Annual Appeal - The Power of an Exemplar

Dear Friends,

When you support Meridian’s work with a gift, your impact is much broader than you may imagine. One of Meridian’s Mission Statement values is The Power of Small Communities and am I writing to share one way that power is realized.

When Meridian classes start a new project, students often ask to see an example of excellent work created for the assignment the last time the course was offered. Exemplars such as these allow students to concretely appreciate the expectations for an investigation, as well as possible directions it might take. Meridianites know that seeing solutions is not cheating; it is how we better understand what makes work effective and what we could do differently to produce interesting and worthwhile results. As a teacher, it is always exciting to see how each generation of students sets the bar for the next, how those new students hone their abilities of self-assessment, and how each cohort produces ever more creative and insightful efforts.

Having an exemplar is also imperative for educators as they learn how to teach and develop curricula. Most teachers start their careers teaching as they were taught, and most of us were taught in fairly traditional ways. Those are the examples we have to work from. So, how do teachers who want more thoughtful, humane, and inspiring schools know what to do? They, too, need exemplars! They need real-world demonstrations of ideas put into practice.

Meridian is an intentionally small school, and we only serve a modest number of students directly, but our impact reaches far beyond our small community. Every year, upwards of a hundred teachers and educational leaders visit Meridian to see an actual example of what a school looks like, sounds like, and feels like when it matches the progressive theories that they read about in books and hear about in their classes. Just this fall, Meridian has been visited by educators from as close as Boston and as far away as Nigeria, Japan, Pakistan, and India. Every year, the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s selective Deeper Learning seminar sends a dozen of its students – all experienced educators – to Meridian.

When educators come to Meridian to learn from our example, they visit classes, talk with students and teachers, and meet with me to understand Meridian’s mission and how our design, curriculum, and culture serve to achieve that mission. Often, they are astounded! As you know, the coherence and high quality, the originality and authenticity of the learning, and the commitment to our values all shine through when you come to Meridian. What educators hear from our students and witness in student projects and in-class participation provides a unique model that raises the bar for their understanding of what is possible in practice.

Jal Mehta, professor for the seminar, and Tina Grotzer, Principal Investigator at Harvard’s Project Zero, recently highlighted that “Meridian Academy is the one school our students visit that actually does what it says it does” and celebrated how “the combination of rigor, joy, and purpose were really wonderful to witness – it is clear that your students feel known, respected, and challenged in the best of ways.” In addition to hosting groups onsite, Meridian also provides free multi-day workshops for local public schools working to increase and improve project-based learning in their schools. The professional development support that we offer – to educators in training, and to our colleagues at other schools, produces a multiplier effect that belies Meridian’s scale and which benefits students locally, nationally, and internationally.

At Meridian, we know the power of an exemplar to impact the lives of students, of educators, and communities. We are committed to being an example of an educational institution that makes a difference at all of these levels, but we can’t do it alone. Will you please make an exemplary gift that not only supports our direct work with students, but also influences teaching and learning far and wide?

Best,

Joshua Abrams

Head of School