By Leon Kelly

As the dad of a rising high school senior, I share a growing concern among parents: Are our children being prepared for an AI-driven world? With entire professions evolving, or disappearing, many of us question whether traditional education is keeping pace. When information is instant, the competitive advantage is no longer what you know, it is what you can do with it. 

The longstanding model of “read, remember, regurgitate” is inadequate. The question has shifted from “Did you learn it?” to “Can you apply it?” We must ask whether our students are equipped for that reality. 

For more than 60 years, The Colorado Springs School (CSS) has taken an approach apart, one grounded in experiential learning, critical thinking, and real-world application. Rather than relying on one-size-fits-all instruction, CSS challenges students to think independently, solve complex problems, and develop resilience, creativity, and integrity. 

Like many independent schools, CSS has faced turbulence in recent years. But those times have strengthened the resolve of its community to not only persist but to thrive in meeting our students’ needs in this rapidly evolving world. As the school looks for its next leader and to its next chapter, the mission remains clear. CSS will continue to shape the intellectual and personal growth of its students — and, by extension, strengthen the Colorado Springs community.   

That mission comes to life far beyond the classroom.  In the spring, Upper School students step away from traditional schedules and immerse themselves in experience-centered seminars, month-long, hands-on programs that bring learning to life. Students might produce documentary films, design and build a road-legal vehicle, or study environmental change while hiking Patagonia. Others explore the ecological and economic complexities of the American West or the art of native Alaskans. These are not theoretical exercises; they demand collaboration, adaptability, and perseverance. 

This approach begins early. Younger students engage in immersive, place-based learning, from studying conservation at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo to camping at Great Sand Dunes National Park. By eighth grade, students complete “Walkabout,” a rigorous 10-day wilderness expedition that builds independence, problem-solving, and confidence. These experiences are not extracurricular; they are the curriculum. 

The uniquely human skills developed through this model, critical thinking, adaptability, and collaboration, are exactly what the age of AI demands. While many systems remain tied to standardized testing and passive learning, CSS students are actively engaging, every day, with the world around them. 

The results speak for themselves. In last year’s graduating class of just 13 students, CSS seniors earned more than $5.2 million in merit-based scholarships, evidence of both academic excellence and real-world readiness. 

The question for families today is no longer simply where their children will go to school, it is how they will be prepared for a dynamic world. At CSS, the answer is an education that develops the whole child, fosters grit and curiosity, and prepares students not just to adapt to the future, but to shape it.  

Leon Kelly, M.D., is president of the Board of Trustees of The Colorado Springs School.