Snowden's vision is whole-child education with an emphasis not only on academics, but also on the arts, relationships, and social conscience. As a "The Leader in Me" school, student achievement is supported through the principles of Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Staff includes ten National Board Certified teachers, two Rotary Award for Teacher Excellence winners, and one West Tennessee Teacher of the Year
Partners with Rhodes College and numerous community entities such as Midtown Rotary, the Memphis Zoo, Facing History and Ourselves, and Bridges to provide hands-on learning opportunities for students.
Offers both Optional and Traditional learning paths to meet students where they are; students encouraged to grow through inquiry and exploration; emphasis on students having a growth mindset.
Offers nationally award-winning arts programming through visual arts, choir, orchestra, band, piano, and has auxiliary programs targeting dance and drama.
Extracurriculars: Football, Basketball, Track, Swimming, Volleyball, Soccer, Junior Beta Club, Jr. National Honors Society, Student Council, Marching Band (The Mighty Sound of Midtown), Drama Club, Chess and many more
Gifted Education: Creative Leaning in a Unique Environment (CLUE)
Parent Involvement: Snowden is known for its family involvement, with a very active PTO on which parents serve in a variety of capacities. A dad's group, "The Snowden Dudes," volunteers to work with kindergarten students in order to improve foundational reading skills. Parents volunteer to conduct our middle school Lunch and Learns, focused on career preparedness, and volunteer for Careers on Wheels, which is elementary-level career exposure. Parents serve on the Principal's Advisory Board, which helps form the next steps for the school. Currently, a contingency of CLUE parents give input on the types of enrichment activities they would like to see their students working on.
Tours: Snowden welcomes touring prospective families and can pair visitors with parents who have children in a prospective student's grade for a family perspective on what Snowden has to offer.
Students must be zoned to school or apply for transfer through Optional or General Choice Transfer Processes.
Application Requirements: For 2017-18 Optional attendance - Applicants must have scored at or above the 70th percentile in total/composite Reading and Math on the Optional Schools admittance test (for applicants to 1st and 2nd grades) or NWEA MAP test (for applicants to 3rd-8th grades). All applicants must have satisfactory skills, behaviors, mastery, attendance with no more than 15 absences, tardies, and/or early dismissals. Applicants for 2nd-8th grades must have all As and Bs with no more than one C as a semester average.
I love this school I can’t wait to go hereStudent 07/30/2019
This is amazing and it’s really fun and it’s a great place for kids to enjoy and learn
A great neighborhood school!Parent 12/17/2015
Our family moved here in 2006 from the San Francisco Bay Area for me to work as a scientist at St. Jude. The primary two reasons we moved to the Vollintine Evergreen Historic District within in Midtown was the commute distance to St. Jude and the walking distance to Snowden School.
Snowden is one... More
Our family moved here in 2006 from the San Francisco Bay Area for me to work as a scientist at St. Jude. The primary two reasons we moved to the Vollintine Evergreen Historic District within in Midtown was the commute distance to St. Jude and the walking distance to Snowden School.
Snowden is one of those schools that you have to do your homework with. Based on the "great schools .org" rating (4) and its Title 1 status you would think this is a school that you would not send your child too. However, if you consider the quality of education that is available through the optional and Clue Programs then Snowden would likely rank as an 8 or 9.
I can testify that after 0ur oldest attended Snowden all the way from kindergarten through 8th grade, that this is a school where you children will receive an excellent education and also largely benefit from the socio-economic diversity of the school.
The school is well run, very safe and has zero tolerance for bullying. Both of my sons, one of which is currently a 5th grader there, have never experienced serious bullying incidences at the school.
The music program is stellar with Mr. Robertson providing a once in a life time experience with his work with the children in the band.
For any family, with school age children, considering moving to Memphis your search is over. You can buy an affordable beautiful Midtown home, walk you kids to school and then walk to the Zoo and Beautiful Overton Park as well.
So far so good!Parent 12/07/2015
My son started at Snowden this year in kindergarten, and loves it. He is part of the CLUE program too, which brings a lot of value in his education and development. We live in Evergreen and love the fact that we can walk to school and make new friends in the neighborhood.
Great academics and enrichment in a nurturing environmentParent 12/07/2015
I was worried about sending my children to such a big school, but I've come to realize that it has given each one of them the opportunity to find their own niche. Although we live outside of the district, we love the neighborhood school feeling. My children are in the optional program and CLUE, both ... More
I was worried about sending my children to such a big school, but I've come to realize that it has given each one of them the opportunity to find their own niche. Although we live outside of the district, we love the neighborhood school feeling. My children are in the optional program and CLUE, both of which are top-notch; however, I've also observed several traditional classrooms and have been impressed with those teachers as well. It was important to us that our children attend a school that reflect the diversity of midtown Memphis and Snowden fits the bill well. I know that teachers these days are under a lot of constraints due to testing and regulations, but I don't often see the children still and quiet for too long, even in middle school. There seems to be a great emphasis placed on keeping the instruction as dynamic and hands on as possible. As my oldest son has gone through middle school, I've also been impressed with the great understanding and patience his teachers have with this age group. The standards are still high, but there is also a lot of empathy for the unique developmental phase that middle schoolers are experiencing. One of the best things about Snowden are the arts and music departments (elementary and middle school). The teachers in those departments go above and beyond in doing everything they can to make sure Snowden students are able to learn, create and grow. The administration is also very open to parent feedback and is always working to improve communication and encourage parental engagement.
Community SchoolParent 12/07/2015
My daughter is in 2nd grade. We started her in a different Optional school in first grade but were not happy with it. It seemed that her friends from Snowden were just doing much more interesting things, so we transferred here. My daughter and our family have been happy with the change. From my daughter's... More
My daughter is in 2nd grade. We started her in a different Optional school in first grade but were not happy with it. It seemed that her friends from Snowden were just doing much more interesting things, so we transferred here. My daughter and our family have been happy with the change. From my daughter's point of view, school is more fun and exciting. She is involved in CLUE. Between regular trips and CLUE trips, she has been on five field trips the first semester alone. She's also done two big projects. At her previous school, there were no field trips or special events or holiday parties. The Snowden School building, though clearly 100 years old is well maintained and cheery inside.
From a parent's point of view, I feel very welcomed by the Snowden staff and parents. This is a true community school. I see the other parents both on school campus and off. We've been invited to many parties, which is just nice. I'm very impressed by the PTO as well. They have a lot going on.
On the down side: The playground is really in need of improvement. There's no shade, which really bothers my child. Also, I think they try to do too many electives. There's just not enough time to get any meaningful learning accomplished when a class meets once every two weeks. Also, since it's a public school, there's naturally too much emphasis on standardized testing. The parents push against it, but the district is all about it. They just recently added the MAP test, which eats up even more classroom instructional time and doesn't really benefit the child.
Overall, I would recommend Snowden to anyone looking to put their child in a caring, decently run school.
great school experienceParent 12/07/2015
We came to Snowden from a Montessori school. My son has been here for two years and has had a great 1st and 2nd grade experience. They keep him challenged academically and socially conscious. I also love the teachers and the arts programs. We are really happy with Snowden. My son is in the optional and... More
We came to Snowden from a Montessori school. My son has been here for two years and has had a great 1st and 2nd grade experience. They keep him challenged academically and socially conscious. I also love the teachers and the arts programs. We are really happy with Snowden. My son is in the optional and CLUE programs and they have him working to his potential.
Snowden is a Midtown GemParent 12/03/2015
My three children have been at Snowden since Kindergarten and have received a wonderful education. We looked at Campus School and some private options but decided on Snowden since it was our neighborhood school and we have never looked back. Living in the Evergreen Historic District my kids have walked... More
My three children have been at Snowden since Kindergarten and have received a wonderful education. We looked at Campus School and some private options but decided on Snowden since it was our neighborhood school and we have never looked back. Living in the Evergreen Historic District my kids have walked or ridden bikes to the school over the years and now have a great group of friends who all live within walking distance of each other. Because Snowden is a K-8 school the transition to middle school for my three was so easy! As a mother of tweens I really appreciated that more than I thought I would when they started at Snowden. My children are very artistic and musical and they have loved the fine arts programs at Snowden. They have participated in the Orchestra, Choir, Jazz Band, Art, and Drama groups. They are in the Optional Program and CLUE and although they make good grades they do not make all A's and have to work! Having said that, the homework at Snowden, particularly now that mine are in middle school is very reasonable and they still have time to play and enjoy sports and other extracurriculars. Snowden is what public school is meant to be and is a true gem in midtown.
Diverse, welcoming and well-roundedParent 01/29/2015
We have been attending Snowden since Kindergarten. It is a big school from the outside which can be daunting to some people. However, we have found Snowden to be really like a small, tight-knit family on the inside. Each grade has their own section of the school, so most of the time they only interact... More
We have been attending Snowden since Kindergarten. It is a big school from the outside which can be daunting to some people. However, we have found Snowden to be really like a small, tight-knit family on the inside. Each grade has their own section of the school, so most of the time they only interact with other students of their own grade. At the same time, upper elementary students and middle schoolers do spend time helping the smaller kids with projects or reading to classes, etc. The older kids really take pride in their school and in helping and nurturing the younger ones. The teachers we have had at Snowden have been very good. And, the CLUE teachers throughout elementary have just been fantastic. Snowden has enhanced their after school activities for elementary in recent years and now offers Mad Science, Chess and Mandarin Chinese for elementary aged kids. They have elementary lunchtime book clubs, led by parents.
The administration has always been responsive in our contact with them. Ms. Stallsmith was new this past year and I have found her very open to parental feedback and eager to continue to build on SnowdenÂ?s foundation of excellence.
If you are considering Snowden, I would encourage you to visit and learn more about the school. As with any school, there are parts which are great and parts which you wish you could change. The good news is Snowden is open to parent ideas and engagement and embraces parental involvement to make those changes a reality.
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