Susan Solberg
Upper School Director
Dear Parents and Students,
The Upper School years are tremendously exciting, a time of intellectual growth and self-discovery as adolescent girls navigate along the path to adulthood. We are proud of Bryn Mawr's college-preparatory program, one that offers interesting, rigorous, and challenging academics across a wide range of disciplines. In addition, our coordinate program with Gilman School and Roland Park Country School means that an unusually large number and variety of electives is available to our students. Just think: when making their course selections, Bryn Mawr girls may choose from eight different foreign languages! In the senior year, girls can select from an array of 26 history electives, 12 science electives, 36 English electives, and 28 electives in the arts.
One of our goals as we work with our remarkable girls is to foster independent thinking. In an Upper School classroom, you might hear a discussion of World War I that ranges from the concrete "What were the underlying causes of the war?" to the abstract "What is worth fighting for, anyway?" We consciously nurture in our students the awareness that asking one's own question is often more valuable than knowing the answer to someone else's question. Along the way, we encourage our students to practice those skills for which Bryn Mawr girls are known: speaking their minds!
Just as important as our coursework are the many opportunities we provide for leadership, athletics, artistic expression, community service, and (of course!) fun. We encourage our girls to participate fully in the life of the school and to take advantage of the many options that exist both inside and outside the classroom. We know that students who are involved, who pursue their interests and passions, and who form important relationships with adults and their peers are students who are prepared to be active and productive contributors to the larger community.
Outside the classroom, school wide activities are organized by the Student Government Association, the Arts Council, the Athletic Association, and the Community Service Learning Association, whose elected leaders work together to coordinate numerous activities sponsored by these groups. Nearly 50 student-led clubs encourage girls to explore a myriad of interests with peers of similar inclination. Of course, students also may choose from many different sports options throughout the year. There are dozens (literally!) of inter-scholastic sports teams that compete in the fall, winter, and spring seasons. For students who do not play on a team, there are other activities from which to choose, including weight training and even flag football. We also offer non-athletic activities, such as working on a recycling project to convert cooking oil to bio-diesel fuel, or writing and filming a video about academic integrity. And, last but not least, opportunities for artistic expression abound! We have two auditioned singing groups and sponsor several theatrical productions each year as well as offering individual instrumental lessons, lunchtime poetry readings, and evening coffeehouses.
We hope that you will want to know more about the many opportunities available to you through the Upper School program. Please join us for our Fall Visiting Days this year to learn about the delights of a Bryn Mawr education.
Upper School Director