UPPER SCHOOL AT A GLANCE SCHOOL AND STUDENT BODY Brooklyn Friends School, founded in 1867, draws upon its Quaker heritage to educate students within the context of a challenging academic program and a caring, supportive community. An independent, coed day school, Brooklyn Friends enrolls more than 800 students from preschool through 12th grade, including 200 in the Upper School (grades 9-12). The student body reflects the racial, economic, ethnic, and religious diversity of New York City.
DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Academic Excellence Building on a century-old tradition of academic excellence, the Upper School has been galvanized by the implementation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, which encourages students to think deeply, question critically, and engage with the world. Quaker Values Quaker Meeting for Worship is held weekly. Community members sit in silence, and if they feel moved to say something that will deepen the experience, they stand and speak. The practice of quieting the mind and opening the heart adds a spiritual dimension to the educational experience and encourages students to be thoughtful, active listeners. Commitment to Diversity Brooklyn Friends School cultivates an environment in which all people are respected and valued. The School strives to recognize, respect, and celebrate the differences and commonalities that shape the individual and collective identities of its members. Service Learning As a Quaker school, Brooklyn Friends has a focus on service learning that is practiced at every grade level. All 11th and 12th graders complete the IB Diploma Program’s CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) requirements . Afternoon Seminars Students may complement their regular coursework with challenging afternoon seminars in areas of special interest beyond the curriculum. The “After 3” seminars meet once a week from 3:30 to 5:00 pm.
2015
THE NEW UPPER SCHOOL OPENS IN METROTECH WITH 40,000 SQUARE FEET OF SPACE AND
4 SCIENCE LABS 3 VISUAL ARTS STUDIOS 3 MUSIC CLASSROOMS 35 CLASSROOMS, SEMINAR ROOMS, AND ACADEMIC OFFICES
PLUS A LIBRARY, DANCE STUDIO, BLACK BOX THEATER CLASSROOM, FITNESS CENTER & CAFÉ
UPPER SCHOOL COURSES & REQUIREMENTS International Baccalaureate (IB) courses are in bold
ENGLISH
SCIENCE
9: Youth and Society
9: Conceptual Physics
10: US Literature
10: Chemistry or Honors
11-12: IB English Literature
Chemistry
4 years required
OUR MISSION
Guided by the Quaker belief that there is a Divine Light in everyone, Brooklyn Friends School cultivates an intellectually ambitious and diverse community that celebrates each individual’s gifts. We challenge our students to value and embrace difference as they develop critical thinking skills and apply their knowledge and intelligence both in and out of the classroom. In this rich learning environment, we inspire all members of our community to voice their convictions, to discover and pursue their passions, and to seek truth. Our graduates are compassionate, curious, and confident global citizens who let their lives speak in the spirit of leadership and service.
FACULTY-STUDENT INTERACTION Students experience a new and deeper level of faculty-student interaction when they join the Upper School. As they become more independent and develop their own interests, BFS students form bonds with their teachers based on mutual respect. Such relationships are central to meaningful educational growth. Our graduates tell us that they actively seek to develop similar connections with their college professors.
WORLD LANGUAGES
3 years required
11-12: IB Biology or IB Environmental Systems & Societies
RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY, ETHICS 9: Quakerism required 10: Ethics or World Religions required 11-12: IB Theory of Knowledge A three- semester course required for the IB Diploma 11-12: Religion, Ethics, and Culture one semester course required for those who are not in IB Diploma Program
3 years required
IB Physics may be taken
9-10: Spanish 1/2/3 or French 1/2/3. Students may study another language in addition to Spanish or French. These courses are Latin 1/2/3, Mandarin 1/2, or Italian 1/2
as a second science course
11-12: IB French , iB Spanish
Environmental Studies
VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS
IB French Ab Initio
Optics: Light, Color, and Art
3 years required
IB Spanish Ab Initio
Science Now
IB Mandarin Ab Initio Ab Initio is a Latin term meaning from the beginning. Students studying IB Spanish, IB French, or IB Mandarin may take IB Latin as an additional language
HISTORY
9-12: Students choose from the following yearlong courses: 2-D Art; 3-D Art; Ceramics; Darkroom Photography; Digital Photography; Screen and Alternative Printing; Digital Media Arts; Chorus; Chamber Ensemble; Jazz Band; Dance; Theater 11-12: In addition to the above, students may choose from the following two-year courses: IB Visual Arts, IB Theater, IB Dance, IB Music
MATHEMATICS 4 years required
9: Integrated Algebra and Geometry 1 or Geometry or Honors Geometry 10: Integrated Algebra and Geometry 2 or Algebra 2 or Honors Algebra 2 11-12: IB Math Studies [Algebra 2 andPre- Calculus] or IB Mathematics [Pre-Calculus and Calculus] or IB Mathematics [Advanced Topics]
11: General Biology 12: Semester electives, which may vary from year to year: Forensic Chemistry
4 years required 9: Comparative World Cultures 10: Semester-long “Intensive Studies” courses: Art History 1 and 2, Latin America, The Middle East, The World Wars, Modern Africa, Modern India, The Wars in Korea and Vietnam 11-12: IB History 11: History of the Americas 12: 20th Century World History
ACADEMIC TECHNOLOGY All students are issued Google Chromebooks. 9th graders take a Technology course and 10th graders may take a Computer Programming elective course.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS 9-12: Physical Education 9: Study Skills and Health 10: Justice and Service Seminar 11-12: Service Learning as outlined in the IB’s Creativity, Activity, Service program
THE IB DIPLOMA PROGRAM AT BROOKLYN FRIENDS SCHOOL An IB World School, Brooklyn Friends offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program in 11th and 12th grades. Students may choose to pursue the full IB Diploma or take individual IB courses to earn certificates.
IB DIPLOMA CANDIDATES MUST: Choose 6 two–year IB courses, a minimum of
SUBJECT GROUPS 1 Language and Literature: English Literature
one each from the Subject Groups. See list at right.
THE ARTS
with the remainder at Standard Level
2 Language Acquisition: Spanish B, French B Spanish Ab Initio , French Ab Initio, Mandarin Ab Initio, Latin
Take a 3-semester Theory of Knowledge
3 Individuals and Societies: History
course that culminates in a 1,600 word Essay and Oral Presentation
4 Sciences: Biology or Environmental Systems and Societies; Physics Physics may only be taken as
Complete a 4,000 word Extended Essay,
an additional science, in place of an Arts course
which is an independent research project on a topic of the student’s choice
5 Mathematics: Math Studies or Mathematics
Fulfill a comprehensive Creativity, Activity,
Instead of an Arts course, students may choose to take
Service (CAS) requirement
Physics or Latin
The arts are much more than an academic exercise in the BFS Upper School. They are a way of life and a passion to be shared and celebrated. Every year there are two major visual arts exhibits, a dance concert, six music concerts, and two full-scale theater productions. There are several other music, theater, and dance presentations, which are student-led and student-staged.
Take at least 3 of the 6 courses at Higher Level,
90
6 The Arts: Visual Arts, Theater, Music, or Dance
PERCENT OF IB STUDENTS RECEIVED THE DIPLOMA OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS AT BROOKLYN FRIENDS SCHOOL
ATHLETICS 17 Varsity and JV teams:
FALL Girls Volleyball (JV & V), Girls & Boys Soccer, Girls & Boys Cross-Country
WINTER Girls & Boys Basketball (JV & V), Girls & Boys Indoor Track
SPRING Girls Softball, Boys Baseball, Boys Volleyball, Girls & Boys Outdoor Track
65
PERCENT OF THE STUDENT BODY PARTICIPATES IN ATHLETICS
COLLEGE COUNSELING The personal and specialized attention devoted to guiding our students in choosing a college that is right for them is a distinguishing characteristic of the Upper School program. Applicants from Quaker schools like BFS have a special appeal to colleges by virtue of their strong academic focus, high level of community engagement, and ease with relationships. Every year, BFS seniors gain admission to an extraordinary range of institutions that include Ivy League universities, top liberal arts colleges, as well as pre-eminent art schools and conservatories. Our graduates report back that Brooklyn Friends School has prepared them well for higher education and college life.
117
STUDENTS EARNED TOP HONORS IN THE SCHOLASTIC ART AND WRITING AWARDS AND THE NATIONAL LATIN EXAM OVER THE PAST 3 YEARS.
COLLEGE MATRICULATIONS Members of the Brooklyn Friends School Classes of 2011 through 2014 matriculated at the following colleges. Choices of the Class of 2014 are in bold. Numerals in parentheses indicate the number attending.
Agnes Scott College (2) Alfred University (3) American University Amherst College (3) Bard College (5) Bates College (4) Bowdoin College Brandeis University Brooklyn College Brown University Bryn Mawr College Carleton College (2) Claremont McKenna College Clark University (3) Colby College (3) Colgate University Colorado College Columbia University Connecticut College (3) Davidson College Dickinson College Drexel University (2) Earlham College Emerson College Emory University Eugene Lang College Evergreen State College Franklin & Marshall College Goucher College
Green Mountain College Guilford College Hampshire College (3) Hunter College Indiana University Iona College Ithaca College (2) Johns Hopkins University (4) Juniata College Kenyon College (2) Lake Forest College (2) Lewis & Clark College (2) Loyola University New Orleans Macalester College Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) (5) Middlebury College New York University (2) Northwestern University Oberlin College (4) Pace University Pitzer College (2) Pomona College Pratt Institute (2) Princeton University Quest University (2) University of Redlands Reed College Rhode Island School of Design
Rochester Institute of Technology (2) Sarah Lawrence College (2) School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2) School of Visual Arts Scripps College Seton Hall University Siena College Skidmore College (12) Smith College (2) SUNY Geneseo (3) SUNY Purchase (3) Swarthmore College Trinity College Tufts University Tulane University Union College University of Mass. – Amherst University of Chicago University of Pennsylvania (2) University of Vermont (2) University of Virginia Ursinus College (4) Vassar College (3) Wesleyan University (8) Wheaton College (MA) Worcester Polytechnic Institute Yale University
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