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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.

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