We believe in investing in the entire child. Our students will have a strong academic foundation and also become confident individuals with positive self-esteem. A student’s social and emotional development is just as critical as their cognitive growth, and our SEL curriculum will be incorporated into every student’s daily academic routine in order to achieve this high level of cognitive growth. Community and family involvement complement our commitment to developing the entire student and are critically important to our vision; we pride ourselves in being “parent advocates” and supporting parents in their personal and professional development as we work together as partners in order to provide the highest level of education possible to each student.

Content knowledge is necessary, but no longer sufficient, to be successful in our constantly-connected and ever-shrinking world. Students at Shepard need to be respectful, effective communicators, creative problem solvers, critical and reflective thinkers, self-directed and life-long learners, and proficient users of technology. Our school and staff will provide students with a safe and secure learning environment so that they will take advantage of a wide variety of resources and learning strategies. When our scholars leave Shepard, the goal is for all to be technologically literate students who demonstrate high-order thinking skills. Shepard scholars will be intrinsically motivated to achieve success as mathematical thinkers, proficient readers and writers, explorers of scientific inquiry, and creators and appreciators of the arts. Positioning our students to continue taking ownership over their education as they progress through secondary school and to college and/or their career. Many of the careers our students will embrace at age 18, 22, or 26 don’t yet exist, so it is our task to ensure that students are equipped with both the academic and the technological skills necessary to be successful in a dynamic, global marketplace.