Ben Lippen School
Monticello Road Campus (preK-12th)
7401 Monticello Road, Columbia, SC 29203
St. Andrews Road Campus (preK-5th)
500 St. Andrews Road, Columbia, SC 29210
(803) 807-4000 • www.BenLippen.com
Rising to the Peaks of Christian Scholarship
Ben Lippen School is a pre-K to 12th grade Christian school of nearly 800 students offering challenging academics, a wide variety of co-curricular activities and the spiritual and social training required to graduate Christian scholars. It is also a college and “calling” preparatory school that trains students for God’s call on their life in college and beyond. Ben Lippen programs are comparable to those of larger schools, but they also foster a community experience where students and families are known by name.
Biblical Foundation. Ben Lippen believes the Bible is the inspired Word of God and the basis of knowledge and wisdom. To prepare students to be critical thinkers, and to prepare them for God’s calling on their lives, the school integrates biblical truth into every discipline and activity.
Academic Excellence. The world that students will inherit is changing, and Ben Lippen is passionate about preparing Christian scholars for the 21st century. Beginning at the preschool level, students are challenged to become critical thinkers and problem solvers, while thinking creatively and working collaboratively. Honors, Advanced Placement and Dual (college) Enrollment classes are offered. Ben Lippen ensures 100 percent of its high school students are accepted into college. Over the past several years, Ben Lippen students have consistently received more than $4 million in renewable scholarships to some of the finest colleges and universities.
Multicultural. Perhaps one of the most defining aspects of Ben Lippen is the enriching cross-cultural experience that comes with having high school students from around the world live on campus and attend classes with day students. Boarding students make up approximately 20 percent of the high school population.
Faculty. Nearly 60 percent of the Ben Lippen faculty members have obtained or are working toward an advanced degree. The school’s teaching philosophy emphasizes mentoring and personal relationships. Faculty members serve as club sponsors, coaches and advisors, as well as classroom instructors. Most importantly, each teacher must make a personal statement of faith in Jesus Christ.
Activities. Confidence, personal interests and talents are developed through a wide array of co-curricular opportunities in academics, arts, athletics, leadership and service. Ben Lippen offers students many opportunities to develop spiritually, academically and socially outside the classroom. Athletics also are a big part of campus life. Student athletes are encouraged to utilize their God-given talents to the fullest while displaying Christian character both on and off the playing field. There are nearly 40 athletic teams at Ben Lippen, with many athletes annually recognized as All-State and All-Region players.
Cardinal Newman School
4701 Forest Drive, Columbia, SC 29206
(803) 782-2814 • www.cnhs.org
Forming Lives of Excellence in the Catholic Tradition: Spiritual Excellence, Academic Excellence, Athletic Excellence
With a rich 150 year history, Cardinal Newman School makes sure every day is a day to witness amazing transformations as they help children grow into remarkable young adults, great intellectuals and conscientious citizens of the world.
The school’s dedicated faculty members are committed to providing an exceptional academic and spiritually-based curriculum, enhanced by dynamic athletic and arts programs, to students in grades seven through 12. Students will experience the benefits of a Cardinal Newman education long after they’ve exited its halls.
Spiritual Excellence. Cardinal Newman School allows students to openly express their spirituality through courses in theology and participation in KAIROS and class retreats. Through a full-time director of ministry, the school provides multiple opportunities for students to grow in an atmosphere focused on Christian gospel values. Students learn that God is present in every aspect of life, both inside the classroom and out.
In addition, community service and education that emphasizes strong social justice teaching, beliefs and actions are a major part of the core of the school’s theology program.
Academic Excellence. In 2011, 98 percent of graduates went on to post-secondary education in some of the most highly-selective U.S. colleges and universities; 78 percent of those graduates received merit-based college scholarships totaling $4.7 million; 10 percent of the class was named Palmetto Fellows; and one student was a National Merit Scholarship Finalist.
The School’s 2012 graduating class is accomplishing great things through the full complement of college-credit, Advanced Placement, Honors and college-preparatory classes that are designed to help all students reach their own individual potentials in each of the core curriculum areas.
Athletic Excellence. The school is committed to providing a well-rounded experience for its students by providing a wide range of extracurricular activities.
Cardinal Newman student athletes have won both team and individual state championships in softball and swimming, with the wrestling team winning its third consecutive state championship and the competition cheerleading team winning its seventh consecutive state championship. In addition, many student athletes are All-Region and All-State players. In the Class of 2011, two Cardinal Newman student athletes signed to play their sports on the collegiate level.
Accreditations & Associations. Cardinal Newman is accredited by the National Catholic Educational Association, S.C. Independent Schools Association and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Glenforest School
1041 Harbor Drive, West Columbia, SC 29169
(803) 796-7622 • www.glenforest.org
Glenforest School is a K–12, SACS Accredited, 501(c)(3) nonprofit school dedicated to educating students who learn differently in a nurturing environment. The school was founded by Dr. Glenda Sternberg in 1983 with a distinct vision: “If a child cannot learn the way they are taught, then we as educators must teach the way the child can learn.” Glenforest has spent three decades reaching children who have not thrived in “traditional” learning environments, offering them opportunities, small class-sizes and individual attention they need to succeed.
“We are deeply indebted to Glenforest for saving our ‘lost’ son and extremely blessed to have this exceptional teaching program in our community,” writes one Glenforest parent. “Just because a child does not comply with the ‘expected norms’ doesn’t mean they cannot be competent and productive members of society. Often their vast potential is untapped, and remains lost in the limits of bureaucracy without the special programming they really need to succeed. Glenforest gave my son confidence and understanding that helped him accomplish many things he otherwise would not have thought possible. It changed him as a person and saved his life.”
Glenforest works exclusively with non-traditional learners and accommodates students with a full-spectrum of learning differences, including dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, Asperger’s, autism, dyscalculia, central auditory processing disorder and various others. The school exists to meet the academic and social needs of its students, empowering them to realize self-worth and achieve their full potential. Catering to the needs of educationally underserved students in the Midlands is the very foundation of the school, central to its mission, basis of its curriculum and its daily concern.
Hammond School
854 Galway Lane, Columbia, SC 29209
(803) 776-0295 • www.hammondschool.org
The fact that Hammond School is the largest independent school in the Columbia area comes as no surprise. They take academics seriously, and their track record proves it. They work hard, and they play hard as well. Hammond prides itself on cultivating a lifelong love of learning while encouraging students to search for their unique gifts and talents.
Hammond is proud of its progressive curriculum at all grade levels, always seeking to incorporate the best techniques of a traditional program and those supported by thorough research.
The hallmark of Hammond’s curriculum is its global emphasis. To that end, they not only offer expansive community service opportunities, but also engage students in multi-cultural study. Hammond is successful in bringing the world to its students and its students to the world.
• The average SAT score is 1225.
• 16 percent of the class of 2010 were named Palmetto Fellows.
• 2011 academic scholarship offerings topped $4 million, with over 85 percent offered academic scholarships.
• The class of 2011 was extended offers of acceptance to 65 institutions in 18 states.
• Hammond’s football team made state history as the only school, regardless of division, to ever achieve six consecutive state championship titles.
• The drama department was selected to perform at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
• The Select Ensemble choir regularly performs at home and abroad, most recently to Eastern Europe.
Heathwood Hall Episcopal SCHOOL
3000 S. Beltline Blvd, Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 765-2309 • www.heathwood.org
Heathwood Hall is a college preparatory school with a strong Episcopal heritage of stewardship, inclusivity and respect for the dignity of every human being.
Heathwood’s commitment to nurture the entire student, challenging them to balance the highest standards of scholarship, citizenship and servant leadership, truly differentiates it from other schools. Through the richness of community students learn, grow and worship as they cultivate and celebrate the power of the individual mind, the soundness of body and the value of a joyful and spiritual life.
Heathwood Hall’s obligation to developing the complete individual — one whose character and conduct serve to compliment and enhance their outstanding academic achievements — stems from its commitment to know every student and foster his or her achievement from nursery school (beginning at age 3) through grade 12.
Within the Midlands, Heathwood is known for its pioneering tradition, programmatic excellence, lauded faculty, dedication to its mission and Episcopal identity and keeping children at the center of all that it does.
Heathwood Hall consistently earns national recognition as a leader in educational initiatives. The curriculum is enriched by international experiences, outdoor and environmental education, related arts, integration of the latest technology and advanced skills in science, languages and problem solving.
Heathwood Hall leads students beyond personal and geographic boundaries as well, preparing them for global citizenship in an ever-changing world. As the first independent school in the Midlands to require community service for graduation, students enter the world having benefited from engaging and experiencing a wide range of diverse people, cultures, beliefs and practices.
Nurturing each student with every opportunity, tool and resource they will need to fulfill an enriched and purposeful life, Heathwood Hall has for generations cultivated children into exceptional young adults with boundless potential.
Learn more about Heathwood Hall by visiting its website or by visiting the campus to meet with faculty and talk with students and families. To schedule a visit, contact the admissions office by calling Blair Mason at (803) 231-7718 or via email at masonb@heathwood.org.
Heritage Christian Academy
649 Barr Road, Lexington, SC 29072
(803) 951-3901 • www.heritage-christian.com
For the past 15 years, Heritage Christian Academy of Lexington has been providing its students in K4 through eighth grade with a rigorous and comprehensive Christian education.
Heritage has a track record of producing high achievers at the high school, collegiate and graduate levels. Ninety-five percent of the school’s alumni attend college on either partial or full academic scholarships.
Admission testing to assess academic readiness results in relatively small class sizes with students who are capable of learning at a brisk pace. Heritage graduates will move on to ninth grade with as many as three high school credits. Heritage is accredited by the South Carolina Independent School Association and is a member of the prestigious Educational Records Bureau (ERB).
Sandhills School
1500 Hallbrook Drive, Columbia, SC 29209
(803) 695-1400 • www.sandhillsschool.org
Some of the most difficult decisions that parents make involve doing what is best for their child when they know that the child will not like or understand the decision. One student at Sandhills School revealed that when he was attending a traditional middle school, he was diagnosed with dyslexia, a learning difference that prevented him from reading and processing written material at a rate commensurate with his very high IQ. With the help of learning specialists, his parents made the decision to enroll him at Sandhills School. At first he was angry and fearful of leaving his old school and his friends behind, but it took him less than five minutes to feel at home in his new school. Today he describes Sandhills School as “my most favorite place in the world other than my own home.” A leader and an athlete, soon he will be a college freshman, and he feels prepared and confident about his future.
Since 1970, Sandhills School has changed the lives of young people diagnosed with learning differences such as dyslexia or ADHD. Now serving students in grades one through 12, Sandhills is the only Orton-Gillingham accredited college preparatory school in the Midlands, and one of only nine in the nation. Sandhills is led by a team of highly-qualified teachers who develop the potential of each student through individualized learning. Offering an advanced curriculum and using a multisensory approach to teaching, the faculty helps students to rediscover the joy of learning and prepare for college and beyond. The school’s first senior class will graduate in May 2012 with 100 percent acceptance to four-year colleges.
St. John Neumann Catholic School
721 Polo Road, Columbia SC 29223
(803) 788-1367 • www.sjncatholic.com
SMART Boards, iPads and Alpha Smarts are all elements within cutting edge classrooms that make today’s students tomorrow’s innovators. But what St. John Neumann Catholic School teachers are doing with this technology is igniting imaginations and allowing for student assessments that deepen individual understanding of all materials offered.
Preschoolers through sixth graders are all pre-assessed before each unit in every subject. Technology such as Classroom Performance Systems enable teachers to identify students’ strengths and areas for improvement so they can offer differentiated instruction. Smart Boards in every classroom, including special classes like Music and Science Lab, as well as nearly a dozen iPads, help children interact with each lesson offered.
St. John Neumann Catholic School believes technology should be taught as a lifestyle and given as a tool that will empower and engage all levels of learning.
Saint Joseph Catholic School
3700 Devine Street, Columbia, SC 29205
(803) 254-6736 • www.stjosdevine.com
Inspiring minds. Building Character. Living faith.
Saint Joseph Catholic School offers children of parishioners and the non-Catholic community a challenging curriculum of academic study and spiritual formation in a safe and loving environment (K4 – sixth grades).
Inspiring minds. Highly qualified teachers combined with low student-teacher ratios allow students to thrive. In addition to state-of-the-art video and voice projection technology, every classroom is equipped with a SMART Board.
Building character. Woven into each school day are chances for students to grow from leadership and service opportunities. Students are prepared to meet the opportunities and challenges they will face in the future.
Living faith. Saint Joseph Catholic School provides an atmosphere of tolerance, trust and love, acknowledging and celebrating the faiths of all students. The school’s goal is to make every family feel welcome in the church and in the school.
Timmerman School
2219 Atascadero Drive, Columbia, SC 29206
(803) 782-2748 • www.timmermanschool.com
The Timmerman School was founded in 1954 by Mrs. June Timmerman, a pioneer in early childhood education who was honored with the Governor’s Order of the Palmetto for her dedication to and influence on Columbia’s school children in the classroom as well as through her ETV children’s program. The school begins with young 3-year-olds and continues through the eighth grade, taking students through those critical middle school years. Students excel in a warm and friendly atmosphere with a highly qualified staff that administers an academically advanced curriculum, as well as intensive fine arts and competitive sports programs. A beautiful creek and towering hardwoods complement the campus, located in the heart of Forest Acres. The school provides a licensed aftercare program during the school year and a fun and enriching summer program. The school’s mission is to foster respect, resourcefulness and personal responsibility. Excellence and affordability are the cornerstones of Timmerman School.
