Who
Students
Synapse is designed for the passionate and gifted learner. Our students are intellectually curious, vibrant, and sensitive to the world around them. They are insatiable in their desire for knowledge, but often under-served in the traditional school setting The cooperative, inclusive, and compassionate environment at Synapse cultivates a sense of belonging. Here these young people belong to a learning community of students like themselves where they are challenged to grow intellectually and emotionally. Empowered by their surroundings our students are able hone their curiosity and intellect into the higher order thinking skills essential for their future. Here’s how they see it.
Parents
The parents of Synapse students are dynamic and committed. They are actively involved, and passionate about nourishing their children’s unique gifts — in balance with supporting a caring, respectful community. We are looking for families who value the Synapse methodology and vision. Here are profiles from a few of our parents.
Faculty
Synapse teachers are passionate about creating exceptional learning experiences and fostering the gifts in every learner. They are carefully selected for their ability to teach the Synapse way — it takes a gifted teacher to consistently create the “magical” feeling of a Synapse classroom. Please read more about these remarkable teachers here.
Founders & Leadership
Synapse School is part of Six Seconds – The Emotional Intelligence Network. We are a global organization supporting people to create positive change by tapping the power of emotional intelligence. Six Seconds was founded by Karen McCown, Anabel Jensen, Joshua Freedman, and Marsha Rideout in 1997. We have offices in 10 countries and certified practitioners around the world working with educational organizations, as well as clients such as the UN, FedEx, HSBC, and Shell.
Karen McCown founded The Nueva School in 1967, and Anabel Jensen was the Executive Director from 1983-1997 (during which time the school won two Federal Blue Ribbon awards for excellence). In his bestselling 1995 book, Daniel Goleman wrote about our Self-Science program at Nueva, calling Self-Science one of the exemplary models for teaching EQ. This led us to create an organization dedicated to teaching these methods.
While we have worked with many schools, we want shining examples, places where people can see the transformational power of blending emotional intelligence with rich academics. So, together with Gigi Carunungan, we created Synapse School as a model.