Campus Life

Discover what it means to learn in community

Building community. Those aren't just nice words that we use in our mission statement or curriculum guide. They are the backbone of the Dock experience.

We call this section of the web site "Campus Life" for several reasons. First, our school is housed in six buildings on 75 beautiful acres, so it literally is a campus. Just as our setting is more like a university than a high school, so is the campus life at Dock. Students are treated with a high degree of respect and trust here. The Dock experience will prepare your student academically for college, but will also help them learn to make good decisions in other areas of their life. That's what being part of a community is all about.

Discover a school where...

"THE GREATEST GIFT WE EVER GAVE OUR FAMILY"

"The moment we stepped onto campus we were welcomed by smiling faces, loving hearts and helping hands. Choosing Dock is the greatest gift we ever gave our family. But every now and again we ask ourselves this one question: What took us so long?!"

— EC-Grade 8 parent

"The open campus was amazing"

I visited the school and fell in love before I even stepped out of the car. I saw the wide open campus with the beautiful pond and Detweiler House and I thought it would be amazing to be able to walk outside from class to class. I walked from class to class seeing that teachers actually teach their classes and students actually pay attention to what is being taught. Not only that, but the style of teaching is so different; it’s hands-on and interactive instead of writing down what’s on the board in front of you.

By far, my two favorite things that day were seeing the art building, and being free to walk around the campus. The open campus was amazing. It was great to be able to breathe fresh air. The art building is open and free for anyone to enter. I realized I could play soccer and create the art I was always interested in, and be completely devoted to both. I was sold.

Mia Bevilacqua ('17)

"sense of community"

I remember being surprised by the campus. Compared to Dock, my old school looked like a prison. I also liked the size of the school. It was much smaller, and I noticed the sense of community in just one day. Upperclassman interacted with underclassman—something that didn’t happen at public school. I admired the sense of community that I experienced at Dock.

—Jerry Johnston ('12)

I'm beginning to realize why the word ‘community’ is used so often, and how lucky I am to know almost the whole study body by name. It doesn’t matter what grade you’re in; we’re all part of a large community here.

— Megan Bolton ('12)

Expectations of Students

Student Activities

See how Dock starts building community from the first week of freshman year:

Dock By The Numbers

12:1

Faculty to Student Ratio

Class sizes offer opportunities for quality teacher-student interaction and individual attention

8

countries represented

A global perspective is a strength of the Dock experience

118

churches represented

Dock serves many other denominations; less than half of our students are Mennonite

99%

Percentage of students who participate in a co-curricular activity

From athletics to music to drama to robotics and more, students have rich opportunities beyond the classroom

66%

Percentage of students participating in one or more sports

Student-athletes find excellent opportunities to participate in spor(s) they love, even as freshmen