From the beginning, North Bennet Street School was a pioneer in advocating the value of hand skills training to society. The manual arts training movement known in Sweden as Educational Sloyd (slojd means 'craft' or 'manual skill') was brought to this country in large part through the efforts of our founder, Pauline Agassiz Shaw.

Learn more about Pauline Agassiz Shaw, the Swiss-born daughter of a Harvard University naturalist and stepdaughter of the founding president of Radcliffe College. Discover how her intellectually rich upbringing, but limited financial means, infused within her a respect for learning, and how she became a social and educational pioneer, championing such efforts as public kindergartens, day nurseries, voting rights, and manual arts training for men, women, and children of all backgrounds.

Part one of a four-part series on the origins of North Bennet Street School.

For generations, people just like you have trained at NBSS to realize their goals. As we begin a new year, it's a good time to reflect on whether 2020 can also mean new skills, a new community, and a rewarding new career for you, through our intensive programs in traditional trades. There's never been a better time to apply to NBSS: we've frozen tuition at the current level, are offering a variety of new scholarships to qualified applicants, and providing over $700k of student aid this year. Watch this video to learn more.

Each year, we reflect on the success of North Bennet Street School's entire community with our Annual Report, and the latest issue for fiscal year 2019 is now available. Read about the accomplishments in each of our programs including a legendary collection of tools gifted to the Bookbinding program, veterans who built the reception desk for Home Base, locksmiths who stepped in during a public safety crisis, and new equipment, vehicle, and tool upgrades across our training programs.

NBSS Preservation Carpentry students craft hand-built sheds each fall as part of their first-year curriculum, to practice basic construction techniques. You can own one of this year's sheds – there are two available for purchase now! Find out more details here.