Mission, Core Values & Philosophy

We inspire young people of talent and promise to develop clear values, a desire for wisdom, and an appreciation for all endeavors which broaden the mind and enlighten the spirit.

Our Core Values

Achieve Distinction

We embolden all to achieve excellence in their academic and personal pursuits and help them recognize how their effort translates into continued success.

Explore Opportunities

We actively engage in a broad range of academic, fine arts, athletic, and extra-curricular endeavors to discover potential and foster growth.

Inspire Character

Strong moral conduct is fundamental to our community, and we purposefully promote self-reflection, honesty, empathy, kindness, and respect.

Become Yourself

We commit to know each child well in order to support each child’s development into a capable, confident, conscientious young adult.

Philosophy

All children embark on their own educational journeys brimming with potential, informed by nature, and nurtured through personal experience. We believe each journey is better and more nourishing if, during these formative years, it takes place within a deeply-connected and diverse community. Such a community provides children a supportive, physically- and emotionally-safe environment where they become confident learners who take risks and actively engage in their world. Green Hedges is this community.

In 1942, Frances and Kenton Kilmer, children of international artists, founded Green Hedges School to provide a learning environment that emphasizes excellence in the core subjects while reflecting their passion for the arts and languages and their appreciation for cultural and religious diversity. Building on their vision, we teach a robust liberal arts program from the earliest ages–providing context, encouraging connections, and inspiring creativity. Our approach creates a strong foundation and allows students to achieve a deeper and broader understanding within all disciplines.

The intimate size of our community enables each child to be known, valued, and guided as an individual. Each student actively engages in all aspects of the school experience, including collaborating with and mentoring students across grade levels. Our graduates leave Green Hedges well prepared to thoughtfully and confidently meet new challenges with the advantages of an excellent education and a certainty in their sense of self.

Education should open the doors of the child’s mind to the delight of the unknown, the strange, the antique, the foreign, the new…it should open the doors of the soul.