Viewbook for Day Students by Baylor School

It takes an impressive history... Visionary thinkers embrace the idea that we borrow the earth from our children, rather than inherit it from our ancestors. That’s why 2

Baylor School is focused on the future, from the sustainability of our practices to the realization of each student’s singular potential. Our vision is realized in programs like our iPad initiative. By empowering every student and faculty member on campus with leading edge technology, we’re minimizing our environmental footprint and maximizing opportunities to share the joy of learning.

At Baylor, we reject the notion that rigor equals pressure. We find that our students learn more – and excel more – when they’re happy and engaged. Our greatest satisfaction comes when parents tell us their children look forward to school every day. Innovation, engagement, environmental responsibility – these qualities have emerged from more than 120 years of history to define today’s culture of learning at Baylor School. Just imagine where that kind of thinking can lead.

The materials are recycled. The ideas are brand new. Amid the global communication stream, consider this publication a hybrid. It’s designed to connect you to a new world of learning across websites, blogs, videos, and real-life experiences – much like a Baylor School education. Check out the Baylor iPad experience at: baylorschool.org/iPad.

to think this far forward. 3

The Baylor Sch ool mission: To foster in students both the ability and th e de si re to make a positive difference in the world.

“When I talk with families, I tell them how meaningful it is to be at a school that has vision and purpose. Baylor has had a quiet confidence about our path for more than 100 years, and now the research is catching up to us. We know that the more we educate the whole child, the better prepared that child will be for life.” – Scott Wilson ’75, President and Headmaster

When it comes to academic excellence,

perfect test scores are a nice start. If Baylor School evaluated student success on the strength of our test scores, we could easily rest on our laurels. In just the

past few years, our students have earned perfect scores on the ACT, SAT, and National Latin Exam. At Baylor, however, high test scores are just one of the ways we define academic excellence. When rising seniors apply for the opportunity to spend a week in Washington, D.C. exploring ethics, honor, and service, we see excellence. When science students use our professional-grade laboratories to genotype their own DNA, we see excellence. When a single capstone project raises thousands of dollars for cancer patients, we see excellence. 4

Certainly, we celebrated when Matthew Chen ’12 and Josh Smith ’13 received the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship. But at Baylor, national recognition is only one measure of success. Within each Gates Scholar, National Merit Semifinalist, and Presidential Scholar nominee, we also see the tech wizard, the mixed media artist, the social activist, and the champion athlete. No matter how many awards and accolades our students may earn, nothing makes us prouder than the passion and enthusiasm they bring to Baylor every day.

Advancing academic options.

Capstones change lives.

We’ve come a long way since Baylor was one of the first schools outside New England to be invited to participate in the national Advanced Placement program. Today Baylor offers 20 AP courses, from Physics and Latin to Studio Art: 3D. For a complete list of AP offerings visit baylorschool.org/AP.

For her senior capstone project, Carley Hawkins ’13 created a fall break service trip to New York City. Working with Community Service Director Joli Anderson and Dr. Ernest Morrell (a Columbia University professor and recent speaker at Baylor), Carley planned every aspect from transportation to the daily itinerary. Seven students joined her for service with elementary school children, a peer group meeting in the Bronx, and time with NYC-dwelling Baylor alumni. Check out more capstones at baylorschool.org/capstones.

In addition to academic achievements such as a perfect ACT score, Lauren Johnson ’13 played – and won championships – on the Baylor golf team. She now attends Vanderbilt University, having earned the prestigious Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship.

BaylorInspires. When students arrive on campus each day, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re welcomed by some of the leading minds in independent education. Our instructors have earned Fulbright Scholarships and the Presidential Award for Excellence. They grade Advanced Placement exams and help write the National Spanish Exam. And more than 70 percent hold advanced degrees from such institutions as Boston University, Cornell, Duke, Emory, Harvard, and Vanderbilt.

In-depth research. Project management. Documentary filmmaking. Welcome to sixth grade at Baylor.

Where can middle schoolers feel secure enough to speak

Technology >> The iPad initiative

up, take risks, and tackle intimidating experiences?

What do we see in the latest tablet

In Ward Fleissner’s ‘75 sixth grade classroom.

technology? Textbooks, notebooks, lab

Fleissner says, “... I explain, as many times as I need to, why I call upon students randomly; why I continue to delve after a student says, ‘I don’t know’; why I use a timer sometimes to set an arbitrary limit; why I write up an agenda and end with a summation. The students must see the net below before they will walk out on the tightrope.”

cameras, video recorders, star maps,

If the enthusiasm generated by the sixth grade Chinese documentary project is any indication, students are taking Fleissner’s lead. Clustered around iPads and laptops, students research, write, shoot, and edit movies that dig deeply into Chinese culture. Covering topics as diverse as feng shui and World War II, their work requires collaboration as well as creativity. Students consult outside experts during their research. Talent blooms before and behind the camera. Film techniques such as “the Ken Burns effect” become second nature. When this level of engagement happens in a student’s very first year, just imagine what it could lead to by graduation.

books, calculators, mailboxes, calendars, world atlases, language dictionaries, Shakespeare collections, lab computers... and way fewer back-straining backpacks! International experts.

Baylor’s science department chair Dr. Dawn Richards recently visited China to serve as expert and chairman at the Fourth International Workshop on Environmental Health and Pollution Control. Leading authorities.

When Baylor students need insight into the intricacies of mathematics, they go straight to the source: Dr. Dan Kennedy. His calculus and algebra textbooks are used by millions of students nationwide. Groundbreaking visionaries.

In Cynthia Gray’s “flipped” classroom, conventional elements such as lectures and homework are turned upside down. Students review content on their own and come to class for activity-driven work and collaborative conversation.

Where active learning meets sustainability. Students in Baylor’s environmental science classes don’t have to look far to see learning in action. Right across campus, an

organic garden is flourishing under the watchful eye of instructor Robin Fazio ’92 and student volunteers. Our organic garden is just one effort in Baylor’s ongoing march toward sustainability. Years ago, we built the area’s first LEED-certified

residence hall. The campus solar farm delivers clean, renewable energy straight to the power grid. And through the iPad initiative, Baylor plans to reduce its use of paper by 75 percent in the next two years. Whether our students are performing bird counts on Williams Island or harvesting vegetables for tomorrow’s lunch, one practice Baylor will always sustain is learning by doing.

Our river offers more than a beautiful view.

No language barriers. Global focus means fluency in

In collaboration with the Tennessee River Gorge Trust, Baylor

foreign languages. Baylor sixth graders take a quarter each

students are becoming stewards of Williams Island – a 400-

of Spanish, German, Latin, and Chinese, then are allowed to

acre wilderness within easy rowing distance of campus. The

choose the language they will study for the next two years.

island is already the site for archaeology and ornithology projects as well as recreational pursuits such as camping and

“I love our (middle school) language program – at some

fishing. Baylor School also hosts an aquatic summer camp

schools they only take Spanish but we get to try a different

in partnership with the Tennessee Aquarium, funded by the National Science Foundation.

language each quarter. I really like having a choice. – Isabelle Rowan, Baylor 8th Grader

BaylorSparks. It’s a given that Baylor’s robotics program

exposes students to advanced computer programming and engineering concepts. But the real excitement comes during the annual SumoBot competition, in which student-created robot warriors face off in a fight to the finish.

Sparks Trailblazes Accelerates Dominates Provokes Leaps Lives Elevates Inspires Thrills Boosts Splashes BaylorLeads >>Infinite Possibilities Thinks Electrifies Immerses Wallops Redefines Questions Zooms Sweats Demands Imagines Plunges Connects Launches Rolls

Leadership has many faces. At Baylor, there are 1,050 of them â&#x20AC;&#x201C; students finding their leadership stride in the classroom, on the court, at the easel, or on the stage. Every day, they show us surprising new ways to lead. 11

Walkabout:

“Making students uncomfortable since 1975.”

It’s not unexpected that a school nestled among Chattanooga’s mountains and waterways would have a nationally recognized outdoor program. What is 12

surprising, however, is how Walkabout keeps raising the bar after nearly 40 years. Trekking in India. Kayaking in Panama. Backpacking the Appalachian Trail. Each Walkabout journey is designed around skills that students learn every day after school. Middle schoolers go bouldering and take a dip in local swimming holes. Upperclassmen go caving and whitewater kayaking. Everyone grows, trading fears for exhilarating skills that last a lifetime.

It never rains after three o’clock.

As the school day is winding down on campuses nationwide, Baylor School is kicking into high gear. Every Baylor student is actively involved in co-curricular activities, from team practices to rehearsal for Vervé, Baylor’s concert dance company. Our dedication to rich afterhours experiences was defined decades ago by James B. Rike, Baylor football coach in the 1930s. He boasted that afternoon activities would be cancelled only when it rained and “... it never rains after three o’clock at Baylor.” A private school with a public purpose.

Community service is an after-school cornerstone. Baylor students work with more than 250 inner-city children across Chattanooga, helping with homework and technology skills and giving music lessons and art classes. Last year, Baylor students devoted 3,266 hours to one of our many academic partners, the Hardy Elementary School. This effort caught the attention of Girls Inc., which awarded Baylor School its prestigious 2012 Corporate & Private Program Volunteer Award. Creative thinking >> Artrageous opportunities

“Walkabout” is a term that Australian aboriginal tribes use to describe a young person’s rite-of-passage journey in the wilderness. Find out more at baylorschool.org/walkabout.

The Ireland Arts Studio features professional-grade studio spaces for drawing, printmaking, pottery, sculpture, photography, computer graphics and painting – and it’s just one of three fine arts facilities on campus. All things theater take place in the Roddy Performing Arts Center, and the music building houses Baylor’s vocal and instrumental programs.

“I never would have gotten involved in something like Walkabout before I came to Baylor. It thrust me out of my comfort zone and I’m so thankful, because now I’m more comfortable trying new things.” – Esther Park ’13

More state championships than 14

With nearly 100 state championships over

Baylor swimmers dominate.

the past decade, Baylor School’s tradition of

Having won their third national high

athletic leadership is still going strong. In a

single year, the Red Raiders have brought home titles in cross country, swimming, tennis, wrestling, track, fencing, golf, and softball plus recent national rankings in girls and boys swimming, girls and boys soccer, and softball. Baylor players are champions on the field, but they also score plenty of academic points. With regular appearances on National Honor Society and Scholastic All-American rosters, it’s no wonder our scholar-athletes earn as many academic scholarships as athletic ones.

school title in four years, the Baylor girls swim team was featured on the cover of Swimming World magazine last fall.

Why is Samuel L. Jackson tweeting about a Baylor alumnus? When

you win the St. Jude Classic, beat Phil Mickelson, and win your first PGA Tour title all in the same day, congratulations are in order. To Baylor School graduate and former golf team member Harris English ’07, we say, “Way to go!”

any other school in Tennessee. 15

FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME. One of the few things that rivals our love of competition is the high standard of Baylor’s athletic facilities. • A state-of-the-art training and fitness center for elite athletes • A football stadium with artificial turf and a seven-lane track • Three baseball fields • A new soccer complex, including artificial and natural turf fields • An expansive wrestling facility

• An on-campus cross country course winding through the woods and along the river • 24 indoor and outdoor tennis courts • A short-game golf practice center, right on campus

• A field house with weight rooms, a cardio room, a dance studio, a running track, and equipment, training, and film rooms • A state-of-the-art aquatic center and Olympic-sized pool

• Three basketball courts that convert to volleyball, badminton, and fencing areas

Check out your favorite sport at baylorschool.org/athletics.

1893

FOUNDED IN

730 THE HONOR CODE:

Baylor’s guiding value system is led by 13 students and a faculty adviser

UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS: 50% BOYS/50% GIRLS

games trips sports movies museums outdoors + more RESIDENTIAL LIFE

320 MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS: 50% BOYS/50% GIRLS

200 STUDENTS FROM 24 STATES AND 24 COUNTRIES LIVE IN THE BAYLOR RESIDENCE HALLS

6-12 DAY SCHOOL: GRADES

118 FACULTY MEMBERS – 96 WITH ADVANCED DEGREES, INCLUDING 14 PHDS

MIDDLE SCHOOL CALENDAR

is organized on the quarter system UPPER SCHOOL CALENDAR

is organized on the semester system UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS

take a minimum of 20 units per semester including 16 required courses

PARTICIPATION IN A CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITY SUCH AS ATHLETICS, COMMUNITY SERVICE, ART, ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICE, MUSIC, OR THEATER

is required.

442 AP exams, scoring 3 or higher on 88%

9-12 BOARDING SCHOOL: GRADES

LAST YEAR, 209 BAYLOR STUDENTS TOOK

50 NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP FINALISTS SINCE 2008

LAST YEAR TEST SCORES (MIDDLE 50% RANGE)

and 91% achieved a 3.0+

56% OF THE CLASS OF 2013 HAD A 3.5 GPA OR HIGHER

Act Composite: 23–28 SAT Critical Reading: 490–630 SAT Math: 510–670 SAT Writing: 510–650 OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS GRADUATES HAVE MATRICULATED AT

190+ institutions worldwide

BAYLOR STUDENTS EARNED OVER

$36.9 million

in college merit scholarships over the last three years

100

OF BAYLOR GRADUATES ATTEND COLLEGE

PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT STAFF

Psychologist Learning Specialist Counseling Staff English as a Foreign Language Instructor College Counselors (3)

DORM PARENTS LIVE ON CAMPUS

ADMISSION TO BAYLOR =

selective + competitive

What it takes to lead. Honesty. Respect. Spirituality. Academics.

Find your place in the world.

Character. Individuality. These are core values

Baylor travel study prepares students for a multicultural world by immersing them in it.

that define a Baylor School education. It’s no coincidence that these qualities also drive lifelong leadership.

To help our students gain independence and responsibility, we set certain expectations from the very beginning. Each boy and girl who enrolls at Baylor School must sign, and live by: The Baylor Honor Code

“The honor system is an understanding among Baylor students that we do not want among us one who will lie, cheat, steal, or falsify information. I understand this principle, and I recognize that I shall be expected to live in accordance with it.” If the Honor Code is the start of leadership at Baylor, its culmination is the success our graduates find in the world. As leaders in their professions, our alumni have worked with the UN, won the Pulitzer Prize for Journalism, developed life-saving cardiac diagnostics, and advanced the Human Genome Project. From best-selling novels to kidney transplant centers, our graduates’ accomplishments prove what we’ve known all along: when you leave Baylor, you’ll have what it takes to lead. baylorschool.org/alumni/awards-and-honors/ notable-alumni

Art and culture inspire the annual Liz Aplin trip, in places like Italy, Spain, and Yellowstone National Park. Washington, D.C. is the destination for the David M. Abshire Civic Leadership trip. Community service groups visit Asheville, North Carolina and Kingston, Jamaica. Walkabout takes students to India, Panama, and other exotic locales. Baylor students may also opt for an entire semester abroad through the Baylor Exchange Program, which partners with schools in Australia and South Africa. And the Barks-Guerry Faculty Global Study Grant Program supports faculty travel that enriches classroom instruction and supports Baylor’s mission. Explore Baylor travel opportunities at baylorschool.org/travel. The Baylor curriculum: where individuality thrives. Beyond requirements for graduation, all Baylor upperclassmen choose one or more electives each year. Freshmen take fine art electives such as Orchestra and Digital Design. More art and computer science offerings are added sophomore year. Options expand junior year with such courses as Contemporary World Journalism and Economics. Seniors have the broadest range of choices, from Art as Activism to Forensic Science and AP Human Geography.

171 Baylor School Road Chattanooga, TN 37405 t: 423.267.5902 f: 423.757.2525 baylorschool.org