Upper School (Grades 9-12) Philosphy & Goals

Roycemore’s Upper School faculty believe that if adolescents are to achieve their full potential, they need and deserve an educational setting where each student is known personally; where coursework is interesting and challenging; where access to extracurricular activities is unrestricted; where students establish positive relationships with peers and adults; where character development and ethical issues are discussed openly and candidly; where consequences for inappropriate actions are reasonable; and where accountability, self-awareness, and independence are encouraged and nurtured in preparation for success in college and beyond.

Within the context of Roycemore School’s overall mission—Inspiring Excellence, Celebrating Individuality—the Upper School program is rooted in the following academic, personal, and social growth objectives:

Academic Growth

• Helping students develop an awareness of how they best learn, what their abilities, strengths and challenges are, and encouraging students to use this awareness and knowledge for academic success
• Nourishing in our students an enthusiasm for learning, and encouraging students to be always curious and to ask “the next question”
• Developing in students the following abilities: to read, write, and think critically; to analyze diverse sources and types of information and to judge the validity of those sources
• Encouraging and instructing students to use creativity and flexibility to learn from mistakes and even failures
• Emphasizing the importance of using higher level thinking to solve a problem, even though doing so may mean refusing to settle for the easy answer, because quantity is not important without quality
• Encouraging, sometimes requiring, students to collaborate with others to make the greatest possible use of all people’s respective strengths
• Instilling the belief that fine arts and cultural study is an integral part of a complete life
• Encouraging students to integrate all their knowledge, whether gained in or out of a classroom

Personal Growth

• Teaching and developing skills we believe are essential for personal success and happiness, such as: integrity, appreciation, problem solving, resilience, pride, follow-through, and responsibility
• Developing the knowledge in our students that good things don’t happen of themselves but only because people make them happen
• Developing strong, self-reliant individuals who express their beliefs with respect for themselves and others
• Encouraging each student to become a well-rounded, educated, productive citizen empowered to make meaningful contributions to society

Social Growth

• Building a sense of community and school spirit
• Encouraging every student’s involvement in extracurricular activities
• Providing opportunities for students to become positive leaders who can learn to adapt their leadership style to the given circumstance
• Instilling in students the knowledge that we all have valuable contributions to make to the greater good; therefore, finding ways to collaborate with those who have differing perspectives is essential
• Understanding that respect for oneself, as well as respect and empathy for others, is necessary to become positive members of society
• Developing an awareness of their roles within a community and a sense of responsibility to both that community and the greater society
• Providing an atmosphere where students are comfortable and encouraged to explore different roles, knowing they will be accepted
• Developing a healthy perspective and appreciation of the world around them