COURTESY OF SEABURY HALL Upcountry Maui equine veterinarian Dr. Clayton Matchett, in background, prepares a vaccine to hand to Seabury Hall senior Kate Cappe. Cappe, whose passion is riding horses and competing in jumping competitions, interns with Dr. Matchett and says she plans to make a career out of the work she's done this year in the program.

Choice Education

Seabury students design their
own curriculum for hands-on
experience

On the slopes of Haleakala, overlooking the Valley Isle, lies the one-of-a-kind Seabury Hall. Seabury, a small, independent school of 400 students, offers a program that allows students to create their own courses tailored to personal interests.

The Alternate Course Program was brought to Seabury Hall by English teacher Alan Hodara after he attended a experiential learning seminar at Wheaton College in summer 2000. Hodara said he was impressed with a presentation he saw from a small private school in Maine and decided to integrate their experiential learning program into Seabury's curriculum.

Seabury Hall About the school's newspaper. Name Seabury Spartan Faculty adviser Susan Pirsch Editors Bonnie Blair and Ashley Verhagen Address 480 Olinda Road, Makawao, HI 96768 Phone number 572-7235 Headmaster Joseph J. Schmidt Colors Red, white and blue Nickname Spartans Enrollment 395

Seabury's program offers students an opportunity to create courses that are either academic or experiential in nature.

"This allows students to expand their education and follow their passions in areas that a small school like Seabury Hall cannot offer," Hodara said. "We also hope that these courses may help students choose their careers paths and guide them later on in life."

To qualify for the program, Hodara said, a student must first find a mentor who will monitor and guide him or her, teach a course, or take him or her as an intern. Seabury teachers usually serve as academic mentors, while those in experiential courses must find off-campus mentors.

Each student must also submit to Hodara a contract detailing everything about the course, including course length, the amount of credits it would be worth, the student's goals and the manner in which the course's success will be measured. The contract must show that the alternate course will be equivalent to a regular Seabury Hall course and must be signed by the student's parents, the Upper School headmaster, the mentor and Hodara. At the end of experiential learning courses, students must submit a paper discussing their experiences and lessons learned. Academic courses may culminate with various papers, tests or AP exams.

About 35 to 40 students have gone through the Alternate Course Program, Hodara said. Topics have included Russian literature, AP Spanish literature, anatomy and physiology and Middle East politics. Students have also interned with local doctors and veterinarians. The program has also birthed courses in Seabury Hall's core curriculum, such as the AP Environmental Science course and a course studying the Vietnam War.

Hodara said that seven students have signed up for alternate courses so far this year, with topics ranging from independent Spanish courses at Maui Community College to agricultural studies in taro farming in one student's back yard.

Senior Arwen Bradley is not only studying advanced topics in calculus, she is also teaching the AP Calculus BC course, which covers material found on the more difficult of the two AP calculus exams.

During the first semester, Bradley said she focused on teaching herself advanced calculus, including the most difficult vector calculus and second order differential equations. She also worked on her teaching abilities with Martin Emde, Seabury Hall mathematics department chairman and her course's mentor.

Bradley said she guest-taught Emde's AP Calculus AB course about once a week during the first semester to help hone her teaching skills. During the second semester, Bradley will instruct a select group of four students in the additional material found on the AP Calculus BC exam every day for one full 45-minute period. Bradley has also helped Emde tutor his students after school.

"Teaching has been a good experience for me because it helps me learn to explain things better to myself," Bradley said. "It also has helped me to work and deal with groups better. In addition to my calculus course last year, doing this course has helped me realize that I really love math and that I want to major in it next year."

Also among the more interesting courses this year is senior Kate Cappe's internship as a veterinarian assistant. Cappe, whose passion is riding horses and competing in jumping competitions, interns at Dr. Clayton Matchett's equine veterinarian clinic in Upcountry Maui.

While working, Cappe says that she and Dr. Matchett either make house calls to sick horses or examine them in the clinic.

"I work about 10 to 15 hours a week," Cappe said. "I perform dental work, take X-rays, take care of bone chips, and assist Dr. Matchett in surgeries by monitoring vital signs and performing anesthesia."

Though Cappe is only paid for her time during surgeries, she says that Matchett compensates her by performing free work on her horses. Cappe has been accepted at California Polytechnic State University, where she plans to major in animal science.

Hodara is pleased with the variety of courses students have created and the success that the program has enjoyed. He is also confident of the program's future.

"Students are really jumping on this opportunity and taking full advantage of it," Hodara said.

New buildings offer
improved learning
options

A 2-year project will be complete on May 31 that will provide the students and faculty of Seabury Hall with state-of-the-art learning facilities.

Three years ago, the 7,000-square-foot building where classes for upperclassmen were held could not offer students recent advancements in teaching technology. Upper-school classes not held in nearby portables or extra gymnasium offices were taught in this eight-classroom building. Different instructors commonly occupied the same room at different times. Facilities did not contain wiring necessary for computers and other learning tools.

After careful work by committees dedicated to the task, the first stage of construction began in fall 2003. The construction of retention basins to prevent drainage of water into adjacent neighborhoods marked the first steps of modernizing the 23-acre campus.

The second phase of construction created an ingress and egress system for cars to separate school pedestrians from traffic.

Science labs were added to middle-school classrooms in the 2003-04 school year. The fourth phase featured construction of an upper-school building with 23 classrooms, four science labs and two technology labs. These classrooms feature smart boards, projector systems and Internet access. While all of the science labs have the same safety features, lab tables and storage space, each room is discipline-specific: A physics classroom will not have the same features as a biology or chemistry room.

Architects, contractors and builders were chosen to preserve the unique feeling of the school. Flansburg and Associates, Riecke Sunnland Kono Architects Ltd. and contractor Arita Poulson worked to incorporate themes from Seabury's original 1929 design by noted Hawaii architect Charles W. Dickey, such as white arches and plantation sidings.

The new middle-school building is adjacent to the previous middle school and a grassy area on the lower part of campus. The upper school stands on the higher end of campus near a courtyard and landscaped walkway. Buildings are environmentally sensitive, with high ceilings that do away with the need for heating or air conditioning and offer the option of natural lighting.

Project funding began with a capital campaign 3 1/2 years ago and has relied on donations to cover the $14.2 million cost.

Headmaster Joe Schmidt said, "The improvements being made to Seabury Hall and the unselfish desire to truly make a difference in Hawaii through the support of outstanding education is a remarkable testament to the vision, commitment and generosity of our board of trustees, the Seabury community and the Maui community as a whole."

What makes Seabury Hall
teachers unique?

Jasmine Koch
Freshman
"They are educated and know the subjects that they are teaching, making it easier for us to learn."

Hailey Reeve
Freshman
"They talk to you like a friend would, and are more involved in our lives."

Sol Wagner
Senior
"They truly care about your well-being and ask you things that do not even concern school subjects."

Anya Whiticer
Sophomore
"You're in smaller classes and can develop personal relationships."

Kellen Ferguson
Junior
"They take time out of their day, and will even miss lunch to give us extra help."

Adam Chesick
Senior
"You can feel free to call them without them getting mad, and count on them to help you."