Overview of All Group Programs
(ages 7 - 18)
Group Programs meet two days a week with an emphasis on nurturing each youth’s intrapersonal (knowing yourself), interpersonal (communication and collaboration), and impersonal skills (problem solving, critical thinking) in a group setting. These programs explore a variety of YOUTH AND FACILITATOR INITIATED content and offer multiple opportunities to engage in both INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP PROJECTS. Because we recognize the richness and value that VERTICAL AGE GROUPS provide, each program spans multiple years and youth are typically enrolled in each Group Program for two years. Days are planned with a focus on HANDS-ON, PROJECT-BASED WORK. Some projects will be one-time events while others will continue for multiple weeks. Group programs provide each youth EXPOSURE to a variety of topics, tools, and activities, because sometimes “we don’t know what we don’t know” and it can be helpful to be introduced to something new.
Ultimately, our goal is to provide a rich and nurturing environment that will support each youth in becoming thoughtful, dynamic, and engaged participants in society, leading them to live lives full of purpose and fulfillment.
We are strong believers in the value of multi-age/developmental learning opportunities. Different levels of Group programs will occasionally work with each other.
Ultimately, our goal is to provide a rich and nurturing environment that will support each youth in becoming thoughtful, dynamic, and engaged participants in society, leading them to live lives full of purpose and fulfillment.
We are strong believers in the value of multi-age/developmental learning opportunities. Different levels of Group programs will occasionally work with each other.
Open Group (ages 7 - 9)
The Open Group Program is a hybrid program whose name reflects the structure of the program which offers a mix of self-directed learning, similar to the Open Program, and structured facilitator-initiated activities, similar to the Group Programs. The self-directed portion of the Open Group day offers youth the FREEDOM, INDEPENDENCE, and opportunity to develop SOCIAL SKILLS. The resource-rich environment, both indoors and outdoors, provides a strong foundation for the Open portion of each day. The Group portion of the day offers youth the experience of being part of a smaller close knit group that does activities together as a whole group as well as in pairs and smaller groups. The group activities explore a variety of YOUTH AND FACILITATOR INITIATED content and provide opportunities to engage in both INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP PROJECTS. Projects and activities vary from year to year based on the group’s interests with the exception of the Partnership Project which occurs every year. The Partnership Project is a self-directed research project in which youth select, research, develop, and share their learning with their peers about a topic of their choosing.
Days are planned with a focus on HANDS-ON, PROJECT-BASED WORK. Some projects will be one-time events while others will continue for multiple weeks. Facilitator-initiated activities, during the Group portion of the day, are planned with an emphasis on helping youth develop intrapersonal, interpersonal, and impersonal skills including: self-regulation skills, collaboration skills, creative expression, communication, problem solving, and critical thinking. Youth are given EXPOSURE to a variety of topics, tools, and activities, because sometimes “we don’t know what we don’t know” and it can be helpful to be introduced to new things.
Days are planned with a focus on HANDS-ON, PROJECT-BASED WORK. Some projects will be one-time events while others will continue for multiple weeks. Facilitator-initiated activities, during the Group portion of the day, are planned with an emphasis on helping youth develop intrapersonal, interpersonal, and impersonal skills including: self-regulation skills, collaboration skills, creative expression, communication, problem solving, and critical thinking. Youth are given EXPOSURE to a variety of topics, tools, and activities, because sometimes “we don’t know what we don’t know” and it can be helpful to be introduced to new things.
Examples of program activities and projects include:
- Collaborative STEM challenges
- Exploration of the natural environment
- Outdoor play
- Music & Rhythm Activities
- Daily Group activities, discussions, reflection, and appreciations
- Conceptual Development (CD) activities
- Language Arts activities (reading, writing, speaking, listening)
- Baking/cooking
- Art experiences (clay, origami, paint, collage, etc.)
- Hand sewing
- Wood shop projects
- Service learning projects
- Games - pair, small group and whole group
- Partnership Project
Group 1 (ages 9 - 11)
Group 1’s hands-on, project-based activities keep in mind that “we don’t know what we don’t know.” While the day’s activities are mostly facilitator-initiated with youth input, the flow of the Group 1 day also allows for flexibility to spend additional time on topics as desired. Some projects and topics will be one-time events while others will continue for multiple weeks. Group 1 makes broad use of OC’s resources including the Art Studio, Woodshop, Multimedia Room, and 28 acre campus. Activities and projects can vary from year to year with one exception – Group 1 offers two separate larger individual projects, with different areas of focus.
Examples of program activities and projects include:
- Book discussions/Reading
- Solo and group math challenges
- Outdoor exploration
- Living Wax Museum
- Lab exposure
- Exploring technology
- Collaborative games and game development
Group 2 (ages 11 - 13)
Group 2 is a two-day program, meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays, supporting pre-teens in their personal and social development through activities and experiences that allow for pursuing youth-driven interests as well as exposure to new ideas and content. Multiple areas of study are explored in a variety of approaches, providing opportunities for growth in self awareness and self knowledge, as well as in the communication and collaboration skills needed to work effectively with others. Whether engaging with language arts, social studies, visual/performing art, health and wellness, logic/math, science or technology-there are opportunities for independent and/or group engagement with content that is accessible and relevant to the youth and utilizes the resources we have available in the Makerspace, Multimedia Room, Woodshop, kitchens, Art Studio, and the 28 acre campus. Some projects will be one-time events while others will continue for a number of weeks, allowing for deeper investigation and the valuable iterative process.
Examples of program activities and projects include:
- 2 long-term projects exploring topics of youth's choice: one focused on research and writing and one that explores scientific experimentation and observation
- Service learning projects and community engagement
- Outdoor group games
- Team-building challenges
- Group read-aloud
Group 3 (ages 13 - 15)
Group 3 is a two-day program, meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays, designed to support and develop a broad range of skills in teens ages 13-15. This program offers a combination of facilitator-initiated, youth-led, and self-directed activities that encompass the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and impersonal realms of knowledge. An emphasis is placed on supporting strengths and providing opportunities for further development in areas such as executive functioning, communication (oral and written), critical thinking, collaboration, and problem solving, with the goal of providing teens the tools necessary to personally incorporate OC values and philosophy into their lives as they develop into autonomous young adults. Special attention is given to the unique social/emotional needs of this age group as they work to develop a healthy and stable sense of self and increase their level of confidence in their ability to understand and assume greater ownership of their education and life choices.
Throughout the program year, youth in Group 3 have the opportunity to make full use of the OC campus as they engage in a variety of program activities that provide exposure to higher-order concepts in multiple areas of study, which can include math, science, language arts, social studies, visual & performing arts, and health & wellness. Activities and Projects may be one-time events or continue over a number of weeks.
Throughout the program year, youth in Group 3 have the opportunity to make full use of the OC campus as they engage in a variety of program activities that provide exposure to higher-order concepts in multiple areas of study, which can include math, science, language arts, social studies, visual & performing arts, and health & wellness. Activities and Projects may be one-time events or continue over a number of weeks.
Examples of program activities and projects include:
- Current events exploration
- Service learning projects and community engagement
- Outdoor group games
- Team building challenges
- Large-scale Group Collaboration such as creating a film or planning and executing a group event
- Weekly collaborations with youth in the Shaping Your Life program
- Two long-term projects of the youth’s design: one is focused on the humanities and incorporates experiential elements, research, a variety of writing tasks and an interactive presentation; the second is a science or engineering-based experiment that youth design, conduct, summarize and present at a Science Expo held at OC.
Through these youth-led and facilitator-supported projects, group members have the opportunity to demonstrate increasing maturity and self management as they prepare for the significant degree of independent learning and increased responsibility that the latter teen years bring.
Shaping Your Life (ages 15 - 18)
Shaping Your Life (SYL) is an extended two-day program, meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays until 3:30pm, that aims to provide a fulfilling, enriching and dynamic educational experience for teens ages 15-18. This final stage of the OC journey exposes older teens to a wide variety of content areas and skill sets that are critical to their becoming thoughtful, vital and engaged participants in society, while encouraging each group member to more fully define, explore, and take charge of their own alternative educational paths.
The SYL program is designed to mindfully combine group collaborations with independent study in an inclusive, facilitator-supported environment that strives to place learning in a meaningful context for young people and allows for maximum initiative, ownership and autonomy of group members. Unlike the younger Group programs that utilize parents as gatekeepers, we invite the teens in SYL to display a high degree of self-reliance and personal responsibility through direct contact with facilitators around program parameters and administrative requirements.
The collaborative nature of SYL invites connection-making and strengthens the teens’ sense of belonging, along with their ability to make meaningful contributions to group experiences. Facilitators solicit feedback during all phases of program planning, affording each participant an equal voice and the opportunity to influence program content to reflect their curiosities, strengths, and needs. Facilitators serve in an advisory capacity, supporting group members in the development of a broad range of practical life skills and project management capabilities, while ensuring that a balance of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and impersonal knowledge is explored.
The SYL program is designed to mindfully combine group collaborations with independent study in an inclusive, facilitator-supported environment that strives to place learning in a meaningful context for young people and allows for maximum initiative, ownership and autonomy of group members. Unlike the younger Group programs that utilize parents as gatekeepers, we invite the teens in SYL to display a high degree of self-reliance and personal responsibility through direct contact with facilitators around program parameters and administrative requirements.
The collaborative nature of SYL invites connection-making and strengthens the teens’ sense of belonging, along with their ability to make meaningful contributions to group experiences. Facilitators solicit feedback during all phases of program planning, affording each participant an equal voice and the opportunity to influence program content to reflect their curiosities, strengths, and needs. Facilitators serve in an advisory capacity, supporting group members in the development of a broad range of practical life skills and project management capabilities, while ensuring that a balance of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and impersonal knowledge is explored.
Teens in SYL enjoy complete access to all campus facilities as they engage in both individual and group oriented, short and long-term projects that hold relevance and significance for them. For example:
- Independent Projects - These are self-directed opportunities for SYL youth to explore an area of personal interest and further their own development through an activity of their own design. Individuals are responsible for completing a project proposal, documenting their work, and presenting periodic progress reports as well as the completed project to the group. Teens are encouraged to engage with community members as resources/consultants.
- Large-scale Group Collaboration - This experience can take many forms, most often it is in the form of an overnight trip that the young people take charge of planning. From researching possible destinations, creating an itinerary, and formulating a budget, to raising funds and reserving accomodations, the SYL teens have full ownership of the project.
- Research Project - for the SYL group this is the Teen Symposium, a night of presentations by SYL group members of findings from individual research investigations, organized around a common theme, and presented to a community-wide audience. Group members engage in a collaborative process to choose the organizing element, pursue threads of individual interest through conducting research, then reconnect to formulate and produce a cohesive public speaking event.
- Facilitator-designed Activities - These expose teens to a wide variety of content areas and topics they may not have been exposed to previously. Whether it is a scientific deep-dive into the properties of light and the electromagnetic spectrum, a culinary exploration of Gullah culture, or a unique team-building exercise, facilitators engage teens in new learning experiences that gently push them outside of their comfort zones and expand their horizons, encouraging constructive risk taking and building confidence in navigating the unknown in a broader experiential context. We can invite outside speakers and visiting artists to provide expertise around specific topics of special interest to teens, such as financial planning, human sexuality, and college admissions.
- Additional important program components include current events, service learning, community engagement, and outdoor group game weekly collaborations with youth in Group IV.
The Shaping Your Life program provides a framework for teens to feel comfortable expressing their beliefs, pursing their ideas and uncovering their hidden talents and interests as they continue to incorporate OC values and philosophy into their lives and develop the tools necessary to create a life of purpose and fulfillment during their final years at OC and beyond.
Program |
Ages |
Days |
Time |
Tuition |
Open Group (two day program) |
7 - 9 |
T and Th |
9:00am - 2:30pm |
$9,160/annually (range is $1,000 - $9,160*) |
Group 1 (two day program) |
9 - 11 |
T and Th |
9:00am - 2:30pm |
$9,160/annually (range is $2,000 - $9,160*) |
Group 2 (two day program) |
11 - 13 |
T and Th |
9:00am - 2:30pm |
$9,160/annually (range is $2,000 - $9,160*) |
Group 3 (two day program) |
13 - 15 |
T and Th |
9:00am - 2:30pm |
$9,160/annually (range is $2,000 - $9,160*) |
Shaping Your Life (two day program) |
15 - 18 |
T and Th |
9:00am - 3:30pm |
$9,750/annually (range is $2,000 - $9,750*) |
The Program Year runs from September 9, 2024 through June 2, 2025.
* Typical tuition range based on demonstrated financial need and available funding.
* Typical tuition range based on demonstrated financial need and available funding.
