The Vision of the EMS Graduate

2023 graduates toss cap into the air

In addition to acquiring mastery of a core body of knowledge, our community has collectively defined attributes and competencies that each student is expected to develop by the time they graduate from The Elisabeth Morrow School. This Vision of the EMS Graduate provides a guidepost for how we design our teaching and learning. These attributes and competencies — necessary for success today and well into the future — include:

  • 4 C’s: Courtesy, Consideration, Cooperation, Compassion
  • Collaboration
  • Communication
  • Productive Creativity
  • Critical Thinking
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Resilience
  • Self-Awareness
  • Reflection

Our students are accepted to the most selective secondary day and boarding schools in the country!

“It’s no surprise that the most selective secondary day and boarding schools in the country continue to seek out our students. Each of our graduates has honed a set of competencies necessary for success today and well into the future. At EMS, these competencies — collaboration, innovation, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, effective oral and written communication, growth mindset, integrity, and self-efficacy — begin to take shape in our youngest students in the 2s program and develop throughout an academic journey that culminates in eighth grade. This intentional pathway for our students is ‘the EMS advantage,’ and these essential competencies form our community’s shared Vision of the EMS Graduate.” — Marek Beck, Ph.D., Head of School

Below is a list of schools where our students have been accepted from 2021–2024. An asterisk (*) denotes matriculation.

  • Abraham Joshua Heschel School*
  • Academy of the Holy Angels*
  • American Heritage School*
  • American School of Madrid*
  • Avenues*
  • Bergen Catholic*
  • Bergen County Academies*
  • Bergen Tech*
  • Blair Academy*
  • British Council School
  • Brooks School*
  • Calhoun School*
  • Choate Rosemary Hall*
  • Columbia Grammar & Preparatory*
  • Concord Academy
  • Convent of the Sacred Heart
  • The Dalton School
  • Delbarton School*
  • DePaul Catholic School*
  • Don Bosco Prep*
  • Dwight School
  • Dwight-Englewood School*
  • Eagle Hill School
  • Eastern Christian High School
  • Emma Willard School*
  • Ethical Culture Fieldston School*
  • Fordham Preparatory School*
  • Grace Church School*
  • Groton School
  • Gulliver Preparatory School
  • Hackley School*
  • Hawthorne Christian Academy*
  • The Hewitt School
  • Horace Mann School*
  • The Hotchkiss School*
  • The Hun School
  • Immaculate Heart Academy*
  • International School of Madrid Kensington School
  • Kent Place School
  • Kimball Union Academy*
  • The Lawrenceville School*
  • The Leffell School*
  • Little Red School House & Elisabeth Irwin School*
  • Loomis Chaffee School
  • Loyola School*
  • The Masters School*
  • Mercersburg Academy*
  • Miami Dade Country Day School
  • Millbrook School*
  • Montclair Kimberley Academy
  • Morristown Beard School
  • Mother Seton Regional High School*
  • Newark Academy*
  • Northfield Mount Hermon*
  • Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child
  • Palmer Trinity School
  • Passaic County Technical-Vocational School
  • Paramus Catholic High School
  • The Peddie School*
  • Perkiomen School
  • Phillips Academy Andover*
  • Phillips Exeter Academy*
  • Pinecrest School
  • Pomfret School*
  • Portsmouth Abbey School
  • Ramaz School
  • Regis High School*
  • Riverdale Country School*
  • SAR Academy
  • Saddle River Day School*
  • Scranton Preparatory School*
  • The Spence School*
  • St. Andrew’s School*
  • St. Joseph’s Regional High School
  • St. Paul’s School*
  • Thames British School
  • Trevor Day School*
  • The Trinity School*
  • The Ursuline School*
  • Wilbraham & Monsoon Academy
  • Winston Preparatory School*
  • Woodberry Forest School
Admissions directors reveal the reasons why they love EMS students

Alumni Reflections

“The structure and environment at EMS fostered a deep sense of curiosity and a joyous process of learning that sparked a lifelong love of discovery.”

— Ken Chiang ’73

“I discovered my interests and what I’m good at and understood my value. I carried these skills through my entire academic career and beyond.”

— Heesun Lho ’98, P: ’32, ’35

“My business is relationship-based, so it’s important that I treat everyone the same, with kindness and respect. I have always led with that. It’s something I brought from my time at EMS.”

— Lamaar Jaswal ’14

“My journey is a testament to the transformative power of expertise, dedication, and a genuine passion for forging connections, all of which I attribute to my years at EMS.”

— Matthew Marco ’95

“Seeing myself as a scholar, athlete, and artist started with care and attention from my EMS teachers and coaches. They recognized and cultivated my natural talents and strengths while helping me further develop areas I found more challenging.”

— Marie Dillard ’20

“EMS instilled in me the courage and curiosity to try new things. I joined the cross country team in seventh grade with a friend and wound up discovering my passion.”

— Vivian Ostfeld ’22

“The collaboration between students and teachers at EMS made me believe that my opinion mattered and prompted me to consider different points of view. The confidence I developed in class is serving me well in life after EMS.”

— Trevor Ostfeld ’21

“My EMS experience has shaped the student and the individual I am today. It has given me the opportunity to experiment with different studying methods, foster relationships with peers and teachers, and find my passions.”

— Michelle Kim ’19

“One of the most profound experiences among many that EMS provided to me was the outstanding music program. Learning about, listening to, and playing music daily led me to excel in my studies and academics. I continue to play the violin and even make digital music, combining my two passions for technology and music that started at EMS.”

— Tibet Yakut ’19

“I realized learning can be beneficial just for learning’s sake and need not be motivated by a grade or extra credit. The mutual respect between my teacher and me made me want to perform at a high level and pushed me to do better any chance I got.”

— Jack Bloom ’16

“At EMS, the focus wasn’t on the answer itself but how you got there. I remember in history and English class, [the teaching] was never really prescriptive. We needed to come up with an answer, think through an argument, and really practice basic critical thinking and persuasive writing skills. This skillset started at EMS and grew [in secondary school] at Horace Mann, and I found it very useful at Princeton. Coming into college, I felt like I was way better prepared than a lot of my peers because of those experiences.”

— Reha Mathur ’16

“EMS really fostered this idea of creativity in me …There are many memories I have in learning how to learn, enjoying learning, and seeing things from new perspectives.”

— Jon Mann ’86

“EMS instilled the confidence and courage in me to go for things that may not have been in my wheelhouse. I think that’s important in your formative years.”

— Nicole Berrie ’94

“The teachers at EMS gave me the confidence to grow my brand by believing in me.”

— Misha Theberge ’23

“EMS taught me how to learn and be passionate about what I do.”

— Shant Amerkanian ’15

Learn more about our graduates

EMS prepares students for an impressive range of top-tier secondary schools.

Accustomed to a challenging academic environment, EMS students welcome the demands of competitive secondary schools and are often placed in advanced sections where they perform very well. See where our students have been accepted.

YOUR CHILD WOULD THRIVE AT EMS. SCHEDULE A TIME TO TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT JOINING OUR COMMUNITY.

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