School for Gifted Children in Hinsdale IL - High School Program
Vine Academy offers an intimate high school program that focuses on strong, individualized instruction and authentic life experiences.
Who is this program for?
Vine’s high school program is for teens who are looking for a qualitatively different high school experience. The students who are best suited to our program...
are intellectually curious or want to rekindle their academic curiosity
willingly attend school with the goal of taking their studies to a deeper level
wish for a rigorous academic challenge and authentic learning experiences
are easily turned off by busywork and meaningless assignments
enjoy reading
value a small classroom setting
enjoy being a role model to younger students
prefer innovative learning opportunities over traditional high school activities such as sports, clubs, or school dances
What makes our program unique?
Class Sizes:
Every day, our high schoolers learn in class sizes of six for their core classes of math, English, and writing. This low student-to-teacher ratio ensures that each student receives individualized attention in skills-based classes.
Other classes, such as history, science, and Spanish, are taught in larger groups, creating a platform to learn the executive functioning skills needed to thrive in traditional lecture-style classrooms.
Writing Every Day:
Vine’s high school program is a writing-enhanced program. We believe that writing is a skill that students will take with them to college and far beyond. Students write essays regularly not only in English but also in their history and projects classes. Students write so much that, in addition to their daily English course, they have a daily writing course/workshop.
Strong Connections:
Small class sizes mean every high school student is seen and known by our teachers. From individualized academic challenge to personal encouragement, the student-teacher relationships at Vine stand out against the current backdrop of many traditional high schools.
While our program is small (only 18 students or fewer), the students in our program will tell you that smaller is more social. Our students know each other well and genuinely enjoy fostering close friendships with each other.
Limited Homework:
Vine high school students do not take home nightly written homework. However, they do have homework in two areas:
Nightly reading assignments for literature and history
Nightly study assignments for science and history