25 Great Challenges

What Happens When You Trust Young People With Real Problems?

Watershed Head of School Tim Breen, Ph.D., and Upper School Division Head Bridget Collins recently contributed a guest blog to the Getting Smart Collective, a leading voice in education innovation. In their piece, "What Happens When You Trust Young People with Real Problems?", they explore how Watershed empowers students through real-world challenges and authentic agency—highlighting how this approach fosters deeper learning, hope, and a sense of purpose.

Global Learning During a Pandemic

Watershed students reported lots of different ‘wins’ from this year’s G20 experience. Some were fascinated to learn how to think about climate change issues from a non-U.S. perspective, others developed lasting connections with kids from around the world, and some students viewed the experience as relevant to their future goals…

Student Perspectives on the World's Great Challenges

In a culture where we hear so much about the selfishness of adolescents, I feel lucky to be at a school where young people truly care about challenges in the world around them -- and where educators support students to think deeply, practice compassion, and voice their truths.

"...To Take on the World's Greatest Challenges."

Today I want to share a few thoughts about the last phrase of our mission statement. It is a bold commitment — preparing students to take on the world’s greatest challenges — for it acknowledges both an uncomfortable truth, and a hopeful commitment.