Face-to-Face Socialization Enhances Our School Community

Laurel Springs works to provide students and parents with opportunities to connect face-to-face.

Regional Socials and Field Trips

Laurel Springs hosts a number of regional events throughout the year giving students and their families face-to-face opportunities to connect with other families in their area as well as members of our faculty and staff. On our regional field trips, students enjoy hands-on experiences while interacting and making memories with their peers. Our field trips are open to students in Kindergarten through 12th grade and students are broken into smaller groups based on grade level while touring the facility. Families enjoy a pizza lunch hosted by Laurel Springs and are encouraged to make connections during their time spent together. These events are posted on our school calendar throughout the year.

Highlights from the 2015-2016 school year include The Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor, NJ where students broke into two groups and learned all about horseshoe crabs, bird migration, and even had the chance to get their hands dirty experiencing wetlands ecology by taking soil samples and wading into the water to collect minnows, shrimp, and crabs with seine nets.

Watch our highlight video from the trip for a first hand look at the activities students enjoyed!

Annual Weekend of Celebrations

At the end of each traditional academic school year, our school hosts a formal graduation ceremony, National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society Induction Ceremony, and prom. These events are held during a weekend known as the Annual Weekend of Celebrations and also include a Coffeehouse student performance event as well as breakfast for the graduating seniors in attendance and their parents. Many students travel from across the country (or the world) in order to attend.

Graduation Ceremony

During the weekend, seniors have the opportunity to celebrate this milestone with their classmates and our wonderful faculty and staff. We offer a full graduation experience, complete with caps and gowns. Our graduation ceremony feels personal for graduates and families, because it features inspiring statements from teachers about their experiences with graduating students. Also, as a distance learning school, teachers, students, and family members who cannot attend in person have the option of attending virtually from any location with Internet access.

Prom

Year after year our prom has been the highlight event for many students. In preparation for the event, our student body votes on the theme and our prom committee chooses the decorations and snacks. On the evening of the event, our DJ keeps the dance floor packed and photographer provides students the opportunity for photo mementos.
“It was amazing to be at the prom. I got to meet people I’d only spoken to through a computer, see friends I’d previously met, and meet new people, all while dancing and having more fun than I’ve ever had in my life. Unlike some parties or dances, there was no pressure. It didn’t matter if you knew everyone or knew no one; you were still welcomed into the group. I felt like I truly belonged.”
– Laurel Springs School Student

Many of our students make connections during the prom that last for many years. We encourage our high school students to attend the prom, which is a fun opportunity to enrich peer relationships and take advantage of a traditional high school experience.

Honor Society Induction Ceremonies

Each year, Laurel Springs School invites our National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society members to take place in a live induction ceremony that recognizes newly accepted members into the chapters and honors current members’ commitments to their communities throughout the past school year. This is a special time for us as a virtual community to gather onsite with faculty and staff to celebrate our students’ achievements with their families and friends.

Coffeehouse Student Performance Event

Laurel Springs students, families, and friends are invited to our Coffeehouse student performance event that takes place the evening before graduation and prom each year. This casual event gives students the opportunity to mingle with their peers before the big events the following day, and allows parents to get to know one another as well as interact with our faculty and staff. The coffeehouse atmosphere provides students the platform to read a poem, sing a song, do an interpretive dace, play an instrument, share a presentation or video, even give a stand-up comedy act! This is an event our families look forward as it kicks off our weekend of celebrations.