Breck Upper School

Yes, our students work hard. But if you want to see the full picture of Breck, I hope you’ll visit. To see that while our students are constantly pushing themselves to achieve, they are also having fun.

Ours is a school alive with community and laughter.

One where each child is seen for the whole person that they are.

Whether it’s looking at a topic from multiple perspectives in an interdisciplinary course, honing artistic talents in ceramics, or constructing an algorithm to measure literacy improvement at a local elementary school, our students challenge themselves to bring positive change to our world.

I hope that as you explore these pages, you’ll get a sense of the kind of work that our students do every day at Breck.

THOMAS TAYLOR UPPER SCHOOL DIRECTOR

Pictured: DAVID BRECK SENIOR

Welcome to Upper School. Through hard work, creativity, and collaboration, Breck Upper School empowers each student to grow into curious, engaged, and informed citizens. Here they are driven by a quest for personal and academic excellence to prepare for college, future careers, and a lifelong commitment to the common good. Our students are inspired by gifted faculty and a caring community who cheers them on as they prepare to take their ideas, strengths, and passion into the world.

BE EXCEPTIONAL. Signature Programs

ADVANCED RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES For those students whose academic passions push them beyond the curriculum, we offer Advanced Research Opportunities in Math, Science, and History. In these selective, post-AP courses, students dive head first into a topic of their choosing, supported by a Breck faculty member as well as mentors in the community.

Research topic and project examples: • Re-Examining the JFK Assassination 50 Years Later (History) • Holding Your Heart in Your Hand: 3D-Printing a Mechanically Accurate Aortic Valve Model (Science) • Understanding Reconciliation for Indigenous Communities in Canada (History) • More Than Skin Deep: Deciphering the Role of Bartonella Henselae Infection in Melanoma Metastasis (Science) • American Refugee Committee: The Role of Mobile Technology in Sudanese Healthcare (Math) • Where There Is Unity, There Is Victory: Exploring the Greater Benefits of Unified Clubs for Athletes With Disabilities (Math)

INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING

Critical thinking, strong communication, and engagement across disciplines are key components of a Breck education.

Each year our creative and talented faculty offer a number of unique interdisciplinary courses. These courses, which are often team-taught by two of our faculty members, ask our students to examine a question or problem outside traditional disciplinary boundaries.

Course examples: • American Elections: Statistical and Historical Analysis • Media Theory and Design • Expansion of Religion Throughout History • Affective Neuroscience and Learning • HerStory: Women Writers and Their History • Music Psychology • Politics, Equity, and Power

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

As Breck strives to instill in each student a deep sense of social responsibility, we push learners to find opportunities to be a part of the larger world. Each Wednesday, the Upper School student body leaves campus to engage in meaningful, ongoing work with one of our over 40 Twin Cities community partners. Whether it’s through working with preschoolers at a local Head Start chapter or packing meals for hungry teens, our students build relationships with our partners and learn as much as they serve. We focus on showing students how everyone benefits through strong community relationships.

Community Partnership examples: • Second Harvest Heartland • Harvest Preparatory Academy • The Loppet Foundation • PICA Head Start • Wicoie Nandagikendan Dakhóta and Ojibwe Early Childhood Immersion Program Each project is supervised and coordinated.

PERFORMING AND VISUAL ARTS

Arts engage the whole person and build skills of creativity, self-expression, social interaction, collaboration, and self-discipline. Our abilities to listen, imagine, and reason bloom. Upper School courses give students a chance to explore and experiment with multiple forms and media to unlock their own talents and passions.

Performing Arts: From playing classical violin to creating a theater set from the ground up, there are options for everyone to learn, create, and thrive.

Visual Arts: Function and form. Craft and risk. We focus on awareness of media, design, and critical thinking.

We also establish a formal foundation across cultural and disciplinary boundaries that offers nuanced context and creative possibility.

12

TH

GRADE

Hello!

I’m Maisie.

My favorite Breck memory takes me back almost to the beginning of my career there.

I was in first grade, but my brother was a senior. Breck has a wonderful tradition of having all first graders sing to the seniors at their graduation, so I was able to sing to my brother. I have never felt more proud than I was that day to see my brother finishing his time at Breck, and knowing that, someday, I would be in the same place.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY

The Islamic World

8:30

“This is a chance to experience not only classroom learning but also visit a mosque, restaurant, and local school. I am looking forward to this holistic learning style.”

9:30

AP Calc BC

“We look at current world issues like climate change and possible solutions, such as sustainability.”

Environmental Science

10:30

Lunch

11:30

Chinese VI

12:00

MY FUTURE GOAL: After graduating, I will go to college, and eventually get my master’s in architecture.

It is my goal to run my own architecture firm, and as there are so few women at this level, it would be a great honor to reach this point.

2:15

Engineering “This is my most hands-on class and one of my favorites. I enjoy designing and building projects that pique my interest, as well as talking to professionals in the engineering field throughout the semester.”

AP Literature “AP Lit is one of my most challenging courses.

We spent the summer reading Moby Dick and we read a number of other volumes and styles that I haven’t experienced in previous courses.”

2:45

12

TH

GRADE

Hi!

8:30

AP European History

I’m Spencer.

“I’ve looked forward to AP Euro my whole Upper School career. This is a really challenging class but I love writing about different people and events and am excited to push and work hard to make myself better.”

You always feel at home at Breck. The main thing about Breck is that the teachers here aren’t just your typical teachers.

They are teachers who want to know you on a deeper level and develop you throughout the years.

They see your strengths and weaknesses and really help you grow.

9:30

“My brain is math-oriented. Ever since I can remember, I’ve been drawn to math. I love starting with a problem and taking different routes to get to the same answer. We cover some really cool concepts and this class gives us real-world applications.”

AP Calc BC

10:20

The Self in the World (English) HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY

MY FUTURE GOAL:

Advanced Science Research

My goal in life is to see others smile bigger than me. I’d like to do that through service work and research.

“I love the idea of the unknown. Science is not proving a hypothesis; it’s more about discovering what’s unknown to the world. When I do research, I’m helping society learn things we didn’t know before and I love sharing these experiences with other students in the class!”

AP Physics C

11:00

12:00

Lunch

12:30

“This class blew me out of the water.

I discovered that I love to learn how and why things work.”

1:45

Chamber Players “Music plays a massive role in my life. I play 2-3 instruments and I love how music is up to you to interpret and make into your own.

For me, it’s also a good way to relax during our busy school days.”

Pictured: SAM AND SPENCER BRECK SENIORS, ADVANCED SCIENCE RESEARCH

Curriculum Overview A snapshot of course topics.

GRADE 9 ENGLISH

PERFORMING ARTS

VISUAL ARTS

GRADE 10

GRADE 11

• English 9

• English 10

Dance: • Junior Repertory • Dance Repertory

Theater: • Performance and Social Change • Acting Technique • Theatrical Design: Scenery • Theatrical Design: Lighting and Sound

Music: • Breck Singers • Concert Choir • Symphonic Winds/Jazz • Ensemble • String Ensemble

Photography: • Creative Design • Digital Photo 1-3 • Documentary Filmmaking

2-D: • Creative Design • Drawing & Paint 1-3 • Studio Drawing & Painting • AP Drawing • AP 2-D

3-D: • Creative Design • Ceramics 1-3 • Studio Ceramics 1-3 • AP Ceramics

•Modern World History

• U.S. - History • AP U.S. - History

HISTORY

• North American Literature • AP Language and Composition

GRADE 12 • AP Literature • AP Language and Composition • Themed electives

• Chamber Players • Music and Film • Music Psychology • AP Music Theory

Year-Long Electives: • AP Art History • AP European History • AP United States History • Advanced History Research (grade 12 only) Semester Electives: Over 20 varying course themes such as Economics, African American Studies, and China 2.0.

• Geometry • Honors Adv. Algebra

MATHEMATICS

• Algebra II • Honors Trigonometry/ Precalculus

• Func./Stat./Trig.

• Precalculus • Calculus • AP Calculus AB • Community-Based Research

• Calculus • AP Calculus AB • AP Calculus BC • AP Stats • Advanced Topics in Mathematics

Course options follow given sequence

RELIGION

• World Religions (May Program)

• World Religions II

• Ethics • Biblical Studies • Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad • Bioethics

• Physics

• Chemistry • Conceptual Chemistry

• Biology

SCIENCE

Electives available throughout Upper School

WORLD LANGUAGES

Spanish: • Spanish I - VI • AP Spanish Language and Culture • Spanish VII Introduction to Hispanic Studies

French: • French I - V • French VI • AP French Language and Culture • French VII Literature and Culture of the Francophone Modern World

Please see the course guide at breckschool.org for more details.

• Religious Imagery in Film • The Islamic World • Expansion of Religion Throughout History Year-Long Electives: • Molecular Bio. & Biotechnology • AP Biology • AP Chemistry • AP Physics I • AP Physics C • Advanced Science Research Semester Electives: • Astronomy • Environmental Science • Engineering • Robotics • Computer Science 1-3

Chinese: • Chinese I - VI • Chinese VII: Introduction to Chinese Literature and Culture I

continued from Signature Programs...

SENIOR SPEECH REQUIREMENT

Each week, our Upper School community gathers together to hear speeches from members of our senior class. While these speeches teach focus, confidence, and presentation skills, most importantly, they represent one of the culminating moments of a student’s Breck journey.

Friends, family, and visitors join us for this long-standing and moving Breck tradition.

Program highlights: • Every senior student gives a four- to six-minute speech.

• Speeches are a chance for students to discuss a passion, explore a new idea, or share a meaningful experience or lesson, all while thinking critically about how best to present ideas.

• Sample speech topics include: Baking Bread, Memes in Popular Culture, The Role of Religion in My Life, Equity and Power in Modern Society, and What I’ve Learned from Superhero Movies.

• Speeches are published in a bound book at the end of the year.

MAY PROGRAM

We know that our students thrive when given the chance to create their own meaningful learning experiences.

Extending the classroom affords our students the opportunity to learn from our vibrant city. Each year, as a part of our academic curriculum, students participate in May Program. This gives students experiences that prepare them for a purposeful life beyond Breck.

Program highlights: • Ninth and tenth grade students take on-campus mini courses created by our faculty specifically for May Program. Recent offerings include: 3D-Printing, The Films of Alfred Hitchcock, The Beatles, Photojournalism, Write Your Novel, and Cryptography.

• Eleventh and twelfth grade students engage in off-campus projects that speak to their own passions.

Students have interned at businesses, volunteered with non-profits, or developed their own major initiatives.

Recent examples include: building a plane, researching the physics of gymnastics, interning at a marketing firm and major healthcare companies, writing and producing a documentary, working with Habitat for Humanity, and others.

• Juniors and Seniors are also eligible to travel abroad with one of our World Language programs. In recent years students have journeyed to Morocco, China, Spain, France, and Colombia.

COLLEGE COUNSELING

At Breck, we value learning for the sake of learning and emphasize process over mere performance to create thoughtful, mature, young adults ready to make smart decisions about the next step in their educational careers. Beginning in sophomore year, our three college counselors work with students to foster relationships, to begin to understand their stories, and to begin learning each student’s voice, interests, and passions. Our process begins and ends with the student; we apply our expertise to student reflections and add our knowledge with the family’s goals, and collectively, we work together to capture the student’s unique experience in their own voice.

Their story.

ATHLETICS

We believe Breck’s educationally based athletic programs are a continuation of the classroom—our coaches are teachers of their individual disciplines.

Our student-athletes learn how to work as a team, demonstrate leadership, learn time management skills, and strive to be mature adults and productive members of society. We also believe that competitive sports contribute significantly to our students’ well-being.

Athletics assist students to develop self-esteem, respect for others, honesty, responsibility, a sense of justice, and strong ethical values to carry into their future.

Program highlights: • 27 individual athletic programs • Expansive 52-acre campus with seven tennis courts, turf practice field, on-campus football stadium with track, two baseball fields, softball field, indoor pool, and ice arena

STUDENT LEADERSHIP

Breck students provide an important voice in the leadership of the school and have the opportunity to serve one of six of our student councils. These roles can also be found in one of our many clubs, athletic teams, as well as performing and visual arts.

Leadership Council examples: • Advocacy Council • Arts Council • Athletics Council • Diversity and Inclusion Council • Integrity Council • Service Council