Academics
Inspiring Minds…..
The Lowell Whiteman School is a college-preparatory, co-educational 
boarding and day school.
….How we do what we do…Inspiring Lives
The College Preparatory Curriculum
LWS offers courses in English, math, science, social studies, foreign language, computer science, and the arts. All courses are year-long classes. Classes emphasize reading, writing, and critical thinking. Homework, in every class every night, is an integral part of the academic program. As part of their coursework students learn to work both independently and with others. LWS students prepare rigorously for college. Is the schedule challenging? yes, it is and yet each course is taught by dedicated teachers who have an interest in making their subject interesting, and in line with what will best prepare a student for what they will face in the best colleges. Check out College Counseling for more information and a list of colleges and unversities which have accepted our students.
Students typically take five courses, with two proctored study halls scheduled into their class day. Boarding students also attend a proctored evening study hall five nights per week. Dean’s and honors students are exempt from protored study halls.
LWS “Activities” or Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club training take the place of formalized gym classes at the school. Activities include mountain biking, kayaking, horseback riding, rock climbing, mountaineering, recreational skiing, and recreational snowboarding. In place of LWS activities, students may participate through the local public school in organized sports such as soccer, wrestling, football, lacrosse, basketball, hockey, tennis, golf, volleyball and track.
The school year, which consists of three trimesters run from late August to early June and also includes Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring Breaks. First trimester exams occur prior to Thanksgiving vacation, and final exams complete the year. Competitive skiers and snowboarders drop two courses between January and March; they make up these classes during an “Intersession” month (early April – early May), while those students on the foreign travel track are on Foreign Trip. As part of the school’s overall curriculum, students participate in two three-day camp trips and the six-day “Desert Week.” These programs fulfill our famous and innovative “LWS Experience.” To learn more about the nuts and bolts of our experiential education programs, check out:
The LWS Experience – outdoor programs & activities
Competitive Ski/Ride
Nichole Rothe – class of 2004, “I’ was so much better prepared than the kids in my dorm. I know how to write an essay, I’m used to reading for comprehensioin, I know how to study. I know how to think and I can manage my time. Now I’m going to veterinary school. If you’d asked me as a freshman in high school, would I ever do this, I would have said now. But here I am…”
Admission is determined by application, school record, interview, and teacher recommendations.