At the Upper School level, the curriculum is exclusively college preparatory. The community closely resembles a workplace with individual contracts, group projects, team meetings, class discussions, and student/teacher appointments. With a fully integrated arts program, the academic work is rife with visual and performance components. Creativity and diversity go hand-in-hand throughout the fabric of the Upper School experience. Our task is finding the gift within each individual - grasping at the threads of potential passion each student has within him - while challenging the mettle of that person. Independent study, joint-enrollment with local colleges, and professional internships are incorporated as achievement, commitment, and maturity permit. Research projects, wilderness activities, and community service are inherent within the program. Each student is assisted in evaluating and addressing his or her individual strengths and weaknesses in order to achieve college readiness academically, socially, and emotionally. The resulting confidence, self-awareness, and genuine desire for inquiry make college a natural conclusion and confirm life as a continuous learning experience.
Assessments of student work from preschool through lower school take the form of conferences and narrative evaluations. Students do not receive grades (transcripts) until Upper School. Grading scale:
A = 90-100; B = 80-89; C = 75-79; course grades below a 75 are No Credit. Students are not ranked and grades are not weighted. [->]