Our Program
Upper School
The Art Department is dedicated to encouraging respect for the visual arts as well as creating an atmosphere that stimulates the enjoyment and love of making artworks. Our goal is to enable students to incorporate the visual arts into their everyday lives and connect student work to themes from professionals. We believe that learning to think visually helps students connect and integrate knowledge from disparate fields of study. We are also attentive to each student’s search for his or her own personal ways of seeing through the conscious use of visual language and the creative processes, including critique. The art rooms are open throughout the day for anyone who wishes to work during their free time.
The Friends School English program seeks to develop students’ skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Students are exposed to a variety of literary genres and texts, selected from both established works and new literature. Students are expected to write often and in a variety of modes, e.g., journal, analytical essays, poetry and other expressive writing. Speaking skills are enhanced as students are encouraged to read aloud, to lead and participate in class and in small group discussions, and to share their own writing endeavors. Listening skills are emphasized throughout the curriculum in all class settings. The teaching of vocabulary, grammar, and language usage are interwoven throughout the curriculum.
Foreign language study is an integrated part of a liberal education and an individual’s intellectual and personal growth. The Upper School offers five levels of language in French, Russian, and Spanish and four levels in Latin.
We offer a unique, integrated history curriculum that examines links and interactions among diverse cultures and civilizations dating from early man to contemporary society. Through a broad range of sources including art, literature, and music, we attempt to instill within each student a lasting curiosity about our shared past while developing the necessary skills to critically explore traditional and contrarian interpretations of history.
The Upper School Mathematics program has a variety of offerings, the selection of which should be made based on prior mathematics background. Potential course sequences can be adjusted to meet the needs of individuals from Friends School as well as those students who enter the program from other educational environments. Appropriate technology is integrated into all of the mathematics courses, therefore students enrolled in any mathematics course must purchase the TI-84 Plus graphing calculator.
Music is valued as a co-curricular part of education at Friends School. Ensembles and classes are scheduled as part of the regular class day. A high level of performance is expected of our performing groups, providing the basis for students to be participants in and appreciators of music throughout their lives. The General Music program of the Lower and Middle schools formally ends after eighth grade. In the Upper School students continue to study music through a Music History component integrated into the History curriculum. Students study the music of an era or culture through reading and listening, enabling them to recognize and appreciate different styles of music in their historical context. In addition to this unique facet of our school, students, faculty and invited musicians perform for Collection on a regular basis.
Physical Education and Athletics programs are an integral part of the Friends School educational experience. Physical education classes, complemented by intramural, individual and team sports, help develop healthy, well-rounded students and encourage a fitness lifestyle that provides for future enjoyment of leisure time opportunities and sports. The Upper School requirements for physical education credit are fulfilled in the 9th and 10th grades by full participation during the in-day program and successful completion of courses in Fitness and CPR.
The Science Department has a commitment to providing each student with a well-rounded preparation in the Biological and Physical Sciences. The Departmental offerings cover a wide range of interests and skill levels for students. Students wishing to pursue science majors in college will find that the core curriculum provides them with a solid foundation. Students wishing to take science courses, but not seeking the rigors of a science major, will find interesting and exciting options available. Whatever the path a student chooses, the science faculty believes firmly in preparing Friends School students for an active life in our society. It is important to be able to understand the workings of the natural world and to recognize the moral and ethical obligations associated with science and society.
Friends School of Baltimore Since 1784 | 5114 North Charles Street | Baltimore, MD 21210 | 410.649.3200
