Congressional School focuses on STEM

Congressional students work on a community garden.

Congressional School, an independent, private school on Sleepy Hollow Road, is expanding its focus on education in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) this year, says Chris Pryor, assistant head for advancement.

The school, a Silver-level sponsor of the Taste of Annandale, has a new full-time STEM educator, is building two design labs, and providing a Chromebook to every student in grade 3-8. Younger students have access to iPads.

Enrollment has risen this year for the second year in a row, Pryor says. While administrators had projected 330 students for 2018-19, the school opened with 343 students. Congressional serves infants through grade 8.

The growth “has a lot to do with the reputation of the school and the programs we’re delivering,” he says.

While many schools are struggling with getting students to sign up for athletic teams, Congressional has robust enrollment in all sports. New programs at Congressional include athletics and financial literacy in middle school.

Last year, eighth-graders were required for the first time to carry out a capstone project. They worked with a mentor to select a topic, conducted extensive research, and gave a presentation at the end of the year.

Students throughout the school focused on sustainability last year. They created a diorama and invited the community to see it and the school gave a presentation on sustainability for the Arlington Chamber of Commerce’s Green Business Committee.

Congressional School is also one of the few places around here with horses and riding lessons.