Our campus is rich with maker technology and tools including 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC routers, a vinyl cutter and press, green screens, a large format printer, and a full complement of tools and other woodworking machinery. Students prototype, make models, solve problems, and create original inventions like rubber band-powered cars, lasercut rockets and planes, luminaries, and other hands-on projects. Adobe Illustrator, Autodesk Inventor, and Corel Draw are several graphic design and CAD programs students learn to use. All classes are able to use these tools for various projects, but most notable are the STEAM and Inventionland courses.
Among our academic facilities, the McPhail Classroom Center houses six well-equipped laboratories for scientific research and experimentation and the Stephen C. Rogers Fine Arts Center caters to the fine and performing arts. The Zeigler Science Center (ZSC) houses our physics and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) courses. The building was designed to encourage students to engage in hands-on inquiry, to engineer creative solutions to real-world problems, and to actively participate in meaningful collaborative work. Ideal for facilitating both classroom learning and practical application, the building provides a transitional space for teachers to move from lecture to experiment with ease, by having movable furniture inside the vast classrooms. Because of this dynamic space, our teachers can develop new ways to approach, understand, apply, and practice science.
The John A. Pidgeon Library is the “learning commons” of the Kiski School, serving the school’s mission in preparing young men and women to succeed in college and in life. The library program seeks to ensure that all members of the Kiski community are resourceful, effective, and ethical in using ideas and information to pursue and generate knowledge. This mission is accomplished by:
- Providing intellectual and physical access to quality materials in a variety of media formats that meet students’ information needs
- Providing sanctuary for quiet study and reflection along with the physical space for group work
- Promoting collaboration with faculty and designing interdisciplinary teaching opportunities to integrate resources, information and technology across the curriculum
- Fostering literacy and a life-long love of reading and learning through stimulating instruction and activities
- Educating students, faculty and staff on the appropriate use, and intellectual property of information
In the 2016-2017 school year, courses formerly titled “Advanced Placement” changed to “Advanced.” Kiski is one of the hundreds of leading independent schools that have determined that AP is no longer the best coursework that can be offered. In developing our own advanced courses, Kiski teachers are not constrained by preparing for multiple-choice exams focused on a limited knowledge base. School-designed advanced courses are given equal weight to AP classes by colleges during the admissions process. Kiski will continue to offer students the opportunity to take AP exams and those choosing to take an AP exam at the end of a course will receive support from the faculty as they prepare for the test.