Steward seeks motivated, high achieving sixth through ninth graders from all backgrounds, who crave activity, adventure, and exploration. Do you know students who are excited by the idea of building community, doing hands-on environmental science, and pushing themselves out of their comfort zone on outdoor expeditions? Encourage them to apply today!
We are thrilled to announce the opening of Steward, a unique boarding school that balances academic rigor and outdoor adventure, resulting in a life-changing experience that sets our graduates up for success in high school and beyond.
Growth. Discovery. Adventure.
Now accepting applications for Fall 2018
Steward offers an exciting opportunity for high achieving middle school students and select 9th graders to learn and live away from their regular school for a semester or a year. Similar to existing high school semester schools, Steward fulfills and enhances required academic courses, allowing students to remain on-track academically. Steward’s rigorous, thematic curriculum aligns with traditional academic courses while particularly focusing on hands-on environmental science and ethics.
Students spend at least four weeks of each semester on outdoor adventure expeditions—hiking along the Appalachian Trail, sailing a schooner up the coast of Maine, biking along the Erie Canal and snowshoeing hut to hut in the White Mountains (just to name a few!). Learning how to live in intentional community with a focus on sustainable practices is at the core our program.
Students leave Steward with a stronger sense of self and are prepared to think critically, communicate effectively, organize themselves independently, and be the leaders and stewards of tomorrow.
We invite you to come to Essex and visit our beautiful 740 acre campus and meet our faculty at our next open house on February 11, 2018 (RSVP required), or contact us to set up a tour at a time that works best for your family’s schedule.
As a parent, you want to give your child every advantage possible. A semester or year spent at Steward sets your child apart. Browse our website, visit and “like” our Facebook page and Instagram account, and set up a conversation with us to learn more about the value of a semester or year spent at Steward. We look forward to welcoming you to Ivoryton.
If you have any questions or would like to request additional information we encourage you to contact us at (860) 767-0848 ext. 117 or [email protected].
Attending Steward Will:
- Give students a head start on developing independence, organization, good judgement, risk-taking and other life skills necessary for success in high school, college and beyond.
- Nurture a student’s motivation for and interest in learning.
- Complement a student’s education with experiences that are not available at their sending school.
- Allow students from public and day schools to benefit from a boarding school experience without the cost or time commitment of attending a four-year school.
- Offer students considering boarding schools with the experience of living and learning in a residential setting.
- Provide students with a unique, eye-catching experience that sets them apart from other applicants in the high school and college admission processes.
An Idyllic Living Classroom for Study and Recreation
Located in Connecticut’s Eastern Shoreline region, we are just two hours from both New York City and Boston. Our campus is truly unique: despite being located just 10 minutes from public transit, our property spans more than 740 rural acres containing miles of hiking trails, a working farm, ropes course, nature education center and a mile-long private lake. Our campus provides an idyllic living classroom for both study and recreation.
Campus Fast Facts:
- 740 Acres in Coastal Connecticut
- Dorms Custom Built 2017
- Mile-long, private spring-fed lake for study and recreation
- Working Farm & Organic Vegetable Garden
- High and Low Ropes Course
- Indoor Gymnasium, sports fields, roller hockey rink, tennis courts, basketball courts
- Maple-sugaring House
- Woodworking, Ceramics, Music and Art Studios
- Miles of Hiking Trails
- Indigenous History Sites
Steward Outdoor School is a program of Incarnation Camp and Conference Center. Established in 1886, IC is the oldest continuously operating coed camp in America. For over 131 years we have delivered life-changing education, recreation, retreat and camping programs to youth and adults from across the country and around the world.