appointment where I could help him use different equipment and keep advancing.”
From there, this one-on-one DJ booth became a bit more crowded when Mr. Schiano and William thought it would be fun to open the lessons to any interested Upper School students through Aerie.
On the day we stopped by, Mr. Schiano was working with William and William’s friend and fellow senior, Hilario L. ’27.
“I love DJing,” William says, one hand on a turntable. “Being able to mix two songs together and keep that energy and that vibe, that really resonates with me.”
Hilario describes himself as William’s apprentice. “He showed me the ropes, and I’ve always loved music ever since I can remember. For me, being able to create remixes on the fly is so nice, and I love listening to the drops.
“And it’s always great to get feedback from someone in the industry,” Hilario adds, turning towards Mr. Schiano.
William agrees. “I don’t think I’d be where I am right now without Mr. Schiano’s help.”
“That’s a good remix,” Mr. Schiano responds right on cue (or tempo), his head nodding along to William’s music.
Oct 9
