Mission & Values
OUR MISSION
We are changing the culture of learning by pairing what to know with how we grow.
We help students develop relationships inside and out, form healthy learning habits using the best academic research, and build connections in town and beyond where students feel responsible for their purpose and place.
OUR VALUES
The school
children deserve.
Our values are rooted in the four pillars of our program that prioritize the way children come to feel, know, and invest in themselves as lifelong students.
Learning to learn
Our evidence-based approach gives students empirically-proven frameworks to support their growing interests, passions, and values. Real-world projects in a collaborative setting allow each child’s ideas to grow and evolve as part of a team. They develop models for solving interesting problems with a grounding in rigorous academic work. When children are invited to participate in shaping their own outcomes, they are practicing the habits of lifelong learning.
Supporting the self
We see children for who they are. Every student’s strengths and challenges are unique. Unleashing each child’s potential is predicated upon a curiosity about themselves—their strengths of mind and body, their emotional attachments, and the tools needed to build a resilient character and flexible thinking. People are most capable when they feel most comfortable with who they are. Our school supports this crucial foundation for every child to flourish.
Our local community
Applied learning connects curiosity to concept. Through these connections students learn how to listen, ask questions, and match insights to opportunities, eventually transforming ideas into impact. The downtown Whitefish community offers a cultural and entrepreneurial laboratory where children can practice as bakers, performers, and policymakers. Building relationships with local organizations introduces a systems-thinking approach that fosters a strong connection with community mentors, social solidarity with peers, and a positive affirmation of the contributions they can make to the world.
Into the elements
Immersing students in the abundance of beautiful spaces around Whitefish helps them tap into their innate creativity, provides proven physical and emotional health benefits, and further develops executive functioning skills. Venturing into the woods and waters helps children stay anchored in the larger picture and to think and feel more relationally by taking on the perspectives that reach beyond their immediate needs and concerns. The sense of what’s possible takes on new dimensions when we remove the walls and let the outside in.
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS
The Skola admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.