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SCHOOL DOWN UNDER
Palmerston North, New Zealand
Kent Ferguson - Headmaster
Santa Barbara, California
805-896-5131
Admissions@schooldownunder.com
www.SchoolDownUnder.com
The School DownUnder (SDU) provides students,
ages 15-19, with the opportunity to spend a semester abroad
in New Zealand. Though most adolescents attend for one semester,
SDU operates two semesters per year and can provide either
returning or new students with a full high school experience.
At the main 35-acre campus, Highden Manor in Palmerston North,
there is a student dormitory, guest cottage, meeting house,
swimming pool and organic garden. SDU also has a campus in
the capital city of Wellington, one at Castle Hill and utilizes
the South Island as a satellite campus.
SDU students experience a challenging and far ranging set
of activities such as equestrian pursuits, farm life, organic
gardening, woodworking and jet boating at Highden Manor, as
well as theater and the arts, tours of Parliament, the National
Museum and nights on the town in Wellington. Because of the
type of program SDU offers, all students must participate
willingly.
SDU accepts a wide variety of students ranging from those
labeled as "gifted" to those with learning disabilities,
ADHD, dyslexia, etc. SDU does mainstream students whenever
possible and those who feel "deeply angry or forced to
attend" are not accepted.
The program utilizes the Oxford/ Cambridge academic model
with teachers holding intensive, informal seminars with five
to seven students at a time. SDU engages students to learn
at all levels: mental, physical, spiritual and emotional.
Although SDU is not a "therapeutic" school, they
do have a full-time counselor living at the school.
SDU's semester abroad program is for high school juniors,
seniors and those seeking unique experiences to expand, grow,
and the opportunity to explore new places and people. The
program accepts 25 students per semester and places a "strong
emphasis on outdoor exploration, travel, and hands-on activity,
as well as almost every academic class required by American
high schools." With over 60 classes available, the students
attend classes six days a week in a traditional, yet highly
individualized, broad-spectrum curriculum tailored to the
students needs.
Copyright © 2005,
Woodbury Reports, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
(This article may not be reproduced without written approval
of the publisher.)
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