The Summit at a Glance

Mission

To challenge every student, faculty and staff member: to share fully the gifts that have been given to them by God; to grow in grace and wisdom; to develop spiritually, academically, physically, socially, and artistically; and to become people of character who value and improve the world they inherit.

About the School

An independent, Catholic, coeducational, college-preparatory school, founded in 1890 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Campus: 24 acres in Hyde Park; 16-acre Athletic Complex off I-71.

Montessori Program

• Only independent school in area offering full Montessori preschool experience.

• One of a few schools in Greater Cincinnati applying the Montessori philosophy in an educational program for two-year-olds. Two-day, 3-day, and five-day sessions available.

• Multiple options for two- to six-year-olds to include half-day & full-day academic & enrichment programs in private school setting.

• Phonics instruction begins at age two accelerating each child's literacy development.

• The 13-year World Language Program begins in Kindergarten and continues through Grade 12, with exposure to French and Spanish in pre-Kindergarten.

• Orff Schulwerk early childhood music education approach helps develop areas of the brain involved in language, reasoning and problem-solving.

• Summit Kindergartners typically score above 90% on national standardized testing.

• The Signature Enrichment Program includes Cultural Studies, Geography, Science, & Art; research shows children exposed to these areas accelerates curiosity & love of learning.

• Digital Student Profile for each child allows faculty to mentor & to enable self discovery & personal commitment to a student's own educational plan.

• The Summit Portal helps parents monitor their children’s performance and daily activities and be more engaged through customized group features.

• Summer Camp/Childcare before & after school programs continue child development.

• Year Round Montessori School program available.

• Public speaking, theatrical performances & small group collaboration projects develop communication & social skills critical to long term academic success.

• Kindergartners are reading & writing short stories prior to first grade which leads to an accelerated start in lower grades.

• Private piano & violin lessons for Kindergartners by accomplished & professional musicians.

• Summit's celebrated Character Education Program develops self-discipline, empathy, respect for others, honesty, resilience & confidence in each child.
 

Lower School – Grades 1-4

• Literacy concentration includes explicit, systematic phonics instruction & exposure to rich literature instilling life-long learning within a culture that values language in all forms.

• Literacy, Math & Science Specialists work with faculty & students providing enrichment & ensuring focus on each individual learner & maximizing one's potential.

• Widely praised Summit Writing Program where writing mechanics are taught & research skills are developed.

• Mathematics program utilizes best research-based practices through National Council of Mathematics & focuses on critical thinking, problem-solving & deep, conceptual understanding.

• Science Specialist leads curriculum in state-of-the-art science labs where students learn observation, prediction, data collection, experimentation, inference, application of data, interpretation, analysis & how to form a hypothesis.

• World Language Program includes Spanish & French, exposing students to language & culture.

• Digital Student Profile for each child allows faculty to mentor & to enable self discovery & personal commitment to a student's own educational plan.

• The Summit Portal helps parents monitor their children’s performance and daily activities and be more engaged through customized group features.

• Leadership & Service Programs where students learn to be good citizens & see the value of applying their talents & intelligence for the good of their community & society.

• Numerous athletic programs that include football, lacrosse, volleyball & soccer.

• Fine arts facilities include an art studio with kiln, music studio & access to the school theater.
 

Middle School – Grades 5-8

• Extensive Writing Program where mastery of the three to five paragraph essay is stressed through Modern Language Association format, culminating with 8th grade research paper.

• 5th, 6th, 7th & 8th grade Power of the Pen teams & several published authors.

• Language of Literature Program strengthens inferential comprehension, evaluation appreciation & creative thinking; concentration in grammar & vocabulary.

• Math Program designed to integrate critical thinking & problem solving skills necessary for students to take Algebra I & Geometry; Math Specialist supports grades five & six.

• Inquiry led science instruction within state of the art laboratories & beyond to include Cincinnati Zoo, Woodland Altars, & champion Science Olympiad teams.

• World Language Program includes Chinese, French, Latin & Spanish with intensive practice in basic language skills, listening, speaking, reading & writing.

• Expansive Music offerings that include vocal performance, band, & general music classes where students strengthen listening skills, study music history & theory.

• Art Program focuses on painting, batik, sculpture, animation, architecture, photography & ceramics.

• Leadership & Character Education programming where students learn to see the value of applying their talents & intelligence for the good of the community & society.

• Competitive Athletic program with no cut policies which allows every student the opportunity to participate on a team.

• Digital Student Profile for each child allows faculty to mentor & to enable self discovery & personal commitment to a student's own educational plan.

• The Summit Portal helps parents monitor their children’s performance and daily activities and be more engaged through customized group features.

Upper School – Grades 9-12

• Superb writing & research paper program where every student is required to write five to seven research papers prior to graduation.

• Nationally recognized Writing Program where Summit students are published in “Concord Review,” literary guide that publishes top 3% of papers submitted nationally from high school students.

• Extensive Advanced Placement offerings in 20 subject areas with over 90% of Summit students taking courses prior to graduation.

• Formal oratory program (Chapel Talks) where every student works collaboratively with a faculty member to compose & deliver a personal reflection to the Upper School community.

• Harkness Philosophy in select subject areas where students share, discuss & discover, whether the subject is a novel by William Faulkner or atomic & molecular structure - There are no lectures.

• Comprehensive Fine Arts program that includes Graphic Design, AP Portfolio, Photography, Sculpture, AP Music Theory, Vocal performance and acappella choral repertoire, ensemble singing techniques, instrumental music & theater arts.

• 21st Century Leadership Program where every student participates in a servant leadership model.

• Digital Student Profile for each student allows faculty to mentor & to enable self discovery & personal commitment to a student's own educational plan.

• The Summit Portal helps parents monitor their children’s performance and daily activities and be more engaged through customized group features.

• Four year personalized college counseling program; 98 recent graduates accepted into top-tier universities nationwide and abroad & earned over $12.4 million dollars in merit scholarships.

• Highly competitive athletic programs with 70% student participation among 22 Varsity sports & 12 Junior Varsity Sports.