9th - 12th Grades
Upper School
The Upper School is a time when students will develop not just their independence, but also their interdependence as they learn, live (via the 5- and 7-day boarding program), and engage with peers from all over the world.
A great Upper School curriculum exposes students to a broad range of academic disciplines while also allowing an increasing degree of choice, so that learners can go deeper into areas that inspire and excite them. We divide our curriculum into six major discipline areas (“domains”): Maths, World Languages, STEM, Humanities, Creative Arts & Design, and Physical Education.
The Upper School curriculum aims to extend and develop students’ understanding of material from Middle School, to provide a foundation for further study at college or university, and to give students increasing freedom to explore their own interests and ideas.
We consider 9th and 10th Grades to be foundational years, ensuring that students have mastered core academic skills and are grounded in broad and deep scholarly knowledge. 11th and 12th Grades provide increasing depth and autonomy, permitting students to pursue their passions and prepare for college and life.
Essential Practices
Graduates who make a meaningful contribution to the world
To meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century, students need to learn more than simply course content to make a meaningful contribution to the world. Every aspect of the Upper School curriculum is built around ensuring our students are fully developed in three spheres of life. In alignment with the Whittle School & Studios development goals, they will embrace…
The World of Knowledge: Whittle students are rigorous scholars, equipped with interdisciplinary understanding, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. They are intrepid explorers, unafraid to seek out new opportunities and embrace unfamiliar situations.
The World of Humanity: Whittle students are ethical citizens, aware of their responsibilities to their communities and to the wider world. They are creative builders, able to forge connections, form relationships, and collaborate with people across the globe.
The World of the Self : Whittle students are resilient individuals, willing to take on challenges and persist in the face of setbacks. They are self-aware beings, mindful of the way their culture has shaped their thinking and interested in the perspectives of others.
The Teacher Student Dynamic
All of our teachers are students, and all of our students are teachers. They are always learning from one another and as a class together. Our classrooms are created to encourage an ongoing exchange of ideas through learning, projects, and experiences. Inside the classroom, our students will present completed projects with documentation, Creative Art & Design (CAD) work and more. Outside the classroom, our teachers will continue their professional development to be lifelong learners.
Beyond Whittle
By experiencing a Whittle School & Studios education, and by developing these foundational characteristics at the core of our program, our students not only learn how to learn, but also acquire the skills, knowledge and habits that will make them successful, happy, and passionate individuals and citizens, and in so doing to optimize their university options when they graduate from our Upper School. (Click here to learn more about College Counseling.)
A Typical Day
This schedule reflects a typical day in a typical year.
On Mondays students will be at school until 4pm to accommodate for a slightly longer day. Three days a week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday) students will finish by 3:10pm. On X-Days students may finish as early as 2:30pm but elect to stay at school longer for Advisory or Acceleration.
Our aim is to open 5-days a week this fall. Due to COVID-19 the schedule is subject to change. This summary gives a relevant outline of our goals for each student every day.
7:45-8:15AM
Mind & Body (Optional)
8:35-9:35AM
Humanities / STEM
9:40-10:40AM
Humanities / STEM
10:45-11:20AM
Advisory or Acceleration
11:20-11:55AM
Lunch
12:00-12:55PM
Maths / Language / Physical Education
1:00-1:55PM
Maths / Language
2:00-2:55PM
Maths / Language
3:00-4:00PM
Creative Arts & Design, Music, Acting or Orchestra
X-Day
X-Days (Experiential Learning on our Expeditionary “X-Days”) are the foundation of experiential learning at Whittle. In the Upper School, they go beyond. X-Days in Grades 9 - 12 are key to our students’ understanding of and preparation for life. X-Days will encompass the following experiences:
Deepening classroom learning through the study of Washington, DC: its museums, businesses, neighborhoods, natural landscape, architecture, exhibitions, galleries, research institutes, and its people.
Developing their own strengths and skills through workshops, clubs, conferences and working with expert guest speakers and mentors.
Exploring the world of work through placements and internships in local businesses, industries and organizations.
Engaging in meaningful service to the local community via partnership with charities and non-governmental organizations.
X-Days occur once a week, alternating between “inward X-Days,” which include working on campus with invited experts, Center of Excellence research and labs, collaborative project work, special campus-wide “Awareness Days” on an important topic, clubs, exhibitions, performances; and “outward X-Days,” where students go off-campus to engage with civic partners, entrepreneurs, policymakers and the environment of Washington, DC.
Our DC Center of Excellence lead an internationally themed X-Day project cycle built around the STEM and Humanities concepts of Global Health, Public Health, and US-China Relations. Students developed podcasts and research papers after meeting with the linguistic, historical, and professional experts at the Center for Strategic & International Studies.
During an X-Day art gallery visit, Upper School students had the opportunity to meet artist Song Byeok. With newfound creative freedom, and by using techniques he learned as a propaganda artist for the North Korean regime, Song amalgamates art and activism, thereby asking the audience to enter into the (North) Korean story themselves.
Middle & Upper School Division Head
Valmir Gomes
Valmir Gomes is an energetic, people and growth-oriented educational leader. He has built his career in a variety of roles that have given him a comprehensive understanding and skillset to deal with all aspects of school life. He has taught Humanities (e.g., World and US History, Comparative Politics, English as a Second Language) and Technology/Digital Media courses in all school divisions. He has led elementary and secondary international schools in positions such as instructional coach, educational technology specialist, department head, division coordinator, AP/IB coordinator, academic dean, and dean of students. He holds a BA in Portuguese and English Language and Literature by the Brasilia University Center, Brazil, and an MS in Multidisciplinary Educational Studies and a Certificate of Educational Leadership by the State University of New York - Buffalo. He is an experienced international educator who has served four international and American schools in China and Brazil over the past 14 years. Additionally, he is an avid scholar of team dynamics and positive psychology. In that field, he has worked with the consulting company Losada Line which focuses on the training and development of leadership teams as a means to achieve sustainable high performance and overall team flourishing.
He joined Whittle in 2019 as an Academic Dean to the Shenzhen Campus where he supervised the curriculum design and instruction. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he changed positions to become the DC – HQ liaison on academic and advisory matters. In March 2021, he gladly took on the position of Assistant Head of School for Middle & Upper School. The Whittle vision and focus on creating a progressive, relevant, and holistic learning experience with students’ best interests at the heart of every decision are what drew him to Whittle School & Studios. Valmir was key to the development of Whittle’s Shenzhen campus and ever since taking up an HQ role, he has been paramount in resetting of Whittle’s mission, vision, and educational principles.
