SERVICE. STEWARDSHIP. CITIZENSHIP. 

At Marvelwood, these values come alive through our three signature experiences—Community Service, Environmental Stewardship, and Round Square. 

Beyond programs, these are defining experiences that teach students to think beyond themselves, lead with purpose, and take action that matters. 
 

COMMUNITY SERVICE Every Single Wednesday. For Over 60 Years! Community as a classroom.  Marvelwood’s commitment to serving is no small thing. In fact, it’s been an inherent part of our curriculum since our founding. Every Wednesday morning, our entire student body heads out into the community to serve. What we get in return is priceless. This isn't about hours logged. It's about showing up, contributing consistently, and learning that your presence matters.  Students choose from over 20 local partnerships—working with land trusts, senior centers, farms, fire departments, animal shelters, libraries, and schools — some hands-on labor and others professional pursuits. Experiences can include clearing trails, building, planting, serving meals, reading to children, spending time with seniors, and organizing donations.  Beyond a weekly commitment, community service becomes a formative experience that develops a sense of responsibility, place, and purpose. Students turn their attention toward others, building empathy, tapping into hidden strengths, and connecting with people they might have otherwise missed.

“My community service experience has added yet another layer to what I like to call my ‘Marvelwood Family.’ Because I volunteered with the same program for all four years, and because I was able to be there every single Wednesday, it really became like another home for me. I have learned that there is a deeper level to service when you have the opportunity to connect with those you are serving. Am I going to take this understanding with me in life? You better believe it.”

— MARVELWOOD Senior 

The Senior Trips

Seniors start their final year with an overnight trip to set their leadership intentions and bond as a class. In May, seniors take a service trip together—a capstone experience that celebrates their growth and commitment to each other, the school, and service as a value. 

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

Setting the stage for sustainability.

Environmental stewardship at Marvelwood is a living, breathing experience that exposes students to the challenges and benefits of fighting for a sustainable future. Through hands-on research and programs, students connect to local lands, cultivate vital skills, and discover their passion for solving some of our environment’s most pressing issues.

“Birds are barometers of the health of the world.”

– Science Department Chair
 

Ornithology & Bird Banding Research that’s making a real difference. Since 2001, Marvelwood students and faculty have contributed valuable scientific data through bird banding, eBird reports, and audio/photo records. Through our MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity & Survivorship) and migration stations, we've documented 151 species on or near campus. Our banding data has helped local conservation organizations to prevent the development of land surrounding the campus—acreage now protected by the Kent and Sharon Land Trusts.   “I’m passionate about nature, so I’ve fallen in love with the science programs. I work on ornithology and bird-banding—something I never imagined doing. Everyone here blossoms in their own way.” - MARVELWOOD Senior

Garden & Growing Dome Classrooms

Cultivating skills for the future.

Gardening is an essential life skill that creates a deep understanding of how nature and humanity intersect. By growing their own food, concepts transform to real outcomes, and students see their efforts come to life. 

Our teaching garden is built on the notion that diversity, not volume, is the measure of a thriving ecosystem. Students tend up to 50 varieties of fruits, flowers, and vegetables, discovering firsthand the importance of where and how our food is produced.

Through succession planting, crop rotation, and no-till methods, they develop agricultural skills, learn to think in systems, build patience, and realize that every choice in the garden has consequences. Produce goes straight to the dining hall (and local food banks), giving students a tangible sense of where food comes from and how it connects to the world beyond campus.

In July 2025, the National Wildlife Federation designated Marvelwood’s garden as a Certified Wildlife Habitat® through its Garden for Wildlife™ movement, recognizing our commitment to providing natural food sources, water, cover, and native plantings without pesticides.
 

Solar Energy & Sustainability

Being the example. Reducing our carbon footprint.

Five years after our first solar arrays were installed, Marvelwood’s two solar fields now generate approximately one megawatt of power—supplying nearly half of the campus's total electricity. 

In addition to its solar investment, Marvelwood uses energy-efficient LED lighting in the gymnasium and theater and added communal EV charging stations. When students witness these conservation efforts firsthand, they gain the wisdom and fortitude to carry them forward. 
 

Envirothon: Competitive Environmental Science

Marvelwood's Envirothon team dives deep into environmental science through a yearlong, hands-on curriculum focused on natural resources. 

As part of this international program, students study wildlife, soils, aquatics, and forestry, developing expertise and proposing solutions to real-world ecological issues. This collaborative, inquiry-driven experience challenges students to think critically about the environment they live in and contribute meaningfully to its conservation.