What has changed in education the most since you started? What are the current trends and where is education going? It is an inspiring time to be in education. For example, considerable advancements in medical technology allow us to better understand a child’s brain and how it responds best so that we can continue to refine and review our teaching pedagogy. Additionally, social-emotional awareness in a child is paramount. I believe that with social media and the immediacy of information, we need to focus more on students’ social-emotional health. Academics are important, but at the same time, we must pay attention to the social-emotional health of a child. We know that children are responding well when the teacher has high rigor coupled with high engagement. When these two come together, you will find confident, well- rounded and all-around healthy students. What makes your school stand out among all the education choices parents have? The way students learn has evolved, and their school must meet them where they are today. That mindset inspired Casady School to embark on an evolutionary journey to create a Strategic Academic Plan that focuses on five priorities: student wellness, student engagement, durable learning, community involvement and skills and knowledge. We focus on durable learning with “peak moments” that are collaborative, authentic, relevant, engaging, interdisciplinary and customized. Ultimately we created a Portrait of a Graduate, those values we hope to see in every Casady graduate that In our Upper Division, we are in the midst of developing a robust computer science program that will complete our strong vertical alignment of a computer science curriculum that stems from our youngest Cyclones up through our seniors. I’d like to share an example of an Upper Division project. In our machine learning course, students have just finished creating a computer model which can take information about a patient such as age, resting blood pressure, cholesterol, fasting blood sugar and maximum heart rate to predict if that patient has heart disease. While the initial creation of the model is a relatively simple task, the students will now be working on how to tune the model to produce increasingly accurate results. This is just one example of the many applications of machine learning and AI which the students explore in the Thinking Machines course at Casady. bring them a life of balance, purpose and joy. Tell us about your STEM programs.
GET TO KNOW Nathan L. Sheldon, Head of School
What is your background and how long have you been Head of School at Casady? My background is in business and finance. Until I came into K-12 education, I would not have guessed this would be the place I would love. However, in my second year at the school, our headmaster at the time asked me to teach a section of Algebra I, coach Middle Division soccer and tennis and be an Upper Division student advisor. Before the year was over, I realized my calling was to help kids become their very best selves. I am currently in my 19th year at Casady School, with this being my eighth year as head of school. I couldn’t think of a better place to be or better colleagues to work alongside. What is your educational philosophy and how does that impact the students at your school? The hallmark of an excellent education is creating opportunities for students to develop durable skills. I firmly believe that hiring outstanding faculty who understand that student learning should be durable, engaging, authentic, relevant and customized provides the best opportunity for students to be ready and confident for whatever path life takes them down.
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