Horizons at Tower Hill
Tower Hill School is excited to announce that it will be the first school in the state of Delaware to serve as an Horizons affiliate.
Horizons is a national network of community-centered programs that aim to advance educational equity by building long-term partnerships with students, families, communities and schools. Horizons programs, which are tuition-free, support youth in building social-emotional and academic skills through experiential, project-based learning opportunities, confidence building activities and whole-child teaching practices.
About Horizons National
Since its start more than 25 years ago, Horizons has expanded to 74 sites across the country and has engaged over 10,000 students from pre-K through high school, who return to the program each year for project-based literacy, art and STEM learning, field trips, swimming, healthy living and community building in a joyful, supportive environment.
Horizons sites ensure students experience the joy of summer (and beyond) infused with diverse, new learning experiences. Horizons' hallmark is an intensive six-week summer learning and enrichment program. In small classes led by professional educators, students dive into a rich, culturally inclusive and responsive curriculum, and benefit from the incorporation of social-emotional and whole-child teaching practices. Throughout the school year, Horizons programs maintain connection with students and families by offering Saturday programming, special events and community reunions.
Horizons works with students and families to help transform the way students see themselves and their future. Their reading and math skills improve significantly. They return to school excited to learn. They graduate from high school and go on to attend college or other post-secondary training. With a network of support behind them, Horizons students embrace a more expansive view of what’s possible.
Click here to learn more on Horizons National's website.
Click here to learn more on Horizons National's website.
Horizons at Tower Hill Summer Launch
Tower Hill will welcome its first cohort of Horizons students in the summer of 2023, with an initial group of 15 rising first graders. An additional grade will be added each following summer. An important goal of the program is to retain students, and Horizons at Tower Hill expects to see the same participants return year over year. Students will be recruited from the Wilmington community and will attend at no cost to them. Using Horizons National’s proven model, each incoming class is intentionally balanced with two-thirds of students performing below grade level and one-third performing at or above grade level, driving peer support and nurturing long-term growth.
Horizons Executive Director
Violeta Castro Stolpen ’05 will lead Horizons at Tower Hill as its founding Executive Director. Ms. Stolpen is a Mexican American immigrant based in Pennsylvania on Lenapehoking (Lenni-Lenape) Land. Dedicated to community and economic development, she has served in the nonprofit and for-profit spaces helping historically marginalized individuals and entrepreneurs access affordable capital and supportive services. Her career has taken her from supporting garment manufacturers and designers with the Council of Fashion Designers of America in New York City to securing $65MM in grant funding for community services and affordable housing for individuals experiencing homelessness in the American West and Indian Country with Clearinghouse CDFI. She holds a Masters in Business Administration in Finance and Marketing from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in Geology from Bucknell University.
Contact: Violeta Stolpen, Executive Director at vstolpen@towerhill.org
Contact: Violeta Stolpen, Executive Director at vstolpen@towerhill.org
The health, wellness and safety of Tower Hill’s students is the school’s highest priority. Tower Hill has been recognized as a Shield of Protection Partner by the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children.
Wellness Center
Tower Hill has a dedicated space, the Wellness Center, where students can access our two licensed clinical psychologists. Dr. Amy Cuddy and Dr. Lauren Lineback have extensive backgrounds in human development, student learning, family dynamics, psychoeducational testing, mental health and best practices for supporting and guiding students. Our psychologists aim to engender the growth of highly functioning, confident adults, who are self-directed and able to self-regulate and self-advocate.
The psychologists provide therapeutic support and resources to various constituencies within the school. Be that one-on-one consultations with students, engagements with parents during times of challenge or change, or conversations with faculty to inform the needs of an individual student or a larger cohort, their work is geared to advance the wellbeing of all members of the THS community. Through forums such as Peer Leadership, Freshman Seminar, Lunch Bunch, or Health and Wellness classes, they provide students with specific knowledge that will contribute to their ability to thrive. The psychologists are a steady presence in the lives of students, sometimes operating in the immediate foreground and other times working quietly in the background. In short, they are collaborators in all aspects of wellness.
Mindfulness
Andrea Sarko is Tower Hill’s Director of Service Learning and of Mindfulness, lower school wellness teacher nad middle school health teacher. Research supports the importance of mindfulness in schools and enhances cognitive abilities relevant to academic achievement, including reading comprehension and working memory capacity. Additionally, research has documented the value of mindfulness-based interventions for enhancing social–emotional wellbeing. Mindfulness practices give students ownership over recognizing their emotions and making choices that increase ease and joy; offering a calming effect on the nervous system and allowing the brain to function optimally. Mindfulness is a component of our Lower School wellness program, a year long, comprehensive physical, mental and social health program.
Health Office
The Tower Hill Health Office is staffed daily from 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. by Nurse Lexy Herbein and the health team. Offering solace and support, our Health Office is a haven where wellbeing takes center stage. With a blend of professionalism and warmth, our dedicated health professionals stand ready to address the diverse needs of our students. The Health Office is a space where every ache, concern and worry is met with expertise and empathy, ensuring a seamless balance between academic pursuit and physical wellness. Rooted in a commitment to fostering a healthy learning environment, the Health Office exemplifies our school's dedication to cultivating not only bright minds, but also strong spirits. Our team embraces a holistic approach ensuring that students are healthy so that they can be educated and educated to be healthy.
Illness Guidelines
In consideration of others, children should not be sent to camp when ill. A child should remain home with a fever (100.0 degrees or higher), suspected strep throat, rash of unknown origin, vomiting or diarrhea, or two or more COVID-19 symptoms. Children are not to return to camp until they are without fever, vomiting, or diarrhea for at least 24 hours without medication. If exhibiting 2 or more symptoms of COVID-19, campers should be COVID tested (at home tests are acceptable) and results should be communicated to the school nurse via email (aherbein@towerhill.org) before returning to camp. Students with suspected strep throat should remain at home until the throat culture results are obtained or until the student has been on an antibiotic for at least 24 hours.
Any household exposure to COVID-19 should be reported to the school nurse via email (aherbein@towerhill.org) immediately. A decision will be made on a case-by-case basis to determine exposure risk and if masking and additional testing will be
