Testimonials
Parent Testimonials: Revealing Shared Values
Erin-- I home schooled my daughter for several years and also tried the public schools, but my daughter needed more. A friend suggested Spring Street School but I could not afford the tuition. Spring Street realized my daughter’s potential and agreed to do whatever it took to make it happen. As a divorced mother, with minimal income, I couldn’t have been able to send my daughter to Spring Street without their generous financial aid. It was because of the wonderful education she received at Spring Street that she was able to receive seven full college scholarships at some of the finest colleges in the country. What’s it worth to us? My daughter selected Middlebury and it was a perfect fit. She is excelling in college. In fact, I think she could run the school! And she has a full ride, which is worth $48,000 a year.
Heather -- The islands are a very expensive place to live and raise a family. Only recently has our annual income risen up to about the national poverty level. Both of our boys are gifted with bright minds. When our oldest son reached middle school, we saw clearly that the local public school was unable to meet his expanding academic and intellectual needs. At that point, due to the very generous scholarship he received, he was able to attend Spring Street School as a 6th grader. He continued to receive a scholarship every year until graduation. He graduated from Spring Street in 2005 and is currently a junior at Claremont McKenna College in southern California. He is doing well in a demanding academic environment. When asked, he readily admits that his current success is due in large part to the benefits of attending Spring Street. He would not have this current educational opportunity or depth of experience had we been unable to afford Spring Street.
The policy to not turn a child away based on finances takes its toll on the "bottom line" of the financial ledger of our school for the sake of our children. Spring Street makes a firm commitment to and a lasting investment in everyone's future by helping to raise conscientious and contributing members of society. It is of paramount importance that we each do all we can to ensure the self-actualization and success of upcoming generations through our support of this fine academic institution.
Joan – At SSIS, both girls and boys stand on equal footing. They move beyond gender issues and learn how important their own unique contribution always is. Wherever they are, that is where the classroom is. It allows for the students to find out what excites them about learning, as everyone has a place in the SSIS community. The classroom size allows for more time to discover how to ignite that flame in everyone involved. My daughter has confidence in her own capabilities and stands firm in her own beliefs. She has learned to value hard work. She has become a conscientious and compassionate human being. Without the astounding commitment that SSIS has to making scholarships available to all those who seek to be ignited through education, we could not have afforded SSIS. We are infinitely grateful to find this level of quality education here in our small town.
Sorrel -- Spring Street International School gave my children a great academic education and amazing travel opportunities. But most importantly, they were taught to be good people. The consistently supportive atmosphere at Spring Street allowed my kids to blossom into unique, self-sufficient individuals with a genuine desire to make the world a better place. I am so deeply grateful for the scholarships that allowed them to attend SSIS. This investment in my children's future is now manifesting in their successful and productive young lives.
Leslie -- I would like to express my gratitude to Spring Street for the substantial financial support. My children’s attendance would not have been possible without this generous assistance. Spring Street School provided my children with the opportunity to grow and bloom in many ways that would not have been possible without this experience. This teaching community believed in my children and encouraged them to approach the world as freethinking individuals with open and inquiring minds.
The travel experience my children received through the school was extraordinary. With ample and careful preparation, my children were exposed to cultures and geographical areas they would have never been able to visit on their own. It prepared them for a lifetime of travel with the ability to approach the world with confidence and grace.
It is vital to the future of our planet that we have young people who are comfortable in interacting with varied cultures with intelligence and knowledge, and able to represent our country as decent, informed citizens of an ever-changing world. Spring Street provides children with the opportunity to become such world citizens.
Shann and Steve - Tuition discounts opened the door for our family to enter the wonderful world of Spring Street International School. Our daughters thrived in the intimate atmosphere and the experiential focus to education. I am deeply appreciative that the school is so inclusive and that it values diversity enough to extend scholarships to students and families who want and need this extraordinary opportunity.
Katy -- Thinking back on my daughter's education at SSS, I am most struck by something she said to me, just home from an experience as a foreign exchange student. She told me she felt confident about speaking to others as an American, as to who she was within that context. She told me that she felt articulate and informed about where she came from, and where she was going. She attributed this grounding knowledge of perspective to her education at SSIS. I am ever grateful to the school and the scholarship fund for making it possible to provide my daughter the opportunities she had, both experientially and in the classroom. As a college junior, she feels she has been given every tool she needs.
Levi -- We couldn't see putting our daughters in the public school in their respective grades, since they were well beyond the required classes that would be offered to them. Fortunately, Spring Street School had started up just a few years earlier. We realized that this would work for our girls but we would need some help with the costs. Spring Street School clearly saw our need and was eager to accept our girls into their student body. With a discounted tuition, we re-located from Stuart Island and our girls made a fluid transition into what became a very engaging and enriching secondary education.
Larry -- If Spring Street School had not provided financial aid to us during a time of need, we would not have been able to send our daughter to Spring Street.
My daughter’s love of travel and the cultures of the world were born at Spring Street. At the age of 21, she chose to travel around the world on her own for almost one year, with extended stays in Africa and Thailand, engaged in community service work. At 26, she is now financially independent and secure, in a job she loves. She has an understanding of the world that is rare for most Americans and sees herself as a global citizen. She is a strong and aware young woman who has a confidence and eagerness to take on future challenges.
Student Testimonials: SSIS Impact – Extraordinary Student Outcomes
Derin ’01 - Spring Street School, through its support both financially and academically, enabled me to travel down that road of self-discovery and create my own role in the world today. Spring Street School embodies the best elements of an educational institution because they value the “uniqueness” of each student, and believe that growth and success is not defined by one single path.
Shawn ’01 - Every time that I reflect on the value of my time at Spring Street I also must remember my good fortune and the generosity of others. My experience at Spring Street was only made possible through the contribution of the individuals who have made the financial aid program a reality. For this selflessness and eagerness to enhance the life of hundreds of youngsters I am in awe and continually thankful.
Providing financial aid for members of the Spring Street collective is not only an investment into the lives of the new generation but ultimately an investment in the future of our community and world. [Receiving financial aid] was an investment in my life, one that continues to create exponential returns as I am able to draw on my high school experience constantly. The monetary contribution was indeed substantial, but, in the long run, the gift of my education has become priceless, far exceeding a monetary value.
Robert ’03 - I cannot express how much Spring Street helped me over the years. From the travel opportunities and experience of different lands, people and cultures, to the excellent class instruction and assistance with college selection, Spring Street gave me a world-class education. I would not be where I am today without the care and guidance of this amazing community. I believe that all of the students I know who attended Spring Street benefited immensely. I am extremely grateful for the financial assistance that my family received, which allowed me to begin my studies there. The entire staff’s love, patience and understanding will always be with me as a guiding light.
Kestrel ’05 -With all the doors open to me as a result of my time at Spring Street, it is easy to see why I am grateful for having had the opportunity to attend SSIS. This would not have been possible, however without generous financial help, as my family could not afford full tuition. The financial aid that I received was manna in that it allowed me to experience and enjoy all of these opportunities. I know I am not alone in this, as I feel that it is a common sentiment among Spring Street alumni and current students alike that without financial aid, we would not be able to attend Spring Street and would not be where we are now. I urge you to consider the blessings you bring upon someone with a donation to the scholarship fund. I feel that I am not hyperbolizing when I say that it is a gift that can change a young person’s life.
Demi ‘06 - “I underestimated the love and support I would receive [from Spring Street School], as both my fellow students and the staff became my family. This is very unusual, based on my conversations with other university students. I owe who I am today to this epicenter of academic excellence and love. None of this would have been possible without the generous tuition discounts I received that allowed me to have this educational experience."
Rowan ’05 - “I'm very grateful to SSIS for the financial support it gave me during my five years there. The experiential and international education at the heart of the SSIS program was essential to my preparation for college, and the personal support and individually tailored programming were an essential foundation for my current leadership roles in college”
Elena ‘06 - Being able to attend SSIS was a tremendous gift to me. The discounted tuition allowed me to experience a whole new world so that I became a bigger, fuller person than I could have been just growing up on the island. I learned how to articulate my own thoughts and this has served me well in college, to become a leader in class discussions. SSIS taught me about being engaged with the subject matter, it became real and exciting to me, especially when I traveled and saw the reality of the world. I learned to go beyond the basic process of learning from a book at SSIS, and because of my great personal connections with all of the teachers; I learned to care about my own education.
Mariya ‘03 - The scholarship I received allowed me to attend SSIS and have experiences that changed my life. SSIS taught me that the world is an interesting and fascinating place that deserves to be understood. I felt like SSIS honored the many forms of intelligence, the teachers were good at working with and drawing out each person’s unique style. This was a crucial thing for me. SSIS gave me real world application to what I was learning. There is an intergenerational community of learning at SSIS and teachers that take you seriously. My writing in particular improved tremendously because of the personal feedback I received. I also learned to cultivate better relationships with my college professors and to ask for and receive help when I needed it.
Sasha ’05 - The value of my education at Spring Street School has become even more pronounced since graduation. Spring Street taught me to never accept facts at face value, to always be inquisitive and to make sense of what I learn on my own terms. Traveling with Spring Street as well has inspired me to never underestimate the value of encountering other cultures and to learn from differences instead of assuming that they are somehow wrong or inappropriate.
I am actively engaged in musical theater, studying voice, and I am learning to be an EMT. Without my Spring Street education, I would not have had the ability to make all of these things happen and still manage to be a good student at a competitive school. Without the scholarships my family and I received from Spring Street, it would have been impossible for us to afford this education. Furthermore, Spring Street's superior counseling services enabled us to find comparable financial aid for college as well.
Ceradwen ’02 - I am grateful to have had the pleasure and good fortune of attending Spring Street International School for my middle and high school years. I am certain that the quality of my education was superior and unique to any other option available to me. I was constantly challenged by the classes and travel programs. I was pushed to not accept what I thought my capabilities were but to test myself. I am very grateful to the tuition discounts offered by Spring Street, in addition to other scholarships and work programs. Without them, this educational opportunity would not have been possible. Spring Street provided me with experience and tools that I continue to use to further my education.
Callie ’06 - Iwent to Spring Street International School for 6 years, graduating in 2006. I could never have done it without the support of the wonderful scholarships I received during my years at Spring Street.
I had a single mother who chose to send my brother, Rowan, and I to private school so that we could receive a better education even though we were in a constant struggle for money. I am so grateful that she chose this path for me because it has truly expanded my mind. I am currently traveling around Australia and spent the year after I graduated traveling around Central America (Guatemala, Costa Rica and Honduras) doing community service, living with host families, and learning Spanish.
I credit all of my inspiration and motivation to travel to Spring Street International School. I never would have had the opportunity to become such a worldly person if it wasn't for the special donors who helped me every step of the way. I hope that I can forever look back on Spring Street and watch as young adults, like me, get the most out of life. Thanks to everyone who has supported me, financially, intellectually and emotionally.
Bonnie 2000 - Over time, I have observed that my education at SSIS was greater than most high schools-both in length and breadth. The classes were more demanding and the scope of the learning itself was broad and holistic. SSIS taught me to think of all subjects as an interconnected web, which many schools do not emphasize. By allowing the teachers to relate to us on a less formal, more realistic level, SSIS taught me to both respect and interact with my teachers with confidence. I have a good relationship with many of my professors at college and this has led to references and other opportunities. My travel experiences also left me a permanent global citizen. I cannot think of just my city, state or country without envisioning it as part of the global community.
Donations can be made right here, online, using a secure service called Click & Pledge (click on the icon above). Or you may donate with cash, check, Visa card, endowment, stock transaction or family bequest, payable to Spring Street International School. For more information or for help in making a contribution, call 360-378-6393 – or email Jerry riley at jriley@springstreet.org.
For more information, please click here to download our annual fund brochure.