Our Wildwood, Volume 53

FEATURE

A Portrait in Practice

Students were also randomly assigned more specific prompts to reflect on attributes like perseverance and global citizenship, key pieces of the PoLL. Steve reflected, “This early exploration authentically and proved to all of us just how useful a tool it could be for demonstrating student growth.” Building on that momentum, Steve led a professional development session for K-12 faculty in February 2025 to dive deep into the Portrait. His goal was to encourage teachers to reflect on their understanding of the Portrait and start envisioning how it might inform their teaching practice. “I really wanted everybody to start engaging in some thinking and talking around the Portrait—what they know, what they think they know, what they have questions about,” Steve said. The session included a structured discussion protocol called the Microlab, where teachers took turns sharing their thoughts in triads without interruption. This format helped faculty consider questions like which Portrait attributes best showcase student strengths and where students need to grow, Steve said. allowed students to connect with the Portrait’s framework

This past year, Wildwood School launched the Portrait of a Lifelong Learner (PoLL)—a framework defining the key traits every Wildwood student should embody by graduation. While portraits are often thought of as static visions, the PoLL is a living, breathing guide that drives growth across four pillars: thinking, feeling, doing, and being. From elementary through middle and upper school, faculty and staff are bringing the Portrait to life—embedding it into Wildwood’s culture, curriculum, and daily student experiences. LAYING THE FOUNDATION The groundwork for integrating the Portrait of a Lifelong Learner (PoLL) at Wildwood began in the spring of 2024 with a series of student focus groups led by Steve Barrett, director of outreach, and middle and upper school faculty. Convening groups of 7th, 9th, and 11th grade students, Steve and his colleagues sought to uncover how students naturally relate their experiences at Wildwood to the Portrait’s themes. Steve explained, “We gave the kids cold prompts—no explanation, no bullet points—just asking them to write about how they feel, how they think, and what they can do based on their Wildwood experiences.”

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