Stellar Academy Teaches Academics and Empathy

The children move to their different zones each day, rotating through Alphabet Soup, NASA, Understanding Neighbors, The Louvre and more—and those are the staples of the different type of learning used by the .

Stellar Academy opened in Bridgewater about 10 years ago, with a second location opening in Hillsborough about two years ago—and its curriculum is all about teaching while fostering respect and empathy.

“The academy is founded on social and emotional intelligence,” said Grace Phillips, center development director. “It is about respecting, empathy, facial expression and everyday things.”

Stellar Academy takes children from six weeks through six years of age, just before they go into first grade. With more than 200 students in the Bridgewater location and about 190 in Hillsborough, the academy is poised to help students grow both academically and emotionally.

The school was founded by Maggie Buley, who has focused her own learning on brain-based learning strategies, which she brought to the school.

“The school is family owned and operated,” Phillips said.

At the beginning of the day, Phillips said, students start in a home zone, then, throughout the day, they move through different zones, learning linguistics, math, science, music, art and other standard subjects.

For example, in the math room—known as the NASA room—students, as they get older, work on adding, subtracting, money recognition and time.

“They usually leave on a first grade level,” Phillips said.

But in addition to those, Phillips said, they are also learning social skills.

For example, Phillips said, in the Understanding Neighbors room, children learn respect for other cultures, learning about holidays, traditions, differences in skin color and more.

Within each individual zone, the students do more than just learn the subject.

“In the Louvre, the art room, they finger paint, but they also do art appreciation and history and what mediums are used,” Phillips said. “In the Olympics zone, they learn the background of sports, with rules, regulations, sportsmanship and turn-taking.”

The students, Phillips said, work with two teachers, first the zone specialist, who actually teaches the individual subject being learned in each zone.

“The zone specialists have the educational background in the subject,” she said, adding that many of the teachers are not only well-versed in the field of education, but have done background work in their subjects as well. “When the kids come and they have a teacher showing that passion, they feel it too.”

In addition, Phillips said, they have a developmental specialist who travels with each individual class.

“That person focuses on the emotional pieces,” she said. “They travel to the zones with the classes, teaching the partnership.”

Ruth Mayer, one of the developmental specialists, said she works with students to help them express themselves, and learn what is appropriate.

“It is about emotional intelligence,” she said. “They are learning empathy, and expressing themselves, like stomping their feet if they get angry.”

The education, Mayer said, is about learning how to get out their emotions without hurting someone else’s feelings. And, she said, they are learning about representative colors and other ideas that show emotions.

“We are doing colors to symbolize how you feel,” she said. “It is also about self-esteem and taking care of yourself.”

But overall, Phillips said, it is that extra piece that goes beyond the academics that helps the students succeed.

“There is no limit to how much the students can learn,” she said. “We believe they are successful because we foster the emotional piece.”

For more information about the academy, visit the website.