Welcome to Moses Brown Upper School
Welcome t o Moses Brown!
We’re thrilled that you’re interested in MB, and we hope you find it as exciting and inspiring as we do. For over two centuries we have helped children make the most of their strengths, shore up their challenges, and learn that they can lead the way to a better world. Our Quaker values are at the core of it all, and endow every subject and activity with an ethos that every person is valued and valuable, and that we can expect one another to bring forth our very best—in the classroom, on stage, and on the playing field. Enjoy this overview of the upper school experience together. Share cards, ask questions, and then schedule your visit—we can’t wait to see you!
Hugh Madden ’84
Director of Admission and Financial Aid
ARTS
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Arts in the Upper School
Art is an essential part of the human condition. With regular instruction in music, fine arts, and theater, upper school students develop technical skills and their own expressive viewpoints as artists. With ensembles for chorus, strings, wind instruments, jazz band, and orchestra, music is integrated into the school day, and students have numerous in-school and public performance opportunities. Our repertory company nurtures young actors, singers, and crew, and electives like playwriting, Shakespeare, and filmmaking encourage students to further develop their passions. In the fine arts, students learn to both create and critique work in supportive and thoughtful ways, and can explore their passions in painting, drawing, sculpture, mixed media, and digital arts. With instruction in both the creation and presentation of artwork, Moses Brown students have gone on to win national recognition for their achievements.
We believe in the truth revealed by self-knowledge and self-expression.
ATHLETICS
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Athletics in the Upper School Few things can rival team sports for their potential to develop children’s bodies, quick-thinking abilities, and the social habits of putting one’s team (and teammates) ahead of oneself. This is one of the reasons that Moses Brown offers a majority of team sports available at the collegiate level. Additionally, research has conclusively shown that exercise is essential not only for physical health, but for cognitive and emotional development as well. Thus all upper school students are required to participate in fitness activities each year. The same drive to excel that Moses Brown students exhibit in the classroom can be found on the field, court, and rink. With over 60 championships in the past ten years alone, our students distinguish themselves in a wide array of sports, including football, soccer, basketball, cross-country, tennis, baseball, swimming, wrestling, softball, lacrosse, field hockey, and more. And in 2017, our squash program will be able to make use of a 12-court facility on campus that rivals those available at many Ivy League schools.
We believe that learning how to push ourselves—and to win and lose with grace—is an essential part of growing up.
DIVERSITY
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Diversity in the Upper School
A core belief of Quakerism is that we are all infused with a divine Inner Light, and everyone is deserving of dignity and respect. In short, everyone counts—and contributes. When we have access to more viewpoints, our brainstorms become richer, our opinions more considered, and our coalitions stronger. With an annual trip to the NAIS People of Color Conference, a student-led diversity committee, and curricular and experiential learning opportunities, students are regularly invited to explore the unfamiliar and take responsibility for creating a school culture—and a world—where the Inner Light of all people can shine brightly. Inclusivity and respect for all people are an essential part of a 21st-century education, and something we’ve been practicing since 1784.
We believe that we are stronger together than we are apart.
ENGLISH MOSESBROWN.ORG/APPLY
English in the Upper School
Upper school students at Moses Brown read with insight, think critically, and create work that often draws regional and national acclaim. With a wide array of courses and electives including Shakespeare, playwriting, filmmaking, and literary studies focused on everything from the classics to modernists, MB students can push themselves to read and think at a collegiate level. Writing is at the core of this curriculum. Accomplished alumni from recent years, as well as decades past, cite their Moses Brown education as the cornerstone of their writing ability, and credit that skill with much of their success. All four years focus on the construction of complex arguments, as well as the precise and persuasive articulation of one’s theories. Ultimately, Moses Brown students are trained not only to answer questions but to ask them, and to balance the essential skills of both listening and leading discussions.
We believe that thinking and writing clearly are indispensable in the search for truth.
ETHICAL LEADERSHIP MOSESBROWN.ORG/APPLY
Ethical Leadership in the Upper School Right and wrong. At the core of all education, this is what counts most. Our Quaker values infuse everything we do from the first day a student steps on campus. Before calculus, before Shakespeare, before marine biology, they learn that there is a divine Inner Light in every person, and everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. This lesson starts with the self, and making sure that our students keep personal integrity firmly in mind with all they say and do. Service learning is a key part of the upper school experience, whether bringing performing arts to senior living facilities, tutoring younger children in the community, or pursuing a passion that benefits others. Students conduct scientifically rigorous studies of our local environment, and then work to improve it—both through the sweat of their own labor and the strength of their advocacy to local government. Through this, they engage in regular practice with the most important part of their education—their character.
We believe meaningful accomplishments derive from integrity, and that the responsibility of moral leadership falls to each of us.
EXPERT THINKING MOSESBROWN.ORG/APPLY
Expert Thinking in the Upper School While expertise is an accumulated wealth of knowledge, the expert’s defining characteristic is how he or she can freely improvise with that knowledge in response to a real-world problem. At Moses Brown, we call this skill Expert Thinking. Upper school students enjoy a myriad of challenging electives that enable them to dig deeply into subjects about which they are passionate, and the broad application of innovative teaching methods enlivens even the most traditional subjects. Whether designing a home-use wind turbine, writing a screenplay, or coaching recent immigrants through ESL, Moses Brown students enjoy constant practice at learning how to think like an expert as they build the foundations of their own expertise. We nurture this tendency in all subjects with project-based learning that poses intriguing questions that invite students to internalize academic principles and apply them. Teachers collaborate across classes to help children discover the hidden connections between subjects. And we constantly push students to question, to ask why, to wonder ‘what if ?’
We believe in learning through experience and in applying knowledge to solve real problems.
GLOBAL AWARENESS MOSESBROWN.ORG/APPLY
Global Awareness in the Upper School
The 21st-century economy is global, and to navigate this complex and diverse world students need lifelong habits of cultural fluency, careful listening, and considered empathy— or as we call it, Global Awareness. At Moses Brown, all students study a second language, and classes tackle significant world events from multiple conflicting viewpoints, challenging students to move beyond their current mindset. Whether studying biology in the Galapagos, practicing Spanish while supporting medical clinics in the Dominican Republic, or negotiating with peers from other nations at The Hague, Moses Brown students are called upon to make use of their learning and their character in the real world. This learning is accelerated by the TRIPs program, which ensures that learning moves beyond the classroom into the real world, where students can feel as well as know the richness inherent in mutually respectful difference.
We believe that we cannot truly understand the world without firsthand experience.
WORLD LANGUAGES MOSESBROWN.ORG/APPLY
World Languages in the Upper School
Extensive research has conclusively shown major cognitive benefits to speaking more than one language, which is one reason all upper school students are required to study a second language. They can choose between Spanish, French, Mandarin, and Latin, and focus on listening, speaking, reading, and writing. French, Spanish, and Mandarin place a premium on being able to read and converse with cultural fluency and understanding. Students delve beyond mechanical facility into cultural contexts, geography, and literary traditions, connecting their language studies to work in English and social studies. In this way, they approach their studies from multiple viewpoints, learn to filter bias, and understand their own assumptions as they consider world events. Whether tutoring children in Central Falls or assisting medical teams in the Dominican Republic through the TRIPs program, students put their learning into action, using the real world to illuminate their limitations—and surpass them.
We believe that to understand ourselves and our culture, we must be able to speak and listen to others.
MATH
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Math in the Upper School Though a tradition of inquiry lies at the heart of Moses Brown’s Quaker tradition, there’s one question you probably won’t find here: “When am I ever going to use this?” Upper school mathematics fosters inductive and deductive reasoning skills through the use of traditional and projectbased learning methods. At Moses Brown, we stress process over product, making sure students have both the mathematical skills and plasticity of mind to find multiple routes to an answer. We push kids to internalize concepts—can they explain it? Teach it to a classmate? Collaborate? Students go beyond rote memorization to learn the language of math. With Multivariable Calculus, AB and BC Calculus (both AP), AP Statistics, Micro- and Macroeconomics, AP Computer Science Principles, and Programming classes, and electives that require students to apply mathematical analysis and modeling to societal questions in the humanities, Moses Brown pushes students not just to ‘do the math,’ but to find their inner mathematician, using their wisdom and creativity to discover the joy in this discipline. We believe in disciplined critical thinking, and in proving every step of our reasoning.
QUAKER EDUCATION MOSESBROWN.ORG/APPLY
Quaker Education in the Upper School
Quakerism is a faith in the Christian tradition which holds that we all have a divine Inner Light, and thus are equally deserving of dignity and respect. We believe that everyone has direct access to the Divine which cannot be mediated or judged by others. Since the 17th century, this has afforded a genuine welcome to people of all faiths to join together in reflection and worship. Other positive tenets branch out from the central premise of Quakerism—that we have a duty to care for the earth and each other, that we bear a responsibility to use our gifts for the greater good of all, that we must think and act with integrity. Upper school students wrestle with complex moral and philosophical questions in the light of this spiritual grounding in core classes and advanced electives like Medical Ethics, The History of the Civil Rights Movement in Film, Comparative Religions, and more.
We believe that timeless values are a reliable guide through any conditions we meet.
HUMANITIES
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Humanities in the Upper School At Moses Brown, upper school humanities students are challenged to draw upon the fields of history, anthropology, and religious studies to understand the diverse and complex world we live in. By better understanding the contexts of place and time in which other people have lived, we can more fully appreciate their choices and the forces acting upon them. This understanding is essential to being an informed and responsible citizen, and cultivates a spirit of empathetic leadership in our children. In history classes that approach significant events from multiple perspectives, in challenging AP classes that go far beyond the test, and in college-level electives like Civics in Action, Medical Ethics, and Understanding The Civil Rights Era Through Popular Culture, students learn to analyze, interpret, and form their own persuasive conclusions. By reading closely, asking probing questions, and writing with mechanics, style, and editorial rigor—and the respectful consideration inherent in Quaker values—Moses Brown students learn to approach a complex world with insight and humility, and forge connections that take them far beyond the familiar. We believe that our role in shaping the future comes through understanding the past, the mind, and the human spirit.
STEM
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STEM in the Upper School Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
At Moses Brown, the closely related fields of STEM reinforce one another and tap into students’ innate curiosity about how the world works. Whether they’re writing code, preparing for a robotics competition, or prototyping their designs in the Y-Lab—MB’s 5,000-square-foot maker space—students grapple with the challenges that crop up when theory meets practice. In Engineering Design, students learn to collaborate, trust the diverse skills of their teammates, and lead and follow in turn. In AP Computer Science, they try, tinker, fail, and get back up. Whether prototyping an invention on a 3D printer, working through AP Calculus (AB or BC) or AP Statistics, or tackling one of our advanced electives like Genetics, Marine Science, Anatomy & Physiology, Meteorology, Astronomy, or Ornithology, Moses Brown students get daily practice in applying academic learning to the real world, and in adjusting their plans when the real world pushes back.
We believe in drawing upon all of our learning to play, experiment, and solve real problems.
SCIENCE
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Science in the Upper School In upper school, Moses Brown students are pushed to become young scientists—think critically, use evidence to draw conclusions, and remain open to changing one’s mind when new information presents itself. Students learn to distinguish between credible scientific research and editorial commentary, and to communicate their findings in clear, accurate language. Upper school students closely examine how physical forces, chemicals, living organisms, and environmental systems operate, and are regularly challenged to see the big picture of how they all interact. As a natural extension of our Quaker values, our science faculty encourage students to use every available resource to understand how the natural world works, how their own lives interact with it, and how to take responsible care of it. The ability to appreciate the dynamic nature of scientific truth is equally vital for students who pursue careers in science and those who simply wish to be informed and thoughtful citizens.
We believe that making careful observations and using critical analysis are necessary to understand the natural world.
TRIPS MOSESBROWN.ORG/APPLY
TRIPs in the Upper School Travel, Research, and Immersion Programs
Moses Brown’s TRIPs program fosters civic-minded, multilingual, and ethical global citizenship. By exploring beyond their everyday borders, children begin to see the many ways academic learning illuminates and clarifies the world around them. Upper school students can take advantage of a robust slate of travel opportunities curated to supercharge their work in specialized fields. Whether immersing themselves in performing arts in the Big Apple, learning firsthand about political change in Cuba and Kenya, lobbying congress in Washington, D.C., or perfecting their Spanish language skills in Andalucia, Spain, Moses Brown students can throw themselves into their studies in richly immersive ways. And with scholarship support that goes beyond tuition, Moses Brown is committed to making sure that every student has a TRIPs experience to deepen his or her education.
We believe in bringing the world to our classrooms and our classrooms to the world.
ARTS MOSESBROWN.ORG/APPLY
Anni Barnard, Visual Arts Department Chair In her 26 years at MB, Anni has been the Class of 2017 Dean, integrated the use of the Flipped Classroom in her ceramics courses, and offered classes for the adult community at MB. Anni also started the campus Gay Straight Alliance while forming a five-school GSA, and facilitates the senior tile project.
“Every day is a new adventure in the arts department. The creative process unfolds for each student in a unique way. One of the most pleasurable experiences, for me, is fostering a sense of exploration and creative inquiry in the studio. I enjoy creating a safe atmosphere for discovery: moments of learning can stem from allowing students to ‘make mistakes,’ then to find that those mistakes might be ‘happy accidents.’ There is a subtle dance between learning a skill, practicing that skill and then opening oneself up to the myriad of possibilities it provides. I can hear the language of art grow organically as students begin to see with a fresh eye, and I can watch students forge a sense of community among a diverse group. We use our heads, our hearts, and our hands here.”
ATHLETICS
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Willie Edwards, Head Football Coach and Assistant Athletic Director Willie is involved with many facets of the MB community: accompanying student trips to Washington, D.C.; supervising students in the Woodman Center; working with faculty, staff, and students toward their goals in strength and conditioning; and serving on the Discipline and Safety committees.
“Interscholastic athletics is an extension of the classroom. So many lessons can be applied in that environment, such as how to handle adversity. Student-athletes gain confidence and learn the value of teamwork, dedication, and commitment. “Most people don’t know that community service is a big part of MB Football. On Earth Day, my boys raked, painted, moved appliances, and cleaned the backyard of the Billy Taylor House. From working a full week at the R.I. Community Food Bank to organizing a school-supplies drive for kids in need, we strive to make a positive impact.”
ENGLISH MOSESBROWN.ORG/APPLY
Karina Ruiz ’22 After turning in a written assignment for her history course after Election Day, Karina made the news when Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid read her letter on the floor of the United States Senate.
English units are often inspired by history curriculum, giving students creativity a powerful springboard. “In English class, I can release my ideas while learning how to make my writing better,” says Karina. “My favorite part of eighth grade English was our racial justice unit that ended with a poetry slam. I’m a huge poetry writer, and I’m hugely invested in racial justice, so this unit was made for me. It was so much fun! From the conversations to the games to the really intense stories, it’s been my cup of tea. My friend Chloë and I wrote a poem together, and it’s my favorite piece of writing I’ve ever done. I’m extremely proud of it.”
DIVERSITY MOSESBROWN.ORG/APPLY
Chandra Harris, Upper school World Languages
Chandra has been a member of the World Languages faculty since 2008. Aside from teaching Italian and Spanish, she is an upper school diversity coordinator, attends faculty and student diversity conferences, serves on the Disciplinary Committee, assists in production of the spring musical, and performs with the Faculty Blues Band.
“MB’s commitment to an inclusive community represents our Quaker values of finding the Light in everyone. Each person develops a sense of themselves based on various identities, and we strive to make everyone here feel welcome regardless of how they identify. “Through discussions about equity among individuals at our school, we seek to understand each other and ourselves, both by examining our differences and communicating them to the wider community and by using safe spaces to grow and learn. I’m proud that we’re helping our students learn to succeed and relate to others in a world that is more interconnected every day.”
ETHICAL LEADERSHIP MOSESBROWN.ORG/APPLY
Zoe Bates ’26 Zoe is a member of SPARK—Students for Peace Acting with Responsibility and Kindness—a group of third, fourth, and fifth graders who gather weekly to talk about ethical leadership in lower school.
“SPARK gives us a chance to align ourselves with Quaker testimonies,” Zoe says. SPARK’s initiatives to inspire and track acts of kindness include programmed meetings for worship with queries, music, and storybooks; an appreciation breakfast for the dining staff; accompanying the nursery and preprimary students to meeting for worship; and community service drives—warm winter outer wear for recent immigrant children, fleece jackets for children in Nepal, and teddy bears for local pediatric clinics. When Zoe’s family discovered an opportunity to recycle Crayola felt tip markers, she spearheaded a drive to collect them. “The drive went really well! We collected so many markers, and they’ll be turned into biofuel.”
EXPERT THINKING MOSESBROWN.ORG/APPLY
Jane Ritson-Parsons P’17 Group Executive for Global Marketing for Hasbro, Inc., Jane is also a member of Moses Brown's Board of Trustees and MB’s Campaign Steering Committee.
“As a parent, I know that MB ensures that its students are well prepared to tackle any and all opportunities or problems. They’ve learned to not simply apply their knowledge, but really use it to help themselves, collaborate with and impact others; as well as the ability to imagine, design, and engineer an environment for future generations. Information is a mere click away; the ability to use it is what’s important, and how to apply it to real-world challenges is what’s most critical to take away from MB’s Expert Thinking model. Problem-based learning is a vital foundation not just for college, but for candidates seeking a place within a team in any current— or not yet imagined—career.”
GLOBAL AWARENESS MOSESBROWN.ORG/APPLY
Zara Salem ’19 Zara is a student-athlete competing on the varsity tennis, squash, and lacrosse teams at Moses Brown.
“When I was in eighth grade, my parents and sisters and I travelled for seven months. This was an eye-opening experience and helped me realize how much we can learn from firsthand experiences. It also made me want to travel more through MB’s TRIPs program. On our Dominican Republic medical service trip, I was able to work alongside a doctor, witnessing tough issues in several villages. It was a life-changing experience: I’d definitely go again, hopefully as a leader. “I’m especially interested in our history and religion classes, since I’ve been to several of the places we study. Recently my religion class focused on gender inequality in Islam, which made me more aware of some countries’ strict laws that mandate dress and prevent women from working outside of the home.”
WORLD LANGUAGES MOSESBROWN.ORG/APPLY
Simone Ahlborn, Lower school Spanish faculty
A member of the faculty since 2008, Simone teaches Spanish in the lower school and is Chair of the World Languages department in the middle school. In the lower school, she co-clerks the Lower School Diversity Committee and serves on the Quaker Life Committee and the Global Studies Committee.
“I come from, and married into, a family of language teachers and travelers,” Simone says. The study of Spanish reinforces many of the concepts in the other areas of the lower school curriculum. “Whether I’m sharing in the enthusiasm of a first-grader learning his Spanish name, teaching second-graders a (revisionist) history of Columbus Day, or listening to a fifth-grader passionately expound on the mission of César Chávez and its relationship to our Quaker testimonies, my students are exuberant and delight in their Spanish learning!”
MATH
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Sophia Ahn ’18 Sophia is a member of the Debate Club and dances with the Adaptive Dance Program, a co-curricular that teaches dance to disabled young adults and children in the community.
“Math used to be my least favorite subject—I felt it was too concrete rather than abstract or creative—until sophomore and junior years, when we began to study more complex topics, and the ways certain principles apply in real-life situations. It’s much more difficult, but I honestly enjoy the problem-solving. “Geometry and trigonometry concepts are really interesting to me. I always liked drawing geometric patterns as a kid, and learning about the characteristics of these shapes and figures has captivated me. It’s also cool how trigonometric ratios work, and how their graphs appear on the Cartesian plane. “I really like the way MB works with students of all levels in mathematics. The new multivariable calculus class shows how much the school cares.”
QUAKER EDUCATION MOSESBROWN.ORG/APPLY
Mason Wiesner ’24 A Quaker and member of Providence Meeting, Mason serves as an ambassador for Open House. Mason was also a member of SPARK (Students for Peace Acting with Responsibility and Kindness) and plays the trumpet in the Wind Ensemble.
After just two years at Moses Brown, Mason appreciates the many facets of Quaker education that color community life. “Meeting for Worship gives me time to gather my thoughts for the week ahead,” he says. “The first time I attended an all-school Meeting, I was very impressed that such a large community could come down to Silence together. “At Moses Brown, we see Quaker values in action throughout the school day. There’s a lot of respect among our lower school teachers and our classmates. As students, we get to do service learning projects during the year.”
HUMANITIES MOSESBROWN.ORG/APPLY
Gabe Amo ’05 Director of Public Engagement for Governor Raimondo, and previously a White House staffer, Gabe served as Student Senate president at MB, and student government president at Wheaton College, where he was named a Truman Scholar and received a Marshall Scholarship for study at Oxford.
“The arc of my MB education bent towards enhancing my understanding of others. I learned to negotiate the balance of sharing insights and hearing one’s own voice in classroom discussion, as well as the deliberative process of student advocacy in the Student Senate. I’m greatly appreciative of faculty who allowed me to explore my identity as a person of color in challenging conversations about diversity, while always respecting contrasting opinions. “Now, I’m able to apply what I learned to my career in government—the ultimate people business. Standing up and articulating what you believe in is impossible without understanding others and the impact of your actions on their lives.”
STEM MOSESBROWN.ORG/APPLY
Ben Cassese ’16 An astrophysics major at California Institute of Technology, Ben attended MB since first grade. For his senior project, he built a physical simulation of the night sky over Providence.
“MB’s demanding physics curriculum certainly prepared me for the opportunities here at Caltech. I distinctly remember many of Dr. Moss’s physics classes, especially our very first lecture on the orbits of planets. There, on the whiteboard, Dr. Moss explained, described, and predicted with symbols and numbers phenomena which I could verify for myself, just by stepping outside at night: Mars has a funny orbit, Jupiter’s moons orbit with regular periods, and more. My teacher revealed a truly beautiful subject for me, and had fun doing it. That class definitely made an impact on what I’m pursuing now.”
SCIENCE MOSESBROWN.ORG/APPLY
Ghazi Ghumman ’17 At 16, Ghazi presented a medical study for the Society of General Internal Medicine conference at Yale, and was published in the Rhode Island Medical Journal twice—all before he finished his time at Moses Brown.
“I’ve always loved math and science, especially biology and calculus,” Ghazi says. He developed his passion for medicine throughout MB’s curriculum—Medical Ethics introduced him to new aspects of medicine, and an English assignment inspired ongoing independent medical research that he will continue as an undergraduate at Brown University. “I expanded my junior English I-Search topic for a paper on U.S. organ donation policy and published it in Rhode Island Medical Journal. Thanks to those experiences, I’m analyzing living donor exclusion as a research assistant at the Department of Transplant Surgery at Rhode Island Hospital. I participate in data collection, analysis, and writing the manuscripts. MB’s Class of 1948 Award for Independent Study and Inquiry allowed me to pursue this project.”
TRIPS MOSESBROWN.ORG/APPLY
Brannen Dickson ’18 Although Brannen is a student athlete—playing soccer and running for the outdoor track team—he also serves on the Mock Trial team and is a member of the student-run diversity club, raising awareness and presenting nationwide at the Student Diversity Leadership Conference and the Association of Independent Schools in New England.
For Brannen, MB’s Cuba adventure was just the transformational experience the TRIPs program seeks to provide. He was intrigued after studying the Cold War, but like most Americans, he knew little about present-day Cuba. “My love for history grew during the trip, as we learned about our country’s intervention in Cuba after its independence from Spain. Witnessing the state of the Cuban people deepened my belief that the embargoes should be lifted. Much of the population lives in poverty; lifting the trade ban would help turn the struggling economy around. Each day of the trip, each of us spent about the amount of money the average Cuban earns in a month, and we hadn’t spent much. This opened my eyes.”