Local school offers personalized instruction

At Harmony School in Bloomington, forgoing letter grades and bells between classes is standard practice.

The school organized its fifth annual open house Monday night to offer families an internal view of how the school operates as well as help expand its student body.

Founded in 1974, Harmony School is an independent school composed of early childhood, elementary, middle school and high school education programs with students 3 to 18-years-old.

Unlike typical schools, Harmony’s curriculum is broad liberal arts-based that includes personalized instruction with an emphasis on both academic rigor and cooperative learning.

Harmony is dedicated to the development of the heart, mind and voice of every child.
This work uses critical thinking skills, appropriate academic engagement, self-reflection, and a sense of humor to promote social, emotional, physical and creative growth, according to the school’s website.

Many of the students currently enrolled are legacies to parents, and even grandparents, who once attended the school.

Sallyann Murphey, Harmony’s high school coordinator, said the goal of Monday night’s open house was to create a community-gathering experience and to reach out to people who were less familiar with the school and its features.

Parents with kids already enrolled in Harmony were encouraged to bring someone with them who had never heard of the school.

Murphey said a common stereotype people assume about independent schools is that tuition is expensive.

However, 80 percent of Harmony’s student body currently receives subsidies from a fund generated by grants and contributions.

This type of information about the school is what Murphey said she hopes people can take away from the Harmony, especially those who might not be familiar with the institution’s different approach to education, which is more project-based learning.

Harmony students are required to take core classes, similar to those of the Monroe County Community School Corporation, in order to graduate.

Additionally, students are also taught at their own level and can choose a curriculum tailored just for them depending on the level of classes they want to take.

The school also incorporates projects into a large part of their teaching and learning process.

Murphey said seniors finish their required credits by December in order to spend the spring semester working on a collaborative project before graduating.

“This is highly individualized education,” Murphey said. “People don’t necessarily think about independent, individualized education and rigorous academics together, but in our case we combine both.”

Murphey said 80 percent of the school’s graduating class go on to continue learning at a higher education, while 95 percent of those students get accepted into the first college of their choice.

One of the biggest elements that separates Harmony from other schools is the wide range of enrollment the school has from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade.

High school science teacher Emily Sprowls said the wide range of enrollment helps keep Harmony well rounded and provides a better environment for all students, regardless of their age or grade level.

“It really changes the atmosphere compared to other schools,” Sprowls said. “Older kids have more of a responsibility to set a good example for younger students and have more of an awareness of being role models.”