Staples High School - Westport, CT

The Westport community demands and supports high quality education for all students. SHS students understand their role as student learners, work diligently, attend regularly, and attend the most competitive colleges and universities in the world upon graduation. Since our students are willing and able to learn at a very high level, we have begun a transformation of the education paradigm focusing upon 21^st century skills.

Every facet of teaching, learning, and assessment is now guided by a “lens” created by our faculty in partnership with Columbia Teachers College. The lens helps us to focus our attention upon the four domains of: Critical Thinking Capacities, Creative Capacities, Communication Capacities, & Global Thinking Capacities. Our goal is for all students, upon graduation, to be comfortable with ambiguity, to be persistent, to be problem solvers, and to understand their place in the world as global citizens.

We pay equal attention to the affective needs of students. The environment created is caring, encouraging, supportive, and safe. All students are known well by many adults who are their advocates. We seek out students who go the extra mile in helping other students find their place in school and showcase their deeds by sharing their contributions with the Westport community. It is safe to say that every student is able to find her/his niche and to proudly proclaim who they are to the entire Staples community. We feel certain that our students, upon reaching adulthood, will make major contributions to making our world better because of the fact that they understand who they are, are confident in their skills, and are willing to help others.