Experiential Education

At Pingry, our educators are deeply committed to experiential learning so all of our students learn through the joy and challenge of hands-on activities, followed by a reflection on their experiences—a process that leads to deep learning and growth. Our programs foster interdisciplinary learning that challenges students to consider complex questions that cannot be answered from a single discipline, and empowers students to become their own primary resources. We have an abundance of K–12 initiatives to support this, including experiential education in the classroom; global engagement programs; a wide array of programs at our Pottersville Campus; sustainability programs; community engagement opportunities; a range of clubs; and so much more.

At the Lower School, academic lessons are infused with a sense of wonder at the many different ways we can understand the world around us—whether by studying a snowflake or examining a flower—through artistic expression, scientific dissection, reading, journaling, and introspection. In the Middle School, Pingry offers Project Week, in which each Grade takes part in several days of interdisciplinary, project-based, experiential learning designed around distinct themes. In the Upper School, Forms III, IV, and V engage in Spring Intensives, in which sustained learning experiences are fueled by immersing themselves in academic pursuits designed to deepen their understanding through problem-solving, connection, reflection, and growth. Finally, seniors end their year with an Independent Senior Project (ISP), the capstone of a Pingry Upper School education. This deeply experiential learning experience allows seniors to fully explore their passions and interests, such as finance, law, medicine, or entrepreneurship, and work closely with their project mentor and ISP coach.

We utilize the full beauty and wonder of all three of our campuses: the adventurous surroundings at our Short Hills Campus; the expansive terrain at our Basking Ridge Campus; and, at our Pottersville Campus, a beautiful location we have dedicated to the experiential education philosophy. At Pottersville, the world can feel both endless and focused, where the surroundings feature rolling hills and a quaint town, and the campus has top-notch facilities and dormitories, and rope courses that allow for memorable risk-taking, all of which allow our students to discover and learn while experiencing overnight, immersive programming and hosting international students and educators for cultural connections.

We believe the very nature of experiential learning allows for a deeper connection to the self, each other, and the world around us, in an approach that makes room for investigation, curiosity, challenges, and successes.