Curriculum

In classes that average no more than 14 students, the basic curriculum includes English, history and social science, arts, mathematics, science, and a foreign language, whether French, Spanish, Latin, Russian, or Mandarin Chinese.

The Upper School years are also marked by a number of distinctive milestones, transformative experiences you share with every one of your classmates. All 10 th graders rise to the challenge of the Sophomore Debate – researching a position, building an argument and expressing their views in public, right out loud. In junior year, students experiment with a kind of journalism reminiscent of The New Yorker, writing an in-depth, 10 page-profile of some intriguing person on the job. Surgeon, Shakespeare scholar, street musician, short-order cook – no one is out of bounds. The idea: to dive beneath the surface and stereotype, and shine a light into hidden corners of everyday life.

The BB&N experience grows even richer as you start to choose intellectual pathways for yourself. Junior year, you begin to shape your education from an interesting range of possible electives. You might study the history of modern China or literature of Latin America , statistics or film criticism, African-American history or environmental science. In the spring of 12 th grade, you and your advisor design a custom-made curriculum for your last eight weeks of school. In writing this final chapter of your BB&N career, you might include a solo wilderness expedition or an independent study of modern photography, an AP class with a favorite mentor or an art class you've never had time to take before. It is a marvelous way to say good-bye to your high school years and hello to the open road of life.

Part of the tenth grade program is a five week course called Sexuality & Relationships. One portion of the tenth grade class takes this program in the fall; the others take it in the winter or spring. The program is composed of group discussions led by pairs of trained male and female faculty members to address issues of sexuality and personal relationships. Each tenth grader is part of a discussion group meeting two periods a week for five weeks. Topics are selected by both faculty and student members and include discussions of commitment, responsibility toward others, and birth control. All groups include education about sexually transmitted disease, child abuse, and sexual harassment.

Please use the links to the left to explore each area more closely.