Berkshire Foothills, Massachusetts
The J.S. Bryant School is where students can be their most authentic selves through learning and wellness.
Our learning model meets the Massachusetts state standards for academic excellence, honors the LGBTQ+ identity of students, fully integrates the arts, wellness, and land‐based learning through our two campuses. It engages staff with lived experience and/or professional training in working with the LGBTQ+ community and their families.
Learning
The approach to learning exemplified in the J.S. Bryant School’s curriculum is interdisciplinary, project-based, inquiry-based, place-based, career-connected, inclusive of the LGBTQ+ experience, and integrated with wellness and farming situated in both of the school’s campuses. Students are encouraged and empowered to nurture their unique interests within course subject matter. Simultaneously, the curriculum upholds rigorous learning standards which enable students to continue learning in college and/or a career of their choice.
The learning structure is unique: a) All content for all four years is taught within five interdisciplinary courses which comprise the school curriculum: Worldview, Environmental Activism, Creative Activation, Community Leadership, and Personal Identity; b) These five core courses integrate the various disciplines of Massachusetts Learning Standards; c) Students take a different course each day for five days. Only one course is taken per day to allow students ample time to ponder, research, experiment, and reflect; d) Course sequence is designed to help students transition from exploration in their first year to leadership and impact in their final year; e) The teacher:student ratio is no more than 1:8; f) Wellness education and support is integrated throughout each day; g) Immersive, place-based learning takes place on the Farming Campus.
"What would it mean to go to a school where students take one class a day?"
Wellness
The J.S. Bryant School aims to promote the physical, psychological, and socio-emotional wellness of each student. Integrated wellness education and support is provided throughout the school day. Students engage in club therapy (e.g., art or music therapy, outdoor exploration, animal-assisted therapy, etc.) three days a week. Individual therapy sessions (1-2 times/week) and family therapy (at least 1 time/month) will make use of a variety of methods, including CBT, DBT, and mindfulness development, and will take place both indoors and outside as weather permits. All staff are trained in supporting gender/sexual orientation-affirming care and/or have lived-experience in the LGBTQ+/ally community.
Land-Based Learning & Wellness Through Farming
The J. S. Bryant School believes that deepening one’s connection to the natural world is healing. Our two bucolic campuses, set amidst conserved land in the Berkshire foothills, provide a soothing and life-affirming environment for hiking, flora and fauna observation and identification, forest bathing, maple syruping, contemplation and exploration of nature’s many lessons, challenges, and gifts. Our Farm Campus presents students the opportunity to experience small-scale farming in a way that supports the earth and our own bodies while learning about natural cycles, regenerative practices, and business skills.
From perennial orchards to berry cultivation, from the annual cooperative work of hay making to the detailed planning of low-till vegetable production, from bees and poultry to goat milking, there are truly opportunities for every student to find what they are drawn to in land-connected work and play.
A School Day
The school day begins at the Learning and Wellness campus with students engaged in one of their five core courses: Personal Identity, Worldview, Environmental Activism, Creative Activation, or Community Leadership. Wellness education and support are built-in throughout the day. Afternoons include time at the J.S. Bryant School Farming Campus. There, students will tend to the farm's animals, plant, maintain, and harvest regenerative plantings, tap trees for maple syrup, and assess and design strategies for land and water management and renewable energy use.
"It's with things like the apple orchard that the J.S. Bryant School is able to have an integrated learning experience for our students."
