Philosophy St. Stephen's School is a five-year, independent, nonn-denominational, boarding and day school. In its international setting, St. Stephen's seeks to combine what is best in the American and European educational traditions. Primary objectives are academic excellence, the fostering of a sense of fellowship and cooperation among students and faculty, and the promotion of students as independent, responsible and involved contributing members of the larger world community. Our curriculum reflects our response to the needs of students in an international environment, who aim to further their studies throughout the world.   For us, education rightly conceived means: the readiness to channel natural curiosity in a coherent learning process; the ability to write and to speak with clarity and precision; the capacity to profit from the historical and artistic heritage of our civilization and from the cultural environment unique to Rome and Italy; the ability to reason and to describe in mathematical language and to engage in thinking of an exact scientific character; a command of at least two languages; and a commitment to cooperate in a multicultural community. We stress the development of personal and social integrity; creativity and self-discipline in the fine and performing arts; concern for others through community service; and the spirit of cooperation and healthy competition in our sports program. St. Stephen's School is small by design. We believe that the purposes of the school and of individual students are best served by concentrating time and resources on a small student body. St. Stephen's educational philosophy today is summed up in the following list of institutional and instructional objectives. We seek:   1. to educate young people to the importance of human values and the need for culture and community; to cultivate what is highest and best in each student and to question what that highest and best could be in the light of past and contemporary values.   2. to help each student to address the complexities of the modern world constructively, and to appreciate and contribute to the culture and society to which he or she belongs.   3. to support our students as individuals with different strengths or weaknesses and different interests; to encourage the self-confidence of each student and to help each to an awareness of his or her potential; to cultivate the unique rapport between faculty and students long recognized as one of our most valuable assets.   4. to prepare our students for university work in competitive American, European and national university systems worldwide.   5. to maintain a strong teaching faculty and to respect and encourage individual teachers' interests and strengths in the belief that this enriches the curriculum and school life.   6. to assure careful review and redesign of the curriculum in the light of evolving educational and technological developments.   7. in the humanities, to maintain our traditional (though not exclusive) focus on Rome, Italy and the Mediterranean.   8. to provide a family atmosphere and rich, varied extracurricular programs for our boarding students.   9. to continue to encourage an understanding of and interaction with the Roman and Italian community.   10. to guarantee class-time and weekend field trips in service of the idea that Rome and its environs are major educational resources.   11. to provide specific time in our academic calendar - two trip periods, one each semester - for non-classroom investigation of Italy and selected foreign destinations.   12. to provide programs in physical fitness and health education, and to encourage participation and competition in sports.   13. to include all in our small school community - students, faculty, administration, trustees, parents and alumni - in the conduct of our mutual endeavor.   14. to admit students on the basis of personal promise and capacity to benefit from the school's challenging and rewarding program. Revised October 2004