It is a great pleasure to introduce you to The Willow School through the pages of this web site. The Willow School has had a brief history, but it has a destiny that encompasses this new century and beyond. In 2000 the school was founded by Gretchen and Mark Biedron. They envisioned that an excellent education could be combined with a joy of learning in a setting unparalleled for the growth of a child. This setting seemed to be appropriate for central New Jersey, which was in need of a new independent school that focuses on kindergarten through eighth grade.

The Willow School is located on 34 acres in Gladstone, New Jersey. It currently is comprised of a recently constructed 13,500-square-foot classroom building, an administrative building that was the original farmhouse, and the original barn of the farm. Classes began in the fall of 2002 for kindergarten and first grade, and the intention is to grow a grade per year until there are two classes per grade of 14 students each, for a total of 252 students.

To acquire an excellent education is to embrace the importance of communication. The Willow School emphasizes mastery of the English language through listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This focus includes all other subject areas: to know the language of math, computer science, or physical education is to be able to discuss it with clarity and correctness in the common language of English. In addition, our integrated studies program attempts to tie together all subject areas into thematic pursuits, and the binding principle is the English language.

At The Willow School we cultivate in ourselves and in our students a rich garden of virtues. In so doing we see that by choosing to lead a consciously ethical life, a virtuous life, each individual comes to understand his or her own significance as a valuable and contributing member of the community. As each day begins, our community reconfirms the importance of being together by sitting at Morning Gathering. This is the space in which we introduce the virtues and are reminded that an outstanding education encompasses matters not just of the mind but of the heart as well. Morning Gathering is an opportunity for each of us to touch that quiet place inside and find a moment of stillness as we embark upon the day.

Students evolve from the immediacy of their human and natural surroundings, and they become active participants in the wider global community. This process begins at home, and it is carried forward at school. The Willow School is an intentionally environmental community, designed to address the way we interact with our human and natural resources. Individuals first learn to take responsibility for themselves, and they come to see the myriad ways in which they are responsible not only for themselves but for their environment as well. Some of the most pressing issues of this century will involve our care for the earth, as we learn to balance environmental protection and economic health with human needs.

Rigorous academics at The Willow School are combined with many projects and hands-on activities to form a program that is both challenging and fun. We place a high priority on helping each student find success as his or her unique gifts unfold. Through the course of an education at Willow, each child will gain confidence in his or her abilities in problem solving and critical thinking, as well as skills in conflict resolution and community building.

With an experienced and dedicated faculty grounded in the school’s mission, we are filled with hope for the future of The Willow School and for the children who grow here.