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Severn News
New Severn Fellows Program Invites Seniors to Pursue Their Scholarly Passions
by John Turner, Academic Dean
As one of the region’s leading independent schools, Severn states that it challenges students to “pursue excellence in character, conduct, and scholarship.” This pledge was on full display on Thursday morning as Head of School Doug Lagarde and Academic Dean John Turner met with the junior class to announce a new independent study program that will begin with the 2008-2009 school year.
The Severn Fellows Program, modeled upon the highly successful Hamilton Scholars Program at Baltimore’s Bryn Mawr School, invites rising seniors to pursue an individual passion in a full-year scholarly endeavor. Students must apply for the program during the spring of their junior year by crafting a narrative about their previous experiences and their interest in undertaking an independent project. Students will only be limited by their imagination: one student may wish to write a concerto, another may exercise an interest in urban architecture, and a third might hope to write a series of short stories.
As one of the region’s leading independent schools, Severn states that it challenges students to “pursue excellence in character, conduct, and scholarship.” This pledge was on full display on Thursday morning as Head of School Doug Lagarde and Academic Dean John Turner met with the junior class to announce a new independent study program that will begin with the 2008-2009 school year.
The Severn Fellows Program, modeled upon the highly successful Hamilton Scholars Program at Baltimore’s Bryn Mawr School, invites rising seniors to pursue an individual passion in a full-year scholarly endeavor. Students must apply for the program during the spring of their junior year by crafting a narrative about their previous experiences and their interest in undertaking an independent project. Students will only be limited by their imagination: one student may wish to write a concerto, another may exercise an interest in urban architecture, and a third might hope to write a series of short stories.
A faculty committee -- led by Mr. Lagarde and Mr. Turner -- will review the proposals and select five to ten students to undertake their studies as Severn Fellows. While many of Severn’s strongest students are likely to submit proposals, grades and achievement will not be specific criteria for selection; rather, students will be evaluated on their proposal, their passion, and their ability to carry out a year-long project.
Each student will be matched up with an off-campus mentor and faculty mentor in his or her field of interest and will be expected to meet established checkpoints throughout the year as he or she makes progress toward the final product.
In April of the senior year, the Severn Fellows will deliver brief presentations to the student body, and their work will culminate at the end of the month with formal twenty-minute presentations delivered before a gathering of students, faculty, and parents; a post-event reception will celebrate the Fellows and those who have supported them throughout the endeavor.
Students accepted into the Fellows Program will not receive academic credit or grades for their work, but will rather be encouraged to pursue their passions in such a program for the experience and the intangible rewards of true scholarship. Fellows will likewise not receive a course reduction during the senior year, but many participants will opt to take five courses, essentially treating the Fellows experience as the sixth ‘course.’
The Severn Fellows Program represents a continuing demonstration of the School’s commitment to recognize the potential in each student and to encourage each student to find and pursue his or her own personal excellence. The diverse passions and talents of the current junior class provide clear evidence that this program will begin in strong fashion during its inaugural year, and all indications suggest that the Severn Fellows Program will quickly establish itself as a hallmark of a dynamic academic program.
Members of the Severn community who would like to learn more about the new Severn Fellows Program are encouraged to contact Academic Dean John Turner at j.turner@severnschool.com.
