A One-Room Schoolhouse
Greenwich Education Group, formerly Greenwich Education and Prep, was founded in 2005 by Victoria C. Newman, a Greenwich Public Schools teacher with a passion for developing each student’s unique gifts. Her mission was to provide individualized educational solutions for students of all ages, and she worked to assemble a network of professional educators to provide comprehensive tutoring, test prep and educational consulting. Vicky quickly outgrew her “one-room schoolhouse” in Livingston Place and moved into the St. Lawrence Club. Demand continued to increase, and in 2006, Greenwich Education Group’s Academic Services expanded to new facilities at the Greenwich Water Club and downtown New Canaan. Soon after, she was approached by a family that asked if this individualized approach to education could be applied to a student’s whole academic career–not just after school.
Homeschooling Redefined
This family’s request proved to be the impetus for an educational revolution. Under the legal umbrella of homeschooling, Greenwich Education Group’s full-time students pursued personalized programs, achieved academic excellence, and moved on to succeed at traditional schools and colleges. In 2007, Meredith Hafer joined Greenwich Education Group and took over management of this growing homeschool program. Under her direction, course offerings increased, the intensive art program was conceived, and our full-time students continued to receive 1:1 instruction in our Cos Cob and New Canaan
offices.
Beacon is Born
In the summer of 2009, we received full accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. As enrollment continued to increase, and more and more students enrolled in Greenwich Education Group full-time, we realized that we had a singular opportunity to found a school that reflected our values as an organization. We had assembled a remarkable faculty and talented student body–all we had to do was give it a name.
The name Beacon came from our original location on the Mianus River at Beacon Point in Cos Cob, Connecticut. It was a fitting name for us in three distinct ways. First, we prepare our students to “find their own light” and become a beacon in their communities. Second, many new students have professed that they saw Beacon as a signal light when they felt lost in the fog of bureaucratic education. Third, we view Beacon as a guiding light in the educational landscape. We see ourselves as a 21st century school, and we believe that we have a great deal to contribute to the ongoing dialogue about how we can prepare talented young people to succeed in life.
New Frontiers
Since its founding, Beacon has positioned itself as a competitive independent day school with a progressive streak. All along the way, it has been our students who have been the driving force behind our growth and our identity. Beacon’s inception is as unique as its approach. We are a school that grew organically out of the needs of students and the ideals of educators, in response to the best research in the field of education. And we will continue to listen to our students and our families as we continue to grow. In the summer of 2010, Beacon moved in to its current location in Stamford, Connecticut. On the Old Greenwich border and right off of I-95, it is easily accessible by our Greenwich families as well as our families in Rye, Stamford, New Canaan, Darien and beyond.
Because Beacon is situated within Greenwich Education Group, we have the intimacy of a small school with the resources of a large educational organization. This means that we can offer the best of both worlds to our students–unrivaled academic programs, expert educational consulting, research-based strategies for different learning styles, comprehensive gifted education, and an inspiring team of educators.
So Why the Owl?
Beacon’s mascot, Athena’s owl, is a continuous reminder of the essential pursuit of wisdom. We look to the owl for knowledge, good humor and independent spirit.
