We enter through the imposing gates and find ourselves in a generous 40-acre Rancho Mirage campus with gorgeous mountain views. At first glance, Palm Valley School might seem precious or elite, but instead we found a remarkably warm and diverse educational environment. The school has been evolving its intimate, creative learning style for 71 years, making sure kids here are known, seen and heard. Founded in 1952 as a high-quality education institution with a focus on developing character, Palm Valley blossomed through a combination of allegiance to small classes, dedicated teachers, willing students and committed parents. The only independent non-religious school in the Coachella Valley, generations of students have spent their whole learning lives here, from infant care and the preschool system through high school.
I sat down with Abby Sturgeon, the Director of Admissions and Advancement (and a 2010 PVS graduate) to talk about the curriculum, the student body and to get a sense of this unique institution. Abbby warned me it was spirit week, meaning the kids would be dressed up as celebrities and I would soon be hearing the commotion in the hallways. Abby remembered her time at PVS as such a well-rounded educational experience that impacted her so deeply — instilling confidence and mastery of public speaking — that she chose to come back and work for the school. In a school where it is “cool to be smart,” Abby says her job is to reach out to the community and trumpet the value of an independent education. PVS gives $700K in financial aid annually, and prizes the diverse student body that mirrors the changing demographics of the area: “We welcome every family dynamic; two dads, two moms, single parents, and we support families where most are dual working couples.”
When I toured the campus, I found the students to be open and engaging, and the vibe was palpably collaborative and creative. The robust arts, robotics, sports and extracurricular programs allow kids to develop new interests and perhaps explore skills outside their comfort zones. Abby finds it incredibly gratifying to see a kid play on an athletic team for the first time. I peeked in on a rehearsal for a holiday production and it was fun to see the exuberance of the middle schoolers as they were led by an energetic music teacher. PVS also has great support infrastructure for kids with learning differences and they partner with the El Paseo Children’s Center. The school is small — only 340 students — so there is a lot of age mixing, and although Covid put a wrench in the community building “buddy system” of cohort mingling, the small size allows younger kids to be mentored and older kids to grow leadership skills. With 15-18 kids per class, and programs like the Harkness table, the collaborative learning style has taken root in the Coachella Valley. Based on the Socratic method and developed at Phillips Exeter Academy, the Harkness teaching and learning style seats students at a large oval-shaped wooden table to discuss ideas in an encouraging, open-minded environment with minimal teacher involvement. With high test scores and numerous AP offerings, this college preparatory school sends kids to Stanford, Yale and the UC’s, to name a few. The graduating class of 2020 earned more than $2 million in merit scholarships alone.The college counseling area was warm, inviting and in high gear, given this is college application season. Nearby, there was even a lovely “Destress Corner” for kids to drop in and color on a large mounted coloring book (an acknowledgement and creative solution to the myriad weights on students shoulders these days). As a parent and Board member of my own kids’ K-8 independent school, the engagement and love of learning was visible from my short tour. While visiting the classrooms, I was struck by their origami crane project: The kids fold cranes daily to honor those in their community who have succumbed to Covid, providing a tangible, tactile and creative way to grieve and offer sympathy, as well as processing the hardship.
PVS is lucky. Their vast campus affords separate buildings for infants, preschool elementary and middle and high school students. School resumed in September 2020 and there has yet to be a Covid case on campus. PVS was the first school in Riverside County to receive a waiver to open for in-person instruction last fall during the height of the global pandemic, when all schools had to pivot and be nimble in response to the public health crisis. Abby says although they lost some students in 2020 (and some parents did not want to pay for Zoom school), that overall, parents saw the value of the PVS model during the pandemic, producing an uptick in applications. PVS offered staggered entry points for students and continued following a Hyflex model to accommodate differing comfort levels in returning to in-person schooling.
Dr. Steve Sherman — in his second year as head of school — started his career as a math teacher. With their new CFO, the staff has been working hard, putting fresh energy into navigating the challenges the past few years have presented. The school’s firebird mascot (a mystical bird with majestic plumage, featured in folklore and the famous Diaghilev ballet) hints and invites students to a challenging quest or journey, with magical helpers along the way.
With 116 new families arriving this year alone (many transplants from other other areas), including a number of international students, the PVS community continues to evolve. The Coachella Valley has seen a recent surge of growth in young families, with the average age of residents dropping in the last 10 years from 55 to 35 years old, so the demand for a small and caring college-preparatory program has never been greater. If you are curious about PVS and their expanding family of students, the High School currently has a few openings. Applications for fall 2022 are due May 1, 2022. PVS practices rolling admissions, so if there is space following May 1 in a grade level, they will consider enrollment.
Palm Valley School
35525 Da Vall Dr, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
760-328-0861
info@pvs.org
