Signature Programs

Newton Country Day offers several unique signature programs in both the Middle and Upper Schools designed to enrich the Sacred Heart education experience. These programs include opportunities for international travel, skill development in public speaking, cross-curricular experiential learning, community service, and independent research.

Middle School Programs

Grade 5 Voyagers

Designed to spark curiosity and build lasting connections across disciplines, the Voyagers program empowers students to discover the joy of learning beyond the classroom walls. Every other Wednesday, students in Grade 5 venture into the community for an interdisciplinary, student-centered, and inquiry-focused educational excursion, leaving campus at 10am and returning by 2:30pm. Over the course of the year, students will participate in approximately fifteen academic excursions. Plans for Voyagers’ trips are drawn from the curriculum and are designed to complement traditional lessons. Some examples of Voyagers excursions planned for this year include a Visual Art and Grammar excursion exploring book binding at the Boston Public Library, a Math and Technology excursion to Guild Hall to build robots, and a Dance and Music “in-house” excursion with the Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers.

See the Grade 5 Voyagers on several excursions.

“As our Middle School students progress through the Voyagers and Explorers programs, our hope is that they will develop a sense of ownership and personal connection to their education, with a deeper, self-driven desire to learn.”Dr. Deborah Tully, middle school head

Grade 6 Explorers

Building on the Grade 5 Voyagers program, the Grade 6 Explorers program offers monthly inquiry-based, cross-curricular excursions that integrate classroom learning with real-world experiences to bring subjects to life. From engaging in a Mission to Mars at the Christa McAuliffe Space Center to visiting the Leventhal Map and Education Center at the Boston Public Library where students practice using cartographic tools, these immersive adventures foster critical thinking, collaboration, and a deeper understanding of how classroom knowledge applies to the real world.

Grade 6 Public Speaking

In Grade 6 English, students research, write, and present original speeches inspired by Goal III, educating to a social awareness which impels to action. Using their knowledge of rhetoric, oratory, and the power of language, they share their researched topic of interest with the entire Middle School.

Watch students describe their experiences with the speech project process.

Grade 7 & 8 Science and Engineering Fair

Grade 8 Capstone Project

The Capstone course, which meets once a week during the first semester, is an independent study project undertaken solely by a student with mentorship from a faculty member. During the formal aspect of the course in the first semester, students propose and plan a personal project that displays their personal interest in a topic, a mastery of Middle School curriculum, and an understanding of the Goals of Sacred Heart schools. During the second semester, students work independently with a mentor to execute their project. A Capstone Showcase is held in April, where students present their projects to the community with a formal presentation. The capstone project could be a product, a piece of art, a podcast, or a novella. The possibilities are endless and should be driven by the student’s personal interests.

A successful Capstone project will:

Show student’s authentic interest.
Reflect time and effort invested in a project.
Demonstrate grade-level skills and knowledge.
Directly integrate two or more academic subjects.
Embody the Sacred Heart Goals, with a direct focus on one goal.
Demonstrate achievement of the student’s learning objective.
Display an original product created by the student.

*For her Capstone project, Caroline Hoenscheid ’28 designed a costume and choreographed a dance to raise awareness about how climate change affects the ocean.*

Upper School Programs

Sacred Heart Network Exchange

Located in 41 countries, Sacred Heart Schools provide a global perspective. Through the Network Exchange Program, students have the opportunity to become independent world travelers as they engage in six-week reciprocal exchanges with students who attend Sacred Heart schools worldwide. In recent years students from countries including Australia, Austria, Chile, France, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain, and Taiwan have shared an exchange with Newton Country Day.

Learn more about the Network Exchange Program.

*Alexandra Bradley ’25 wears a traditional Japanese kimono at Yamano Beauty College while on exchange in Tokyo.*

Independent Research in Science and Engineering

This program encourages students to become scientists or engineers through the development of a project of their own design. With mentorship from a faculty member, students discern a question to address, write a detailed project proposal, conduct the experiment or implement their designs, analyze their data, and communicate their findings through a written report and oral presentation at the annual Science and Engineering Fair. Many students advance to present their work at the regional, statewide, and international Science and Engineering Fairs. Notable student achievements include earning awards to develop a patent on their design and receiving recognition from national societies.

Global Studies Program

This Grade 10 program is an interdisciplinary and experiential approach to the humanities, enriching students’ understanding of global cultures by combining surveys of modern history and global literature from the French Revolution to the present.

History and English Department faculty collaborate to help students in each cohort connect and apply discipline-specific skills across the curriculum.

The Global Studies program also offers an Honors-level option for students who are ready to operate above grade level in their analytical reading and writing, critical thinking, and class engagement skills.

Grade 11 New York City Service / American History Trip

Each September, Grade 11 students travel to New York City as a class for a cross-disciplinary, experiential, and mission-driven trip. To kick off the year in United States History, students visit Ellis Island, tour lower Manhattan, visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, and do a walking tour of Harlem. Students then have a day of direct service in small groups in several locations in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Brooklyn. The entire class sleeps, eats, and bonds by staying overnight in a church and taking the subway all over New York City. In addition to these transformative experiences, the whole class partakes in a lively family-style dinner and enjoys a traditional festival in Little Italy to fully appreciate this unique experience in New York City.

Hesed

Hesed is Hebrew for loving-kindness. Students in Grade 11 complete 40+ hours of direct
service at an organization where they form relationships rooted in the ethic of reciprocity. This program fosters the building of community and invites students to respond to the Gospel call to work for social justice—an act that leads to a deepening of faith. Through reflection, which encourages critical thinking and personal growth, students mature intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually and continue to hone a true sense of purpose.

Learn more about the Hesed Program.

Senior Project

This program invites students to discern, pursue, and engage in an independent professional externship during the final month of Grade 12. The project can take the form of an internship, service project, job shadow, or carefully planned creative endeavor and culminates in the Senior Project Symposium, where each student presents experiences and outcomes in response to an essential question they have articulated.

Recent projects include interning with a member of Congress, shadowing a surgeon, assisting the executive director of a non-profit, writing a novel, and composing and recording an album.

Learn more about Senior Project.

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