Lynchburg Business

James River Day School: “We do what is best for the child”

Issue: January 2012 by Daniel T. Richardson in Education, Inside The Magazine

“Education would be so much more effective if its purpose were to ensure that by the time they leave school every boy and girl should know how much they don’t know, and be imbued with a lifelong desire to know it.”

– Sir William Haley

Located in Lynchburg is a school which prides itself in the education of the whole child. James River Day School (JRDS) is a private, non-sectarian school located on Boonsboro Road. The faculty and staff of the school pride themselves on the fact that their school works towards the fulfillment of each and every child that attends there.

“We are a child centered school,” Kirsten McHenry, Director of Admissions, explained. “Our instruction is hands-on and active. We learn by doing. We encourage creativity and problem-solving. We play. We wonder. We are close knit.”

The school was founded over 40 years ago by parents who were also teachers that believed that their children needed the education that only a small classroom environment could provide.  That tradition has been expanded and carried into today.

“We have very high academic standards and a thoughtful, rigorous core curriculum that is taught in inventive ways to individual students, based on what each of them need, as individuals,” McHenry said.

Among JRDS’ many programs, their focus on an individual approach also means pairing each child with another student who is one step ahead in their education—a mentor program, of sorts.

“We have a Cardinal Buddies program that pairs older and younger students, and we do many activities together as a whole school,” McHenry said.

While children are the top priority, JRDS also focuses on the parent-student relationship and how to best engage parents in the education process.

“We have strong parent education programs on child development and other topics of interest to parents, including nutrition and internet safety,” McHenry said.

Academically, JRDS strives to educate the whole child. Their program of study is reviewed yearly to make sure that a coherent curriculum is presented from kindergarten through eighth grade. Realizing that it is an impossible task to teach everything, the school focuses on teaching their students to ask essential questions. These essential questions are designed to be meaningful from the youngest learner in kindergarten all the way through the oldest students in eighth grade, including: “Who belongs? Who decides?  What is success?  What is freedom?  How do you know a true friend?”

With small class sizes—14 students per class on average—teachers are able to focus actively on individual strengths and shape instruction accordingly. McHenry explains that two classes of English instruction in grades 5-8, focusing on grammar, composition and literature, ensuring that students practice reading and writing for both pleasure and analysis. Instruction in world language, visual arts, music and physical education begins in kindergarten.

Technology instruction, part of JRDS’ K-8 curriculum, requires that students use technology for research, communication, presentation and analysis. In addition, public speaking opportunities are embedded in the curriculum at all grade levels.

“Our students graduate James River Day School well prepared for college preparatory programs in any secondary school,” McHenry said. “Our students have opportunities to accelerate in mathematics and world language, if appropriate, enabling some eighth graders to complete Honors Algebra II, French II, and/or Spanish II before graduation.  Eighth graders also take a high school credit class in Earth Science.”

In addition to the typical topics taught to the students K-8th grade, such as the science, social studies, math and language arts listed above, students also take French, Spanish or, when older, Latin as a foreign language. They also take part in musical courses such as band, orchestra or Glee club, and are given a healthy dose of physical education.

The school grounds contain a nature trail, outdoor classrooms and a greenhouse so that the academics can go beyond the bounds of the four walls of a classroom. To further this beyond the classroom mentality, students take several field trips, including overnight trips, to historical sites and students in the sixth grade take part in an outdoor leadership program. Every grade level also participates in a community service project.

The school’s comprehensive website lists some of the projects that the students take part in, which include:

• Making cards and decorations for Meals on Wheels
• Paper recycling
• Taking turns ringing the bell for the Salvation Army
• Collecting shoes and stuffed animals for Gleaning for the World (the JRDS community collects over 7,000 cans of food in November for local food banks)
• Writing and illustrating picture books for the Books of Hope project, for students in Africa who have no books in their schools
• Walking to the Fire House at Thanksgiving to bring a meal to the firemen.

McHenry adds that in addition to the above, “students in grades 5-8 belong to multi-age advisory groups that meet twice a day, have study hall together and do various social and service activities together.”

These same students also participate in athletics, with volleyball, soccer, cross-country, basketball and lacrosse all offered at JRDS.

When asked what she expected the school to be doing in five years, Mary Riser, Head of School said, “In five years, I expect James River will be doing what it is doing now—thriving! Our athletic and arts programs are developing rapidly, so we’ll be a force on the field and on the stage.”

With so many educational and inspiring stories coming out of JRDS, Riser has a lot to be proud of. And yet, when asked, she responded, “What makes me most proud? We do what is best for the child.”

James River Days School is a special place. If you visit the campus, you can see the unique appeal of this school in the faces of both the students and the staff.  The extensive grounds are visually appealing and offer opportunities for an application of the things learned inside the classroom. JRDS works to imbue within its alumni that lifelong desire to know what William Haley spoke of.

All in all, the James River Day School offers a valued service in the educating of the next generation of leaders to the community of Lynchburg and the surrounding area.