Roland Park Country School View Book by Roland Park Country School

A N E D U C AT I O N A B OV E 2 足

A N E D U C AT I O N A B O V E

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

LEADERS IN TEACHING GIRLS

D E L I V E R I NG P E R S O N A L I Z E D E D U C AT I O N

G L O B A L E D U C AT O R S

BEYOND ACADEMICS

S U P E R I O R AT H L E T I C S

MODEL LEADERSHIP

I N S P I R AT I O N A L S E R V I C E L E A R N I N G

M E A N I N G F U L I M PAC T

O U T S TA N D I N G T E A C H E R S

C A R I N G C U LT U R E

AUTHENTIC DIVERSITY

CAMPUS UNDER ONE ROOF

T R A D I T I O N A N D I N N O V AT I O N

ALUMNAE POWERHOUSES

A N E D U C AT I O N A B O V E

C HOOSE

AN EDUCATION ABOVE Most schools seek to prepare their students for the next academic step. At Roland Park Country School, we think that’s just not aiming high enough. We strive to prepare our students for life—a life full of wonder, joy, complexity and, yes, challenges. We empower them with the kind of integrity, will and character they need to thrive while still staying true to themselves and their values. To achieve this, we start with strong academics. Then we add in layers of experiences and opportunities carefully designed to nurture our students’ curiosity, creativity, confidence, compassion and leadership. All delivered by an award-winning, experienced and much-loved faculty energized by our students and the expectation of being the best at what they do. All taking place within the context of a genuinely supportive community where every student has multiple friends, mentors and others looking out for her.

All at Roland Park Country School, An Education Above.

ACADEMICS. T H E F OU N D AT I O N O F I T A L L.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE At Roland Park Country School, our students excel in their academic endeavors. Whether measured by SAT averages, national merit scholars, or college success, our young women are among the region’s highest-achieving students, year after year. One of the many reasons our students perform so well academically is that we understand the limitations of traditional, often rote, learning experiences.

T he rigor s of each course will teach the fu nda mentals. B ut will they limit her ideas or illuminate her fut ure?

For us, education doesn’t end when the laptops shut down and students leave the classroom. It persists through long days dredging for oysters in the Chesapeake, identifying trees in our forested Backwoods, becoming the first Chinese speaker in the family, compiling data used by NASA researchers to study temperatures on Jupiter, or drafting a sonnet even Shakespeare would be proud of.

An Education Above at Roland Park Country School builds on a student’s personal inquisitiveness, teaching her how to think, not what to think.

RPCS not only prepared me academically to complete colle ge and graduate school, but also taught me to seek knowledge and learn for a lifetime. -RPCS Alumna

G I R LS W I L L B E G I R L S. T H A N K F U L LY.

LEADERS IN TEACHING GIRLS At Roland Park Country School, we understand the developmental needs of girls—academically, socially and emotionally—and teach with a pedagogy tailored to the unique needs of each girl. For over a century, RPCS has been a leader in all-girls’ education. Here, the journey from Kindergarten to college is one that girls make together, challenging and supporting one another along the way.

We all k no w the wond rous, glorious wa ys in which women and men dif fer. S o why not tea ch girls the wa y they lear n best?

Our school is a nurturing place for each girl, enabling her to retain the natural curiosity she brings with her when she enters Lower School while helping her develop her voice. Carefully crafted experiences, including an 8th grade speech and a senior speech, give each girl the experience and confidence to make her mark on the world. Our comprehensive STEM Institute prepares young women to do their part in leveling the science, technology, engineering and math fields still underrepresented by women. Moreover, our students are equally intrigued by robotics, computer programming, physics and calculus as they are by 20th Century Latin American literature, world history and new media arts.

An Education Above at Roland Park Country School takes advantage of the ways girls learn, uprooting gender stereotypes and broadening educational prospects, all to encourage each of our students to remain curious, fearless about learning, and enthusiastic about new challenges—in short, to just be themselves.

AP Biology really changed my life. More than any one lesson or single factoid, I was taught to be open to new ideas and that has changed my view of literally everything around me. -RPCS Senior

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT. GROUP EFFORT. T he easiest way for a school to operate is to treat every student the same. But is that the best way to educate?

DELIVERING PE R S O NA L I Z ED E D U C AT I O N At Roland Park Country School, we teach our students to push themselves and excel according to standards set by the outside world, but we also encourage and help them find their own path to success. Underlying this approach is the understanding that each student learns differently, which is why our teachers’ instruction is informed by our students’ individual learning profiles. By senior year, after years of personalized attention, most of our students graduate with college-level credits. In preparing our young women for college, we take very seriously helping each senior find and gain admission to the college that’s perfect for her. It’s a collective, culminating effort, gladly shared by our talented college counselors as well as by every teacher and administrator who has been fortunate enough to work with her.

An Education Above at Roland Park Country School means understanding that each student learns in her own way and often in her own time. It also means understanding that society has set measures for success, and that our students must be prepared to surpass them. Bringing these two ideas into balance is a big part of what sets RPCS apart and above the rest.

It sounds funny, but I became more me at Roland Park. -RPCS Upper School St udent

A WO R L D O F D I F F E R E N C E . O ur girls will live in a global village. Why not prepare them to lead it?

G L O B A L E D U C AT O R S At Roland Park Country School, we know education continues past our geographic borders. The global education we provide our girls starts early, with Kindergartners learning both French and Spanish. Chinese is an option as early as Middle School. Our Upper School, in addition to teaching French and Spanish, also offers Arabic, Russian and Chinese, already fast becoming a lingua franca for global communications. Students may also pursue Latin and Ancient Greek. While our school requires students to be proficient in only one second language, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not uncommon to see our young women embarking upon a third or fourth by their senior year. Beyond this linguistics mastery, our students also gain the knowledge and experience needed to navigate a world that increasingly demands cultural competence through virtual collaborations and exchange programs with peers across the world.

An Education Above at Roland Park Country School means understanding the world beyond our borders and teaching our students to discover their unique role within it.

To be fluent in the language of success, it helps to expand your vocabulary. -Jean Waller Brune, Head of School

A R T I L LU M I N AT E S F R O M W I T H I N. It’s easy to d ream of becoming a star, but will she ha ve the courage and chara cter to take the stage?

BEYOND ACADEMICS At Roland Park Country School, the arts provide our students with indispensable opportunities to work to the best of their ability for the satisfaction of a job well done. Art also exposes our students to a wide range of human values, including one’s place in society, the interplay between nature and the environment, and all that is both beautiful and complex. All to help them make the choices that are right for them, and find their passion—wherever it may be. Much of this exploration happens in our state-of-the-art Macfarlane Arts Center, a peerless arena for the arts by way of dance studios, choral practice rooms, ceramics, painting and printmaking facilities, an expansive theater and much more. Whether perfecting triple turns in jazz dance class, harmonizing with one of our student musical groups, or placing a newly-created vase in the kiln, RPCS students prove, repeatedly, that the arts are in no way extracurricular. Our talented artist-teachers as well as renowned artists who serve as our CJC Artists-in-Residence provide superior instruction, allowing our students to reach new heights in creativity and self-expression. As a testament to the quality of the artwork produced, the school often integrates final creations into our architecture, including the family tree sculpture that hangs as the centerpiece above our grand staircase.

An Education Above at Roland Park Country School means seeing the arts as one more opportunity to shape character, teach our students to trust their unique voices, and build a habit of challenging preconceived notions.

I appreciate the freedom we have to explore and make our own creative choices. -RPCS Upper School St udent

CHALLENGE A C C E P T E D. You can hit like a girl. B ut can y ou ear n three national titles, all before y our 18th birthda y?

S U P E R I O R AT H L E T I C S At Roland Park Country School, stepping up to a challenge isn’t metaphorical. Every day our students compete on the playing fields, in the gym, on the courts and in the water—all to prove something to themselves. Each time they do, win or lose, they learn character, resilience, confidence and sportsmanship. Team spirit and a love of fitness make up the foundation of our physical education and athletics programming, which starts in Lower School with physical education classes. In Middle School, afterschool interscholastic athletic teams complement physical education classes. By Upper School, students have the opportunity to take part in 16 different sports in addition to a fitness-based PE curriculum. Our commitment to helping our students sustain life lessons that only athletics can deliver so convincingly comes to life in our RPCS Athletic Complex. The LEED Gold certified complex includes a fitness center, a competition gym with a suspended three-lane track, a horizontal climbing wall, an athletic training room, two synthetic turf fields, and the first high school rowing tank in Maryland. It’s no wonder that RPCS often places first in athletic competitions among local schools. In the past several years alone, our varsity teams have won championships in tennis, squash, badminton, golf and crew. One of our students has taken home three squash national championship titles while a student at RPCS.

RPCS athletics has instilled in our own daughters the tenacity, the leadership, the discipline, and the teamwork skills necessary to succeed in today’s global economy.

An Education Above at Roland Park Country School values athletics for keeping students healthy and active and also for showing them the lifelong advantages of being a team player. Above all, our athletic program gives students the ability to see hurdles—whether on the track or in life—not as challenges, but as opportunities to excel.

-Parent of Three RPCS Alumnae

FOL LOW M E. T hey sa y a leader with out follo wer s is just someon e taking a walk. Wh o will stand with y ou?

MODEL LEADERSHIP At Roland Park Country School, we don’t think of leadership as a simple skill that can be learned in a weekend workshop. Leadership at RPCS is an attribute that needs to be built over time, layer upon layer. And if you ever had the chance to get to know our students, it is clear that leadership is an attribute we know how to build. Leaders among our students and recent alumnae include one of just two young women selected by the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools to represent the United States at the International Student Leadership Conference as well as a fellow of the Madeleine Korbel Albright Institute for Global Affairs, which prepares women for positions of leadership. The courage to speak up and speak out is a skill to be practiced and honed over time. Our student-run clubs have young women fighting for justice in mock trials and world peace in model United Nations scenarios. All seniors explore their interests—and potential career paths—through independent senior projects, whether that is writing an original musical or shadowing world-renowned architects.

An Education Above at Roland Park Country School is purposefully designed to build the kind of confidence, character and resiliency that all true leaders share.

Not only do we teach leadership skills—we create leaders. -RPCS Upper School Teacher

I N S P I R AT I O N A L SERVICE LEARNING At Roland Park Country School, we teach that actions speak louder than catch-phrases. We inspire our students to think seriously about how best to use all the skills they acquire here. To whom much is bestowed, much is expectedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the ethos we share with all our girls. And it resonates.

IN THE SERVICE OF A GREATER CAUSE. O ur students have many opportunities and advantages. How will they choose to use them?

During their time at RPCS, our students can find themselves learning about erosion in order to develop mitigation plans in their neighborhood or creating non-toxic cleaners for use in the classrooms. Whether it is working on a Habitat for Humanity project on a Saturday or travelling to Annapolis with letters in hand to advocate for a cause, our girls are making a difference in our community. Before graduating, each of our Upper School students will have devoted more than 60 hours to individual community service, with many students breaking into triple-digit hours. More importantly, this service translates into beautified parks, much-welcomed food and supplies for soldiers abroad, health care packages to some of the neediest children living in shelters, assistance to Hurricane Katrina victims and funds to build a school in Sierra Leone.

An Education Above at Roland Park Country School teaches our students to approach the great issues of the day with both humility and resolute action. We encourage them to strive for a better life for themselves and their families, but also to dedicate time to improving their community, their nation and their world.

I also s ee how impor tant it is to help others rig ht here in ou r own commu nity. -RPC S Upper School St udent

S M A R T A N D PA S S I O N AT E . Wit and wisdom will take a y ou ng woman far in life. Conf idence, poise and g ra ce, even farther. Just h o w far do y ou want to go?

MEANINGFUL IMPACT At Roland Park Country School, we recognize that pure intelligence is only part of the package. We believe that passion is what drives great accomplishments, and our nationally-recognized and locally-loved faculty seek to inspire it. With our encouragement, students learn that it takes curiosity to question ideas and confidence to challenge them. It takes resilience to move past failure, leadership to galvanize others, and character to know where to lead them. Whether it’s through senior projects working with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, independent ecological research as a part of the Environmental Science Summer Research Experience that was initiated by an RPCS teacher and is now available to neighboring schools, or the bold, multiyear campaign that helped make our own school a model green school, our students have already made valuable contributions to the sustainability movement, all before graduating from high school.

An Education Above at Roland Park Country School means that our students are book smart, achieving exceptional grades and test scores. Yet, what sets them apart is their spirit and an unquestioning drive to make a mark on the world.

When I think of the smartest girl at Roland Park, I don’t think of the best grades. I think of the most resilient and who’s done the most. -RPCS Upper School St udent

A SUPERB FACULTY. G ood teachers teach. G reat on es inspire. Which do you want in the f ront of your classroom?

O U R O U T S TA N D I N G TEACHERS At Roland Park Country School, an exceptional faculty has become a common expectation. Our talented team of more than 100 dedicated educators boasts finalists for the Microsoft Partners in Learning Forum, an inductee into the National Teachers Hall of Fame, and other prestigious national recognitions. More than 80 percent possess advanced degrees in their fields. What matters most is how our teachers translate these honors and achievements into a singular dedication to each student under their chargeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;one that often extends beyond classroom walls. With a 6:1 studentto-faculty ratio and an average section size of 15, our teachers regularly motivate their students with their passion, while understanding the particular needs and gifts of each girl. In all three divisions, each student gets even more personal support through her homeroom teacher in the Lower School or through her advisory group in Middle and Upper Schools. In these small group settings, we ensure that there is a meaningful adult mentor at school during the critical adolescent years.

An Education Above at Roland Park Country School means knowing the difference between good teachers who think outside-the-box and great ones who inspire their students to do so.

My friends talk about the one teacher who changed their life. I have seven. -RPCS Upper School St udent

HIGHLY COOPERATIVE OR HIGHLY COMPETITIVE? B OT H I S B E T T E R .

A C A R I N G C U LT U R E At Roland Park Country School, we believe academic rigor can take place within a compassionate learning environment. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because our founding premise is that healthy competition and open cooperation are not mutually exclusive ideas. Both are required for true educational excellence. Students here strive for their personal best and encourage others to do the same.

Individual performance is a powerful motivator, but can she strive for success without diminishing the achievements of others?

That is why it is common to see the most uncommon combination of students. That is also why you often hear people marveling at how truly caring and compassionate our girls are toward one another.

An Education Above at Roland Park Country School stands as an alternative to the all-too-common cutthroat academics and overly stressed adolescent lives that pervade high-pressure college preparatory schools. At RPCS, high achievement and high integrity are personal goals that never depend on the failure of others.

You want to get an A and you want your friend to get an A. You want to make varsity and you want your friend to make varsity. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not all about you. -RPCS Upper School St udent

DIVERSITY AS A LIVED, EVERYDAY EXPERIENCE. Embracing education is to embrace new ideas, new thinking, new experiences. Why limit the variet y of these experiences?

AUTHENTIC DIVERSITY At Roland Park Country School, our commitment to diversity enriches every aspect of what we do. In creating an inclusive, accepting community of students, teachers, and parents representing a wide variety of races and ethnicities, socioeconomic groups and personal beliefs, our school adopts an attitude that goes beyond diversity statements and statistics. That is because we are focused on preparing our students for living and succeeding in an increasingly multicultural, pluralistic, global community. We don’t just expect our students to be tolerant and accepting of people and views different from their own. We actually encourage them to seek out, leverage and celebrate diversity. And we teach, most of all, by example. From the Head of School and trustees to the youngest student, we model to one another the importance of welcoming, listening and understanding different life views and approaches. Our Upper School Student Diversity Committee often leads this charge. Examples of diversity at work at RPCS include our recent focus on “invisible” identities, our annual all-school panel discussions on privilege, race, interfaith issues and body image, the ongoing search for leading thinkers on diversity to come speak at our assemblies, and the well-deserved recognition of our administration’s leadership on student diversity by the National Association of Independent Schools.

An Education Above at Roland Park Country School manifests itself in our dedication to making diversity an integral part of our school community.

Ro l a nd Pa rk h a s s o ex p a nd e d who c a n b e a s t u d e nt he r e . I t ’ s a ve r y d ive r s e i n s t i t u t i on by a ny me a s u r e . -RPCS Administrator and Alumna

N OT A H O U S E . A HOME. War m and supportive with plent yof room to lear n. What more can you ask of a campus?

A CAMPUS UNDER ONE ROOF At Roland Park Country School, our campus reflects our teaching style: accessible, tech-savvy, and respectful of our heritage but ready to embrace the best of whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new. Our students learn and engage under one roof, surrounded by students of all ages as they pursue individual passions throughout the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools. Meanwhile, our faculty has at their disposal every conceivable modern amenity and innovative infrastructure to support their lesson planning. The technology labs at RPCS offer unparalleled services to both teachers and students, our libraries house over 20,000 volumes, our spacious dance studios and theaters allow young performers to shine, and our butterfly and vegetable gardens, Backwoods, and surrounding acreage provide endless resources for scientific discoveries in nature. Both faculty and students alike at RPCS aggressively pursue opportunities to model stewardship in environmental sustainability. Intensive on-campus recycling programs, environmental science courses, the installation of student-initiated solar panels on our school roof, and smart use of our five-acre campus woodland are just a few examples of this pursuit. An official Maryland Green School and member of the Green Schools Alliance, we remain committed to reducing our carbon footprint. In our first ten years dedicated to sustainability efforts, we have already lowered our greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent.

We have a campus that a small college would envy. A campus alive with a cooperative,

An Education Above at Roland Park Country School nurtures a strong community and valued campus, for now and for the future. This reinforces the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position as a leader in environmental responsibility and in educating for a sustainable world.

resilient spirit. -Trustee, Parent of Three RPCS Daughters

A T RA D I T I O N O F BRE A KIN G T RAD I T I O N S . Honor the past, absolutely. B ut why not honor it by leading the fut ure?

TRADITION AND I N N O V AT I O N At Roland Park Country School, we have a legacy of innovation that reaches back to our beginnings. After earning the proud distinction of being the first fullyaccredited independent school for girls in Baltimore City in the early 1900s, Roland Park has continued to trailblaze. We were the first girls’ school in Maryland to be awarded a Cum Laude chapter as well as the first to offer AP Chinese, AP Russian, and Arabic language courses. The gift of a digital computer in 1968 made RPCS the first independent school in Baltimore—and perhaps third in the nation—to offer computer training. RPCS was also the first girls’ school in Maryland to initiate a laptop program. Our historical pursuit of excellence is also why RPCS has one of the largest school-based technology departments in the region that provides quality services to students and faculty members alike.

An Education Above at Roland Park Country School is defined by a history of progress. Both our faculty and students encourage us to adapt new ideas—and they’ve done so since our founding. We recognize that our biggest legacy will always be the future impact made by our students.

I pursued a career in medicine because I was prepared so well in the sciences at RPCS. -RPCS Alumna

THEY SPEAK FOR T H E M S E LV E S .

ALUMNAE POWERHOUSES At Roland Park Country School, our best advertisement for what we mean by An Education Above is the exceptional group of women who proudly call themselves RPCS alumnae. From the legacies forged by their predecessors, our alumnae dare to dream and achieve the impossible.

O ur alumnae never cease to amaze us. Who wouldn’t want to join their ranks?

Take Adrienne Rich, 194 7, who challenged gender boundaries with her nationally-acclaimed prose, or Melissa Stark Lilley, 1991, who broke them by taking to the sidelines as a reporter for Monday Night Football. There’s also Virginia Hall, 1924, an undercover spy during World War II, actress Nicole Ari Parker, 1988, (pictured at right) who continues to stun audiences and break through color barriers with her deeply honest characters on Broadway, and Catherine Sharkey, 1988, a beloved goalie while at RPCS whose academic career soared at Yale Law School and Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and is now dedicating her life to teaching law as a tenured professor at New York University. Even recent alumnae have taken great strides toward their dreams after RPCS. Beccy Jossowitz, 2004, is a M.D./Ph.D. student undertaking extensive stem cell research. Caroline Cobert, 2008, is working on her doctorate in paleopathology while designing an exhibition of the Ti-Ameny-Net mummy.

An Education Above at Roland Park Country School encourages and inspires incredible women like these. That speaks for itself.

There’s something here for everyone. You have people coming back after they’ve graduated saying how much this school has helped them. -RPCS Upper School St udent

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO C O M M U N I T Y.

A N E D U C AT I O N A B O V E At Roland Park Country School, students and teachers alike readily exchange hellos and smiles. We know each other’s first names. As the 5th graders help younger students out of their cars each morning, a school administrator is at the curb to greet them. From the very beginning, our Lower School girls know they are important members of the whole school.

S t u d e nt c o n v o c a t io n s w ould n’ t be c o m ple t e w it h out s o me g o o d o ldfa s h i o n e d sc h o o l s pirit. S o why n o t e n s u r e t h o se feeling s o f c o n n ec t io n , f r i e n d s h i p a n d ge n uin e a f fec t io n la st o n c e t h e g roup dis p er ses ?

It should come as no surprise to anyone that RPCS consistently beats other schools—both locally and nationally—in student and family retention rates. Our student-focused programming and compassionate approach to academic excellence translate into happier students, pleased parents and families that stay. As we like to say here, “Once a Roland Parker, always a Roland Parker.”

An Education Above at Roland Park Country School speaks to a challenging, yet comforting, learning community, where the feeling of warmth is palpable and the combination of students never fails to surprise.

There’s definitely a Roland Park look. We’re happier. -RPCS Upper School St udent

A N E D U C AT I O N ABOVE

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