THE EHS RESIDENCE PROGRAM

The Residential Program at Eagle Hill is set apart from many other schools in that it is a five-day junior boarding program for students with learning disabilities, staffed by full time residential faculty. The dormitory can hold up to 36 boys and girls ranging in age from 11 to 16. With the exception of three weekends a year, the students go home every Friday and have the option of returning every Sunday afternoon to prepare for the week ahead.

In addition to supervising the dorm students from 4 p.m. each evening until the start of school the next day, the full time dorm team also participates in the afternoon portion of the school’s day program. Their involvement in sports coaching, the proctoring of study halls, and the teaching of an afternoon activity allows the dorm faculty to see how the residential students participate in other aspects of their Eagle Hill experience. This, plus the involvement of new teachers as adjunct dorm staff one night per week, provides the entire teaching staff with a comprehensive understanding of how the residential students are coping in all aspects of their EHS education.

To facilitate the enhancement of social skills, the dinner hour is used to encourage conversation and appropriate social behavior with friends and dorm staff (who sit at the dorm tables). Once a week, the focus at the dinner hour is on the discussion of social issues, friendships, roommate concerns, or school-related problems.

The dorm team meets weekly with the academic advisors of the dorm students and the psychological services team to discuss strategies to further enhance the students’ development at Eagle Hill. To ensure that there is a consistent approach with all of the dorm students, and to ensure that concerns are quickly addressed, the dorm team also meets weekly with all the first year teachers assigned to the dorm program.

True to the mission of Eagle Hill, the dorm’s mandate is to help students acquire both the self-confidence and the social and independent living skills they need to become successful learners.