The Miami Valley School

The Miami Valley School
Motto	Experience Excellence
Established	1964
Type	Preparatory secondary, primary
Affiliations	None, Independent
Founder	Citizens of Dayton, Ohio
Headmaster	Peter B. Benedict, II
Students	Approx. 450 students
Grades	Pre-K through 12th
Location	5151 Denise Drive, Dayton, Ohio, United States of America
Oversight	Independent
Accreditation	Independent School Association of the Central States [1]
Campus	Suburban
Colors	Red and Blue
Mascot	Ram
Newspaper	Phloem and Xylem (Upper School)
Website	http://www.mvschool.com

The Miami Valley School (MVS) is Dayton, Ohio's only independent college-preparatory school for grades Pre-K through 12. A 9:1 student to teacher ratio and an experiential learning curriculum have created a unique learning environment. Approximately 190 students comprise grades 9 through 12. The Upper School is staffed by 28 faculty members, 23 of whom hold master's degrees and two of whom hold Ph.D.s. The school annually sends a few students to Ivy League universities. The student population represents 16 communities within a 35-mile radius of Dayton. ^[1]

Foundation

The Miami Valley School is an independent day school founded in 1964 by citizens of Dayton, Ohio looking for a private school alternative to public education.

Academic Units

Like many independent schools, MVS eschews traditional labels for two of its three academic units. Only the 6th through 8th-grade academic unit has the traditional Middle School title. The Early Childhood through 5th grade unit is called the Lower School, instead of the more common Elementary School. Similarly, the 9th through 12th grade unit is called the Upper School, instead of the more common High School.

At MVS, an environment of respect and tolerance prevails. In the Upper School, there are no study halls; instead, they are replaced by "free periods," where students have unscheduled time and thus are able to play chess, read the newspaper, talk, play outside, study in the gallery, listen to music, and play games in the Upper School Commons.

Experiential Learning Programs

The Miami Valley School puts great emphasis on taking students out of traditional education environments in order to learn through experience.

Experiential Program

In Lower School, students participate in a variety of experiential learning programs that vary in length, topic, and time of year.

• Kindergarten — Study of nutrition, and food preparation.
• 1st Grade — Cave Study, simulated cave experience.
• 2nd Grade — Geography, Country-Specific Projects, Newport Aquarium and reef study.
• 3rd Grade — Astronomy, overnight at The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in Dayton, Ohio.
• 4th Grade — Pioneer study, typical pioneer school day experience. Nature study, visit to Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center
• 5th Grade — United States history, class trip to Colonial Williamsburg.

Project Period

In Middle School, students participate in experiential learning programs based on their grade levels. Traditionally, Project period takes place during the last two weeks of the academic year.

• 6th Grade — Study of Ancient Egyptian civilization at Miami University.
• 7th Grade — Study of Appalachian culture at Berea College.
• 8th Grade — Study of Amish and Quakers culminating in a trip to Gettysburg or Philadelphia.

Immersion

In the Immersion Program, students exclusively study one subject of their choice for an entire month. As differentiated from the Middle and Lower School curricula, in which students participate in experiential learning programs based on their grades, Upper School students in grades 10 through 12 split up into multi-grade experiential classes. During this month, students are free from the confines of the traditional 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday school schedule, as well as free from the school campus. This allows them to study their topics intensively.

Immersion provides an alternative learning opportunity with many activities occurring off campus and even overseas. Astronomy students might work with telescopes from 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., out in the country, while theater students might study in New York City. Traditionally, Immersion takes place during the last two weeks of February and the first two weeks of March. Alumni frequently describe Immersion as the most influential and informative program of their MVS experiences.

Freshmen

Freshmen have a pre-selected Immersion experience called "Stepping Out". It consists of various activities around the Dayton area. Freshman visit religious leaders to learn more about different cultures. They also learn a martial art called To-Shin Do, established by martial arts expert Stephen K. Hayes. Students also take one flight with an instructor at the Moraine Airpark. The experience ends with a 3-day, 2-night trip to Hocking Hills, an Ohio state park in Adams County. The freshmen hike in these forests for two days and learn more about themselves and their relationship to the community.

Local

Students can learn to fly, study cooking, take a photography or theater class, learn how to build a computer, study criminal justice, or participate in one of many other programs that are offered.

Travel

Travel programs include a swamp study in the Florida Everglades, building Habitat for Humanity houses, studying Civil Rights, Southern American Literature, Indian Reservations and Literature, experiencing firsthand marine ecology in the Bahamas and Bermuda, or even engaging in creative writing in Vermont and New York. International programs have been held across most of Europe, Asia (including India, China, Japan, Nepal, and Turkey), New Zealand, Ethiopia, as well as Central and South America (most recently Peru and Costa Rica). Students are immersed in the topics that they study, be they cultural, religious, linguistic, musical, or scientific.

Independent

A student who wishes to pursue an Immersion outside the realm of the offered programs is welcome to create a proposal that is then evaluated by the Independent Immersion Committee. Past independent Immersions have included projects with high-ranking political figures and Nobel Prize winning scientists, and journeys through Outward Bound and Earthwatch. Student proposals are usually geared towards perusing intellectual or artistic passions, or shadowing professionals in a career of interest.

Notable alumni

• Ming Tsai, Class of 1982, noted chef and Emmy Award–winning television personality, has been featured on the Food Network's The Next Iron Chef, Bravo's Top Chef as well as his own program on PBS entitled Simply Ming.
• Allison Janney, Class of 1977, Tony Award–nominated and four time Emmy Award–winning actress noted for her roles on television and in movies, especially in the top-rated TV series The West Wing. Some of Janney's notable films include Primary Colors, American Beauty, The Hours, Finding Nemo, and Juno.
• Anson Montgomery, author, attended seventh and eighth grades, then went to the Groton School, Groton, MA
• Jeff Williams, member of Class of 1975 from The Miami Valley School was aboard Comair Flight 5191 when it crashed in Lexington, Kentucky.
• Patricia Princehouse, evolutionary biology and history of philosophy professor at Case Western Reserve University; President of Ohio Citizens for Science.
• Richard Taylor, Class of 1982, is Senior Vice President for External Affairs & Education for the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).
• Daniel Beaty, Class of 1994, is an award-winning actor, opera singer, writer, and composer. He has been featured on HBO's Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry as well as NBC's Showtime at the Apollo. He won the 2007 Obie Award for Excellence in Off-Broadway Theater for Writing and Performing.
• Claudia Levin, Class of 1980, Managing Director of Claudius Films Ltd., an Israeli based film production company that specializes in documentary films.
• Talvin Wilks, Class of 1980, is an award-winning playwright, theater director, and dramaturg currently serving as Interim Artistic Director for New WORLD Theater, based at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
• Raymond J. McGuire, Class of 1975, is the Head of Global Banking at Citigroup in New York City, having advised on transactions valued in the hundreds of billions of dollars. He has been featured on the cover of Black Enterprise magazine as one of the "100 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America". McGuire is also a noted philanthropist and serves as a trustee for organizations such as The New York Public Library, Lincoln Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
• Roger Meike, Class of 1981, is Director of Operations for Sun Microsystems/Oracle.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} MVS College Profile

External links

• The Miami Valley School Website
• National Association of Independent Schools

Coordinates: 39°40′25″N 84°10′48″W / 39.673693°N 84.180121°W / 39.673693; -84.180121