Upper School Classes

Acceleration

Acceleration is designed for students to be able to focus on work that will allow them to move at a pace that is different from others in their current grade level. This covers both traditional remedial work, and advanced work that a student might choose to undertake because they are pursuing a particular passion or if there is a project for which he or she wants to prepare. A student’s Acceleration work will be coordinated among the student, advisor, and subject teachers – another manifestation of a personalized experience.

Advisory

Fueling and facilitating our entire approach is our Advisory system. The relationships between students and their Advisors, who are also part of the faculty, are key to personalization and development. Advisors work with students during their entire Whittle journey to construct a personal pathway through the Whittle curriculum. In the Upper School, Advisors will support our College Counseling department, an expert group with current and sophisticated knowledge of university entrance requirements.

This system leads to a highly tailored style of college and university preparation, fitting the talents and potential of the individual student, and taking in the most appropriate courses of study and experiences along the way. Each student’s academic journey, including the work and data they need for university entrance, is recorded in their Portfolio.

All Whittle Students will graduate with a sophisticated portfolio of their own work. This will include rigorous and impressive projects that demonstrate knowledge and creativity. They will have true expertise in at least one area of study and will show a deep dive into experiences that show their scholarship as well as their growth as resilient and empathetic individuals. This holistic approach is welcomed by top universities from around the world.  

Creative Arts & Design (CAD)

Creative work by the student will showcase visual and performing arts, for example: fine art, sculpture, installations, photography, graphic design, creative writing – stories, poetry, plays, app design, video of musical or theatrical performance, musical composition, declamation of poetry and prose.

Humanities

True humanity requires creative, critical, causal, and rational thinking. Students in our Upper School Humanities program go beyond basic mastery of facts and fluency to master archival research, deep textual analysis, an understanding of causation, empathetic interpretation of historical events, historical numeracy, scholarly writing, creative writing, portfolio presentations, and verbal expression. Above all, they come to understand themselves, their world, and the experiences and cultures of others, deploying their humanities skills and knowledge to understand, collaborate, communicate, and think critically about the world around them. 

The Upper School Humanities program combines three disciplinary threads: history and geography; literacy and literature; and ethics and culture. Coursework within the 9th  and 10th Grades will focus on HUM 100: The Modern World, a global history, literature, and culture survey focused on the rise of modernity and globalization, and HUM 200: The United States and The World, a US history, literature, and culture course placing United States history in a global context. As students move into 11th and 12th Grades, they will be able to explore their areas of interest from our expansive disciplinary and interdisciplinary elective base. Students may double up on HUM courses in their 11th and 12th Grade years once they have completed the 300 level in other disciplines (STEM, CAD, Math, World Language).  

Language and Culture

Our language and culture classes are truly immersive. Students choose between Spanish and Chinese, leveraging our global network for authentic experiences and cross-cultural connections. For students whose first language is not English, English as a second language courses will be available. Opportunities for full cultural immersion exists through our Global Rotation system. 

Because no two students are alike in their language profile, areas in which learners develop proficiency are adjustable, based on what makes sense for each child. Students who are interested in learning additional languages can enroll in Studios.

Maths

Using an integrated approach, each year’s core maths class will cover topics selected from algebra, geometry, trigonometry, precalculus, and statistics, as appropriate to the level of the course. Students can either follow a basic two-level progression that will allow them to pursue elective or independent study in their third and fourth years, or a three-level progression that will allow them to pursue advanced electives in their final year. 

Our mastery-based program seeks to develop sophisticated and flexible mathematical thinkers who understand both the power and limitations of mathematics as a tool to describe and make sense of the world. True mathematical sophistication requires creative, critical, and logical thinking. Students in our program go beyond basic skill development and fluency to master computational thinking, mathematical modeling, problem seeking and solving, data analysis and visualization, reasoning and logic, financial literacy, and creative expression through mathematics. Above all, they partake in the joy and wonder of using maths to create, collaborate, communicate, and think critically about the world around them. 

Mind & Body

In the Upper School we believe in the importance of taking a moment to evaluate how our mind and body is doing each and every day. Offering a dedicated Mind & Body time early in our day allows students to engage in activities designed to meet them where they are; be it a calming exercise to center focus or an invigorating activity to expend energy. The goal is to enable the class to come to studies with a sharper mind and full readiness to participate. 

Physical Education (PE)

The aim of the physical education program is to create the disposition to be physically active for life coupled with experiencing the joy of movement. Physical education in 9th and 10th Grades will expose students to a myriad of activities with the concept of physical literacy at the center. In 11th and 12th Grades, courses will allow students to specialize in a particular area such as exercise science, exercise physiology & anatomy, sport science, athletic leadership, strength & conditioning, martial arts, tai chi, yoga, and dance.  

Athletics: The DC campus will offer an array of interscholastic and intramural athletic offerings outside of the academic day including niche sports that are popular within the area (e.g. fencing) as well as those that have a more international appeal (e.g. badminton, table tennis). Other athletic opportunities include, but are not limited to dance, basketball, tennis, track & field, squash, swimming, soccer, volleyball, and cross-country. Unlike many other independent schools, there is no interscholastic or intramural athletic requirement for graduation. 

STEM

In Upper School, students study STEM topics integrated across biology, chemistry, physics, and Earth and space sciences, through projects and courses led by teams of STEM experts from each of those domains. As in Middle School, projects intentionally incorporate technology, engineering, and mathematics. This progression serves as the foundation in later years for advanced study of science topics, student and faculty- designed STEM electives, interdisciplinary electives, and independent study. 

A two-level core sequence integrates traditional science disciplines with technology, engineering, and applied math. After completing the first two levels of the STEM sequence, students will be able to continue their study of both integrated STEM and more discipline-specific biology, chemistry, and physics at advanced levels, enroll in electives, and/or pursue independent study.