Wildwood School Viewbook: Brave Learners, Thinkers, and Doers

As a first grader at Wildwood, Rhys Dubin ‘11 was obsessed with sharks—so his teacher suggested he share his excitement in a presentation at the weekly All School Meeting, attended by students, teachers, and families. Rhys’ parents, Kim and Mitch, recall that moment as empowering for their son. “Looking back, I can see all these events, big and small, that moved him forward,” his mother says. Throughout Rhys’ K–12 experience, his father adds, “the school encouraged him to take risks, to explore, to discover what he was passionate about. Rhys thrived in that environment.” Before choosing Wildwood, the Dubins researched a variety of schools, public and private. “Every time we met a kid who was interesting, curious and kind, he or she ended up being a Wildwood kid,” Mitch recalls.

Kim and Mitch appreciated the school’s focus on brave learning and its willingness to experiment with new ideas, along with the Habits of Mind and Heart, designed to cultivate lifelong learning. By 12th grade, Rhys was an avid and eclectic reader, writer, violinist, jazz aficionado, and rock climber. His senior project was a solo ascent in winter on Mt. Whitney, following the Mountaineer’s Route. Kim and Mitch found Wildwood equally welcoming for parents, and they made lifelong friends among other families. “You have a voice,” Kim says. “As much as the education was inspiring for Rhys,” Mitch notes, “the community was inspiring for us.” Rhys attended Deep Springs College in Nevada before graduating from Yale University in spring 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in humanities and a concentration on Middle Eastern politics and history. With interests in foreign service, he has received a Yale fellowship to join the English-language newspaper, Beirut Daily Star , in Lebanon. “He’s following the challenges Wildwood put in front of him,” Kim says. “That’s where it began.”

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