Three Intentional Moments Along A Learner’s Journey of Purpose

At Mount Vernon, the learning journey is defined by impactful experiences that shape not only a learner’s academic life but also their identity and sense of purpose. The Grade 5, Grade 8, and Grade 11 Impact Summits are three moments within this journey, offering learners the opportunity to explore, reflect, and present their work in a meaningful way. Innovating on the idea of a “Capstone” project, Impact Summits are a multifaceted body of work that serves as a culminating academic and intellectual experience, uniquely grounded in self-leadership, agency, and social capital. The pillars of self-leadership, agency, and social capital guide the Summits and ensure that students’ work is meaningful to self and consequential to others, fostering a deep sense of community and leadership.

Grade Level Progression

The Impact Summits are structured to reflect the developmental stages of the learners, with each grade’s experience designed to prepare students for the next academic and life phase.

Grade 5 Summit: A Foundation of Leadership

The Grade 5 Impact Summit introduces younger learners to the concept of leadership and purpose-driven learning. Building on the foundational work from earlier grades, Grade 5 begins by engaging in community walks and empathy interviews to explore how they can contribute to the world around them. Throughout the year, they develop a Purpose Statement that becomes their North Star as they move through the Lower School. By the end of the year, students reflect on their learning, write about their journey, and celebrate their growth through a celebration of learning event tied to their Bridging Ceremony, marking their readiness for Middle School.

This purpose statement follows a structured format, allowing students to articulate their impact: “Blank matters to me and is consequential to others because blank. I make an impact by being a blank (skill) while demonstrating blank (attribute).”

For instance, a Grade 5 student might choose a self-selected project as simple as improving their baseball swing or as meaningful as working on environmental conservation, like saving sea turtles. Regardless of the topic, the student’s Purpose Statement aligns their passions with real-world consequences, allowing them to see the broader impact of their work.

Grade 8 Summit: Refining Purpose and Research

In Middle School, students continue developing their portfolios and refining their Purpose Statements, which will guide their Grade 8 Summit. Throughout the year, students build on identity work done in Impact Design Lab and engage in preliminary research based on their interests. By Mod 3, they begin crafting a project that demonstrates their learning and purpose. Unlike large-scale presentations, the Grade 8 Summit offers an intimate setting where students present their work to small groups of mentors and peers, fostering deeper connections and reflective discussions.

For example, a Grade 8 student might express, “Nutrition matters to me because I want to make healthy choices for my family, and I can impact others by being a responsible decision-maker.”

Grade 11 Summit: A Demonstration of Impact

In Upper School, the Summit becomes a more formalized “defense” of the student’s work. Grade 11 students participate in a Capstone course that prepares them to showcase their self-leadership, agency, and social capital after an intentional journey of reflection and exploration. This moment is designed to mirror real-world professional experiences as students present to a panel of peers, teachers, parents, and community members. The process culminates at the end of Mod Impact Summits where students showcase their work, allowing them to reflect on their journey and prepare for life after Mount Vernon.

In addition to the presentations, Mount Vernon incorporates The Writing Revolution into the final product, ensuring that students produce both oral and written reflections of their learning. Lower School students write several-paragraph essays while Middle School writes a 3-4 page research paper and Upper School students craft a resume and personal narrative, further developing their communication and critical thinking skills.

Impact Ready Outcomes and Mount Vernon’s Strategic Plan

Grade-level Impact Summits follow the intentional instructional design outlined by Mount Vernon’s strategic plan, The Impact Ready Project, to prepare students for the complexities of life beyond school.

As detailed in Target 1 and the supporting strategic objectives, Impact Summits focus on ensuring learners are prepared to lead and contribute meaningfully to society. The Summits represent the culmination of this work- leveraging students’ attitudes, beliefs, and the networks they’ve built along the way.

Each Summit reflects Mount Vernon’s intentional design, where the ultimate goal is not just academic achievement but developing leaders ready to make a difference—both within their own lives and in the wider world.

From developing leadership skills in Grade 5 to refining research and purpose in Grade 8, and defending real-world impact in Grade 11, Mount Vernon’s Impact Summits serve as powerful milestones that prepare students to lead with purpose and contribute to a greater societal good. The intentional design of these experiences ensures that students not only excel academically but also emerge as impactful, self-led learners poised to navigate the challenges of the world.