Upper School (Grades 9 -12)
Cultivating Passionate Innovators
In the Upper School, which serves students in Grades 9 - 12, we do more than prepare our students for university; we equip them to make a positive difference in the world.
To solve the world’s most intractable problems, our students must be skilled at using the latest technologies and have the computational thinking skills to understand and solve problems using complex data.
They need a high level of intercultural competence based on an understanding of more than one language, multiple cultural traditions and our local, national and world histories. They must be empathetic, transdisciplinary designers, collaborators and innovators.
In the Upper School, we develop young people who are critical thinkers and complex problem solvers. Students who have a wide array of interests and passions and who learn through real world collaboration, in university, during corporate internships and through service projects around the world.
Our Approach
In Grades 9 and 10, students follow the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Program (MYP) followed by the IB Diploma Program (DP).
Recognized around the world for superior college preparation, the IB Diploma Program emphasizes learning experiences that foster achievement and curriculum that is thematic, transdisciplinary and intricate.
Students are engaged in regular discussions about abstract, complex ideas including reflective thinking about life experiences, critical examination of assumptions about knowledge, and appreciation of multiple perspectives.
Using the framework of the IB, courses include the following:
Arts, Computer Science, Experimental Sciences, Individuals & Societies; Language & Literature (taught in English, French, Spanish or German), Language Acquisition (for Chinese, French, German and Spanish at every experience level), Mathematics and Physical Education.
We are also in the Candidacy phase with IB to bring on the IB Career-related Programme. The Career-related Program is a comprehensive program that includes a minimum of two IB DP courses, a career-related study, and the unique, CP Core. This holistic approach is a brilliant preparation for further education, apprenticeships, or employment - fostering critical thinking, applied knowledge, cross-cultural engagement, and effective communication skills.
IB is well known to us for excellent preparations. Success in an IB programme correlates well with success at Harvard. We are always pleased to see the credentials of the IB Diploma Programme on the transcript.Marilyn McGrath Lewis, Director of Undergraduate Admission, Harvard University