Upper School Curriculum

Rowland Hall’s English program prepares students to be people the world needs who:

• Understand themselves and their world more clearly
• Read and write fluently
• Communicate ideas in multiple rhetorical formats
• Conduct independent research
• Summarize and synthesize information

Students gain confidence in their ability to read critically by asking questions about a wide variety of texts—fictional and nonfictional, historical and contemporary, canonical and non-canonical. As a department, we focus on process as well as product; students practice skills sequentially as they move through the curriculum. At each level, they are encouraged to reflect upon their work and to set goals specific to their improvement.

Rowland Hall’s history and social sciences program prepares students to be people the world needs who:

• Craft and dissect compelling narratives about the past and present
• Explore the complexity, nuances, and contradictions of the past and present
• Offer sophisticated questions that lead to compelling projects
• Think critically about historical and contemporary sources
• Develop strong reading and research skills
• Write persuasive, evidence-based arguments
• Understand themselves and the world around them more fully through their studies

Rowland Hall’s sciences program prepares students to be people the world needs who:

• Are critical thinkers, flexible problem solvers, and responsible citizens
• Are confident in evaluating evidence
• Can ask questions, conduct experiments, and
• analyze data
• Can apply their knowledge to novel situations

The Science Department offers core courses in physics, chemistry, and biology that highlight fundamental physical and biological concepts. Integrated Science coursework is foundational and leads to diverse options, including advanced pathways, across several fields of scientific study. In all classes, students focus on both the content and the practices of science. Through faculty support and discussions, students craft their own science paths to pursue the topics in which they are most interested and invested, including opportunities for advanced research in biology and chemistry.

Rowland Hall’s mathematics program prepares students to be people the world needs who:

• Are fluent in modeling real-world phenomena numerically, algebraically, graphically, and verbally
• Can communicate their thinking clearly and logically
• Use technology to illustrate their ideas and deepen their mathematical understanding
• Engage in authentic work to quantify genuine problems encountered in our communities
• Are quantitatively literate
• Are informed and responsible global citizens

The Mathematics Department offers courses that aim to support students as they grow into mathematicians and that match their goals and ambitions. Through conversations with their teachers and advisor, each student will develop their personal journey through one of the pathways we offer.

Rowland Hall’s world languages program prepares students to be people the world needs who:

• Communicate effectively in the target language of their choice in order to engage in a variety of situations and interactions
• Connect with other disciplines and acquire information and diverse perspectives in order to use their target language in academic, social, and career-related situations
• Use their target language to investigate, explain, and reflect on the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and of their own
• Interact and communicate with cultural competence in order to participate beyond the
• classroom in local multilingual communities and around the world

The ability to communicate clearly with respect and cultural understanding in more than one language is an essential element of global competence in the 21st century. Therefore, helping students reach a high level of cultural and communicative competence in the target language is a fundamental goal of the World Languages Department. Students will become skilled and thoughtful communicators in their target language and will be able to apply their language abilities and cultural knowledge to successfully interact with others as empathetic and well-
informed world citizens.

Rowland Hall’s visual arts, performing arts, and media arts program prepares students to be people the world needs who:

• Use art to respond to and affect the world around them
• Develop compassion that spirals out of the school and into the world
• Know how to collaborate creatively and effectively with others
• Use authentic learning experiences to find and cultivate their creative voice
• Understand that curiosity, imagination, vulnerability, and failure are catalysts for growth

The Visual Arts, Performing Arts, and Media Arts Department fosters an inclusive school environment grounded in trust, wherein students honor and respect themselves, their community, and the spaces they inhabit.

Rowland Hall’s Ethics class prepares students to be people the world needs who:

• Practice recognizing different perspectives and value positions
• Reflect on the core values that shape their own ethical decision-making
• Test current issues through various ethical lenses
• Discuss contentious topics with open-mindedness, active listening, and civility

Rowland Hall’s health education program prepares students to be people the world needs who:

• Take personal responsibility around risk reduction
• Understand how health themes apply to choices that can alter the course of their life, as well as the lives of those around them
• Learn with an eye toward gaining a deeper understanding of personal responsibility in making
• strong, self-empowered decisions regarding their own health and the health of those around them

The Wellness class provides students with a solid base of information upon which to make life decisions, filtered through the lens of values provided by individual families. Information provided is research-based and reflects current best practices, and discussion is open. Questions are encouraged and entertained insofar as they are appropriate to the direction of the class, fit the maturity level of the students, and aid in dispelling common myths, stereotypes, or misinformation.

Rowland Hall’s computer science and robotics program prepares students to be people the world needs who:

• Learn design, logical reasoning, and problem-solving skills applicable beyond the classroom
• Engage in problem solving using abstraction and algorithmic thinking
• Utilize the design process effectively
• Foster a growth mindset and learn from failures
• Focus on a process-oriented curriculum
• Harness technology for innovation, designing technical solutions in various fields including science, math, social studies, the arts, and literacy
• Achieve proficiency and literacy in hardware and software
• Develop skills in computer programming (coding) and physical computing (engineering and robotics)
• Excel in data analysis, design, digital citizenship, and computational thinking

The goal of computer science and robotics education at Rowland Hall is to equip students not only with technical skills but also with a broad perspective that enables them to apply their knowledge, creatively and ethically, in solving real-world problems. This holistic approach ensures that graduates are not just proficient in technology but also thoughtful innovators and responsible digital citizens.

Rowland Hall’s speech and debate program prepares students to be people the world needs who:

• Communicate confidently and comfortably in public-speaking situations
• Think critically about complex social, political, and ethical controversies
• Develop strong reading and research skills
• Craft evidence-based arguments and write persuasively
• Appreciate, listen to, and empathize with the perspectives of others
• Collaborate with others while practicing leadership skills on a team

The goal of speech and debate education at Rowland Hall is to equip students with portable skills and critical concepts that enable them to communicate their stories and research to wider audiences. The program offers many different competitive opportunities and real-world activities that give students choice in pursuing the style and commitment level that work for their learning goals.

Rowland Hall’s business and entrepreneurship program prepares students to be people the world needs who:

• Can build on an idea from conception to completion
• Know how to create a marketable product or business
• Think strategically
• Can potentially develop innovative solutions to the world's hardest problems

Coursework in business and entrepreneurship introduces students to the basics of the world of business and finance, both practical and theoretical, while also offering a platform for learning foundational skills of entrepreneurship and innovation.

Rowland Hall’s aviation program prepares students to be people the world needs who:

• Become curious and passionate about a multidisciplinary industry through hands-on investigations, simulations, and real-world experiences
• Build their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills by engaging with intriguing concepts and challenges across diverse disciplines, from physics and engineering to psychology and crew resource management
• Cultivate leadership and collaboration skills through a highly collaborative endeavor requiring effective communication, teamwork, and leadership
• Connect with industry partnerships showcasing the authentic challenges, enriching experiences, and variety of opportunities that aviation has to offer
• Are empowered to become innovators, problem solvers, and global citizens, equipped with the knowledge, skills, and mindset to make meaningful contributions to society and assume leadership roles with confidence and integrity

Rowland Hall’s Authentic Learning and Innovation program prepares students to be people the world needs who:

• Exercise agency, purpose, and curiosity in their learning
• Identify meaningful problems and design thoughtful, creative solutions
• Apply interdisciplinary knowledge to real-world contexts
• Collaborate effectively and communicate ideas clearly
• Take intellectual risks and learn through iteration and reflection
• Pursue deep, sustained inquiry guided by expert mentorship

Rowland Hall’s physical education program ensures that every student achieves and maintains a level of fitness appropriate for them. Fit for life is our goal and informs our program options. Upper School students are required to earn the equivalent of four athletics seasons or three semesters (or a combination thereof) of PE credits during grades 9–12. Options for fulfilling PE credits include:

• four seasons of participation on one or more Rowland Hall interscholastic athletics teams; OR
• three semesters of Rowland Hall personal fitness options and/or Rowland Hall dance courses; OR
• fulfilling expectations of the external athlete program for three or more semesters; OR
• a combination of the above three options, details to be determined in consultation with the assistant principal; OR
• training and racing with Rowmark Ski Academy for at least two seasons.