Overview and Signature Programs

IDEAL students begin in kindergarten and continue throughout the grades to learn about themselves while empowering their unique identities, as well as the myriad identities in their classroom communities. Students develop a positive sense of who they are and a genuine feeling of belonging, a feeling that that they are valued and respected as part of a community. They also understand how their identities impact the larger community. Each month, the core values that we emphasize are linked to major identifiers, such as gender, ability, class, race, sexuality, and intersectionality. These identifiers are explored in structured activities and conversations about related current events, and they are celebrated in student assemblies.

Essential to our mission is the way we encourage all community members to bring their full identity to school every day. To celebrate the individual, students and faculty participate in an Identity Museum soon after the start of the school year. All members of the community showcase an artifact that represents an aspect of our identity. Students and faculty inspire one another with cultural traditions, hobbies, family structures, and secret talents.

Each year, students at IDEAL prepare for our Science Expo, an opportunity for them to showcase concepts they have learned in science through interactive, hands-on exhibits. In the Lower School, students work together to demonstrate their understanding of different aspects of a common theme from their explorations in science. In the Middle and High Schools, students are guided to pursue individualized and interest-driven projects, many with real-world applications.

ArtBeat is IDEAL’s annual art show and performance showcase, with schoolwide exhibits of our students' creative endeavors displayed throughout both school buildings. Each spring, as the school year begins to wind down, our community takes the time to reflect upon and celebrate all that our students have accomplished throughout the year in the visual art department. All students in visual arts classes showcase a body of work, and performing arts students sing, play, and act for their families and peers. IDEAL families tour our school art gallery as students highlight the motivation and techniques behind their work. Our authentic, gallery-opening style approach to ArtBeat provides an opportunity for students to display their skills and work, and student creations reflect each artist's creative spirit, courage, tenacity, and unique style of expression.