Many of us experience an instinctive recognition of the value of play in young people. Doesn’t seeing children at play simply feel right? However, there’s more to this than a gut feeling. Indeed, a host of research identifies the many benefits of play for young people, including the development of social skills, cognitive abilities, and emotional intelligence.
Dear Friends of Fairhaven, As the matriarch of the Four Butler Boys family, I was honored when I was asked by the Fairhaven School Donations Clerk to write this letter. Having three of my sons as Fairhaven alumni and one…
“There are no grades and no hard deadlines, just the pleasure and satisfaction of enriching your own mind.” “The enthusiasm around personal curriculums and independent learning might reflect modern-day anxieties. Faced with the noise of social media and endless demands…
The two core ideas of Fairhaven School- freedom and responsibility- have been on full display as we commence the 2025-2026 school year, our twenty-eighth. While we continue to explain our unique educational program in new and different ways, these two…
Join us as we share a unique and heartwarming graduation speech from Nora, Class of ’25. Framed as a letter to her first-year self, Nora reflects on four transformative years, from cultivating a garden to unexpected soccer games, and finding a true sense of belonging. Discover the impact of a Sudbury education through her honest and moving reflections on growth, friendship, and preparing for the future.
For the past year, students at Fairhaven have been playing pickup games of recreational soccer. It started as a mild interest, and folding chairs were sufficient for goal posts. Over time interest grew, and now soccer has surpassed basketball as…
Let’s look at some of the similarities and differences between Montessori and Sudbury schools, so you can make the best schooling decision for your child.
Tuesday, November 28, 2023 Greetings Friend of Fairhaven School, I hope this letter finds you well. My name is Ben Umstead. I’m an alum of the school, and I’m here to tell you a story about play. On a recent episode…
Greetings Friend of Fairhaven School, I hope my letter finds you and your family well. My son started at Fairhaven four years ago, and each day has been a great adventure encouraging autonomy, finding beauty in the natural world, and…
“It was really helpful to have grown up around artists at Fairhaven. As a game developer, you have to be able to work with people of all sorts of different disciplines. I need to work with streamers and artists, all these kinds of people with different skillsets and ways of looking at the world. I think my experiences at Fairhaven were really helpful with being able to communicate with all these people in their ‘native language’.
I’ll never forget the first time I drove down Queen Anne Road on my initial visit to Fairhaven. It was 2006, and accompanying me was my third child, Kieran. He was a newborn at the time, and Mark, the admissions…
We write to share the passing of Sudbury Valley School founder Danny Greenberg. He was a mentor and colleague since the mid-nineties, when we first contacted Sudbury Valley and began the process of starting Fairhaven School. Brilliant, funny, and always direct, Danny often showed the way, whether writing one of his many books or working these many decades to keep Sudbury Valley going.
