POLY ACADEMICS
Brooklyn. Queens. Manhattan. The Bronx. Staten Island. Diverse backgrounds, perspectives, interests, and worldviews all converge in one school with one aim: academic excellence. Following in the heritage of our city, we believe that personal drive, an open-minded, rigorous environment, and contact with different opinions and backgrounds are key to success. From Nursery though Upper School, our students embody the best of New York: striving just beyond their reach, seeing opportunity everywhere, and creating an environment where they all can do their best.
Faculty Poly faculty are lifelong learners who model for our students the joys, challenges, and rewards of intellectual growth. Supported by the school’s robust commitment to professional development, teachers pursue academic research in their fields, participate in conferences to improve their pedagogy, and collaborate with one another to promote best practices. Their love of learning is a bedrock of the strong relationships they forge with students. Current and former students alike often tell us that Poly faculty taught them not only science, history, math, literature and art, but also ways of being and seeing that have enriched their lives and inspired them—like their teachers—to pursue their passions.
Educational Philosophy DIVERSITY, EXCELLENCE, CHARACTER Our whole-child educational philosophy derives from our commitment to diversity—of individuals, viewpoints, experiences—and the intellectual and moral excellence that it generates. Our curriculum nurtures and extends students’ natural curiosity, engages them in the challenges and joys of problem solving, and motivates them to acquire the knowledge and habits of mind necessary to become agents of change in their communities, our country, and the world. Our mission to educate individuals who are distinguished by intellectual and moral courage resonates in our classrooms, vibrant hallways and the myriad demonstrations of learning that punctuate the academic year. At Poly, education requires and celebrates active engagement; it is a joyful act of creation that inspires students and teachers alike to pursue excellence, their own and others.
M E ET TH E STUDE NTS
Michael Licata ’19 Cornell ’23 As a rising senior, Michael Licata was elected to be Student Government President after serving as a representative for three years. He has a passion for politics and contemporary issues and was often seen in the history office talking with faculty about news of the day. He made interesting connections to events at Poly, especially those related to Student Government. Not surprisingly, Michael competed in the Congressional category for Poly’s debate team. On Friday nights, Michael could be found on the back field playing Varsity Football for Poly. At the 2019 Major Awards Assembly, Michael received the School Service Award for character, loyalty, service, and decorum. He was chosen by his classmates for the honor of being Senior Speaker at Commencement.
Daniel Fernandez ’19 Swarthmore ’23
Kayla Williams ’18 Stanford ’22
Daniel Fernandez was celebrated often for his debate performances. Together with Noah Kaye ‘19, they won the 2019 Harvard Invitational and earned the number one rank in the U.S. as a debate team in Public Forum. Away from the podium, Daniel was a member of the crew team, the managing editor of Poly’s history journal, The Forsyth, and earned Poly’s Mayflower Award for excellence in American history. In the same way Daniel brought new insightful perspectives to classroom discussions, he also lent his voice at community forums. Daniel is committed to public service; he volunteered with the New York City Urban Debate League and mentored younger students at Poly as well. Daniel was awarded the Williams Prize for Intellectual Curiosity at the 2019 Major Awards Assembly.
Kayla Williams expressed her joy and energy with Poly’s African Dance Troupe, and in everything else that she did at Poly. Kayla’s passions and contributions were wide ranging. She helped to manage a large community service initiative, led the women’s step team, and graduated having exhausted the most demanding courses in every discipline at Poly. In the spring, Kayla took the stage to thunderous applause when she won the Poly Cup, given to the senior who has “stood for most in the school” and was chosen by her peers to be their Commencement speaker.
Advanced Learning While Poly’s daily academic program is challenging, we also offer options for advanced learning and accelerated curricula, both within and beyond the classroom. Following the structure of a liberal arts education, our core courses are English, History, Mathematics, and Science. We train and expect our students to read, write, analyze, and quantify with focus, insight, and clarity. In every grade, students are challenged to the level that is appropriate for them. Students in the Lower School experience a fast rate of growth, and consistently require challenges at a higher level than traditional curriculum for their grade. In Middle School, many students take advantage of our advanced track in Mathematics, and expand their mastery of language through Latin, in addition to another world language. In Upper School, there are multiple avenues to pursue advanced learning, including electives, Advanced Placement courses, independent study, and a three-year Science Research program.
M E ET TH E STUDE NTS Chloe Sun ’19 Pomona ’23
Leo Jordan ’20 Leo Jordan is a jack of all trades. While he has special interest in math and science, you won’t be surprised to find him deep in conversation with history or English faculty discussing techniques to better develop his analytical skills and writing voice. On the field, Leo is an exemplary Captain for Poly’s Ultimate team, and continues that leadership into advocacy through the Urban Assembly, which teaches public school children the game. Using his voice and taking Ultimate’s spirit of integrity and camaraderie off the field, Leo is presenting to local officials to get the sport included in the Public School Athletic League.
Chloe Sun was always a high achiever beginning in Middle School as a member of the Math Olympiad Team through to Upper School where she began writing for The Polygon as a freshman. It was no wonder that she earned the Joseph Dana Allen Award and served as a speaker at Commencement. While at Poly, Chloe pursued subjects she loved, often taking independent studies in order to deepen her understanding. She also spent a semester at the School for Ethics and Global Leadership in Washington, D.C., a select program for highly motivated juniors to develop ethical thinking and leadership skills. When she wasn’t editing The Polygon in the Student Publications Center, Chloe might be found at fencing practice or heading to tech rehearsal on the catwalk high above Poly’s stage.
Kristen Palmer ’19 MIT ’23 Kristen Palmer joined Poly’s fencing club in 2014, when she was already competing in the Regional Junior and Cadet fencing circuits. Representing Poly, Kristen won a Gold Medal in the Junior Sabre competition of the Fencers Club Partner Schools Championship in 2015. As a cadet fencer, Kristen competed internationally in Germany and Austria. Kristen was on Poly’s National Math Video Challenge team and president of Girls Who Code. She was also a member of Lemonade (Poly’s affinity group for black girls), Girl Up (Poly’s chapter of the UN nonprofit promoting education of girls in Third World countries), co-captain of the fencing team, and a Mandarin tutor for Poly’s Middle School students.
Electives Every student is encouraged to nurture their own passions and interests, and Poly’s elective offerings in Upper School provide more advanced learning options for each student’s chosen path. In English, students can take a creative writing elective followed by a full range of genrethemed studies. In history, course offerings cover a breadth of modern historical and political topics; in mathematics, discrete math and statistics are available; in science, students choose from a wide range that extends to modern forensics, genetics, and environmental science. Outside of the core departments electives are offered in art, computer science, psychology, and economics.
Advanced Placement At Poly, we are committed to preparing students for college and beyond. For those students who are interested in earning college credits while still in high school, Poly offers AP courses in art, classics, computer science, English, history, mathematics, music theory, science, and world languages. Deans act as supportive conduits for the various paths toward placement in these courses. While AP is by no means a requirement for students, we provide it as a useful tool to engage even more deeply with material, and to arrive at college ahead of the game. Our resources and commitment to academic excellence include the AP program, but are not limited to it; we strongly believe that excellence is marked by the pride of self-achievement, the motivation to pursue areas of curiosity and master them, and the willingness to continue learning and applying that learning.
M E ET TH E STUDE NTS
Gauri Purohit ’21 Gauri Purohit who was a first place medalwinning member of the Middle School Science Olympiad team, continues as an all-around superstar academically and in extracurriculars. She has presented in the finals of the World Languages Rienzi Poetry Showcase in Upper School, is on the Honor Council, plays in Poly’s Jazz Band, works on the yearbook, and was part of the backstage crew for the 2018 Upper School musical, Into the Woods.
Tien Lardner ’19 Barnard ’23
John D. Walker ’19 Bates ’24
Tien Lardner was a star at Poly beginning in sixth grade when she won the Maryanna Sheller Award. In Upper School, Tien presented in French and Mandarin at our annual World Languages Rienzi Poetry Showcases, was a finalist in the Bearns Public Speaking Contest, and won honors in the National Latin Exam. Tien is a talented artist, skilled at the potter’s wheel. At Poly, she was also a swimmer, member of the Asia Society, and worked in the Greenhouse as part of the Environmental Club to care for plants and learn about sustainability.
John D. Walker didn’t just talk the talk, he walked the walk. Literally. John lived out his civic and social engagement by being a student member of Poly’s Alumni Board of Governors, as well as president of Kids Walk for Kids with Cancer club and co-president of World Connect. John also participated in Poly’s Nicaragua service trip as a freshman. When he wasn’t busy with AP classes and service work, John was practicing for Varsity Wrestling and Varsity Baseball. John will be taking a gap year before college to work for Congressman Max Rose ‘04.
Kayla Nejat ’19 Emory ’23 Kayla Nejat was a member of Poly’s student government throughout Upper School as a grade representative, working tirelessly to advocate for her class. Her leadership and activities extended to all areas of school life. Kayla was a Peer Tutor for Middle School, participated in Model UN, and was the student manager for the track team. She won the Indovino Book Award as a junior for her service as a student government representative. She was a member of the squash team. Kayla did her Senior Plan on stand-up comedy and feminism, including a live set of her own work.
Learning Support Executive function is a critical skill for any successful person. At Poly, we make it a priority to help our students learn good organizational and time management skills, as well as assess the areas in which they excel and those that require more attention. By starting young, we hope to foster lifelong skills and awareness about students’ strengths and weaknesses, as well as provide tools to help navigate stress and mitigate the tumult of adolescence. At Poly, we understand that everyone learns differently, and our learning specialists in all three divisions work with the students and their parents in order to best support the child’s development. Learning support staff help students with learning differences and work individually with those struggling for the first time. They also support teachers in meeting needs and enriching learning experiences in the classroom.
Lower School 50 Prospect Park West Brooklyn, NY 11215 718-768-1103
Middle & Upper Schools 9216 Seventh Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11228 718-836-9800