Unique Offerings

While the majority of Tabor students study within the standard curriculum, many of our students opt to go beyond their comfort zone to work independently, take advantage of unique campus opportunities and regional cultural offerings, or to travel and study abroad.

Our Marine and Nautical Sciences offerings outlined here under the heading School by the Sea are our most unique programs. Our location on Sippican Harbor and the Research & Environmental Education Focus Program (R.E.E.F.) provides real-world opportunities for field research.
From 2000-2017, our students have participated in coral reef ecology field research in collaboration with the National Parks Service in the Caribbean helping to put Elkhorn coral on the endangered species list. Today, our students are taking that interest one step further. They hope to help regenerate endangered reefs by building coral fragment tree nurseries in the Bahamas and eventually "outcrop" the nurtured fragment trees into new reefs for the future.

The Tabor MakerLab is a place for all students and faculty to explore their creativity and make things from as complex as a go cart or an underwater ROV to a simple object printed on one of our 3D printers, or carved on our laser cutter. From robotics to electrical and mechanical engineering, we have future makers covered! Read what Lucy says about the MakerLab.

The Edmunds Observatory is a place to share the wonders of the universe. Whether you take Astronomy or not, the observatory is open to all at various points during the year to watch a lunar or solar eclipse, a comet streaking through the sky or whatever the universe is sending our way!

Interested students in good academic standing may plan an independent study on a specialized topic with a faculty member and submit a proposal for approval. All independent studies must have the direct academic supervision of a Tabor faculty member. Students are limited to one independent study per trimester, and with permission, the independent study may replace a sixth course. Independent studies are graded on a Pass/Fail (P/F) basis based on criteria agreed upon between the student and their faculty supervisor. Read about Charlie's study on Microplastics in local game fish.

Senior Projects allow seniors to use their last trimester at Tabor to pursue a project of their own creation. Projects include original art and music, all manner of building projects from boats to motorcycles, and internships in non-profits, architectural firms, and hospitals. The Senior Projects Committee approves the projects after a rigorous application process. On the last day of the academic year, the entire Tabor community attends Senior Project presentations, a capstone event that allows the seniors to show all they have learned during the project period. See our webpage for a sampling of projects.

During summer and March vacations, faculty members lead trips to various points of interest across the globe. Read about our 2019 trip to Vietnam! Recently, Tabor student groups have visited Costa Rica, Denmark, Italy, Greece, China, Spain, France, Vietnam, Thailand, England, Peru, Cambodia, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, and the Dominican Republic. These trips offer opportunities for cultural exchange, research, language immersion, and service-learning. Learn more about our International Programs.

There is nothing quite like the experience of stoking a wood kiln for a 36-hour firing with faculty, classmates, alumni, and local artists. The camaraderie is worth it in itself, but applying the science and effort to achieve the right balance of wood and air to reach the critical temperature, maintaining the burn, and adding just the right amount of salt to impart a truly unique glaze to the pots inside is a real education in craftsmanship. The reward is the bounty that lies inside! Read about our summer firing.

Foreign exchange programs occur each year with our sister school in China: RDFZ High School in Beijing and our partner Rysensteen Gymnasium in Copenhagen, Denmark. These are typically week-long school visits with homestays both here at Tabor and abroad. However, there is also an opportunity for juniors to study at RDFZ for the fall trimester. Additionally, students interested in living and learning in another culture have also participated in School Year Abroad (SYA) and The Island School. Students who are approved for these programs receive full credit for the work they complete while abroad.

Summer travel grants are also awarded to applicants for a month-long stay in Japan, as well as participation in a language or cultural course of a student's choosing. There is even one for an Outward Bound experience for sophomores.