Berkwood Hedge School

The Trump administration is withholding more than $2 billion for education that Congress approved in February.

Education Week has a list of all the affected programs. This article will be updated as new information emerges.

💲 Read more: https://bit.ly/4dpfw4u

From Newsies Jr. to Broadway!
Back in 5th grade, the Class of 2026 wowed our community with their unforgettable performance of Newsies Jr. Their enthusiasm, talent, and love of musical theater helped spark a surge of excitement for drama at Berkwood Hedge School. This week, they are taking that passion straight to the source—sending their regards from The Big Apple!

Over five incredible nights in New York City, our 8th graders have immersed themselves in the history, culture, and artistry that make NYC one of the world's great learning destinations. They explored Central Park, the Museum of the City of New York, Chinatown, Little Italy, Wall Street, Trinity Church, and the National Museum of the American Indian. They reflected thoughtfully at the 9/11 Memorial, connected their classroom learning to real-world landmarks, and experienced firsthand the stories and communities that shape this remarkable city.
And, of course, there was Broadway.

Students were captivated by Hadestown, where they were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime surprise appearance by songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and music icon Ani DiFranco following the performance. They followed that unforgettable evening with Hamilton, standing just steps away from Alexander Hamilton's resting place earlier that same day. Their theatrical journey continued with The Lion King and Stranger Things: The First Shadow, giving them a front-row seat to the creativity, craftsmanship, storytelling, music, dance, and stage magic that make Broadway legendary.

From scavenger hunts and soccer games in city parks to world-class theater and meaningful moments of reflection, this Spring Journey has been filled with discovery, laughter, friendship, and memories that will last a lifetime.
We couldn't be prouder of this remarkable class as they prepare to take their next steps beyond Berkwood Hedge School. Broadway, thank you for the inspiration—and Class of 2026, thank you for reminding us what happens when curiosity, courage, and creativity take center stage.

We are happy to share that this morning, we received a generous $20,000 dollar-for-dollar match proposal to help our community move closer to our Fund The Need goal of leveling, resurfacing, and renovating our Big Yard this summer!

What does that mean? Every dollar donated toward this project will be matched with another dollar—doubling the impact of every gift—up to $20,000.

As we prepare to welcome our entire K–8 community onto one campus this fall, improvements to our outdoor spaces have never been more important. The Big Yard is where our students play, connect, learn, compete, imagine, and build community every day. Together, we can create a safer, more accessible, and more versatile space for generations of Hedgies to come.

You can visit out donor page to learn more and to track our progress: https://givebutter.com/fund-the-need-big-yard-20000-match-fbuyjl

Our 2026 Middle School Art Show is now in the books - Have a look!

Welcome to our Lower School 2026, K-4 Art Show! Congratulations to all of our young artists- Enjoy!

We are so incredibly proud of our 5th grade FIRE class for everything they poured into the play Matilda Jr, over the weekend. This is not an easy show; the music, the choreography, and the material are genuinely challenging and these students rose to meet every bit of it. From the very first rehearsal to the final bow, they showed up with hard work, heart, and an unwavering commitment to the show. Their talent and perseverance have been nothing short of inspiring, and it has been an absolute honor to watch them shine. Thank you to our whole community for your support, it truly takes a village!

This spring marked a meaningful milestone for Berkwood Hedge School as we held our very first National Latin Exam Awards Ceremony!

For the first time, our 7th and 8th grade students participated in the National Latin Exam—an internationally administered assessment taken by more than 100,000 students around the world each year. The exam reflects the full breadth of students’ work in Latin: language, reading comprehension, mythology, history, and classical culture, placing their learning within a broad and challenging academic landscape.
Captured here are students receiving national honors recognizing outstanding academic performance. We celebrated not only those who earned distinction, but every student who stepped into this experience with courage, focus, and intellectual curiosity.

The National Latin Exam recognizes achievement at an exceptionally high level:

• Gold Medal — approximately the top 10% of test takers
• Silver Medal — approximately the top 20%
• Magna Cum Laude — approximately the top 30%
• Cum Laude — approximately the top 40%

Our students placed in each of these categories with 3 students placing in the 90th percentile! We are deeply proud of our students—for their effort, growth, and the level at which they rose to this challenge. These accomplishments reflect both individual dedication and the strength of the work happening in our classrooms every day.

This ceremony marks the beginning of what we hope will become a lasting tradition in the Berkwood Hedge Latin program.

This morning, our 1st grade WOODworkers presented their Accessibility Project — the culmination of weeks of imaginative inquiry, field research, empathy-building experiences, engineering, and critical thinking.

The central question guiding their work:
How do we as engineers adapt a traditional playground to be accessible to children with differing abilities?

Using a technique called Imaginative Inquiry, our students “donned the mantle of the expert,” stepping into the roles of ADA playground inspectors. Armed with clipboards and walkie-talkies, they attended “ADA Playground Compliance Training,” learning the vocabulary of accessibility and inclusion while studying what makes playgrounds welcoming and usable for all children.

Lead teacher Torie guided students through perspective-taking experiences that simulated blindness, hearing loss, and physical disabilities, helping children better understand the challenges some individuals face navigating public spaces. Students then traveled to accessible playgrounds, including Roberts Regional Park in Oakland, where they conducted real-world field studies:

Were there ramps and pathways?
Could a wheelchair turn around comfortably?
Which playground features were truly inclusive?
Could every child participate in the most exciting parts of play?

The WOODworkers examined braille panels, inclusive equipment, accessible pathways, and adaptive play structures — not simply learning about accessibility in theory, but experiencing and evaluating it firsthand.
Today’s presentation showcased the next phase of their work: designing and engineering their own accessible playground models built around inclusion, empathy, and creative problem-solving.

This project beautifully reflects the power of project-based learning. Our students are learning that thoughtful design can create communities where everyone belongs — and that even first graders can think critically about real-world challenges and collaborate to solve them creatively.