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breckschool.org

Upper School

Confidence in knowing.

What comes next begins today.

The skills you gain, the strengths you discover, and the knowledge you attain will set the stage for every act to follow.

Welcome to Upper School

“In Upper School, you get to discover who you are and what you want to become in the future.”

Dammee Upper School Student

Welcome

In the Upper School, we challenge and inspire our students to strive for excellence.

Our academically rigorous curriculum is brought to life by our veteran faculty. Each Breck teacher knows and cares about their students — and inspires them to pursue challenging and rewarding academic opportunities each day.

Developing each student’s unique talents, spirit, and potential is central to our mission. We encourage students to carve their own path, led by the ongoing discovery of where their interests meet their potential. Through competitive athletic teams, vibrant visual and performing arts programs, and a robust community partnerships program, Breck graduates leave our campus with a healthy understanding of the complex world they are entering. More importantly, they graduate with the skills to compete, the confidence to lead, and the empathy to serve.

Spree MacDonald, Ph.D. Upper School Director

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Upper School

Tomorro begins to Personalization and Press Students work hard at Breck.

It’s through connecting to them as individuals that we know how best to push them without overwhelming them.

Academic Opportunities At Breck, our rigorous and wide-ranging academic program prepares students for what’s next. We offer an Upper School student experience that blends foundational

Our weekly tutorial periods

courses with opportunities to

mirror the office hours at most

dig deep into content areas

colleges and universities and

through advanced, honors,

allow our teachers, advisors,

AP, world language, and May

and college counselors to guide

Program courses.

students as they chart their course to college and beyond.

Academic Program

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ow today.

Firmly rooted in our mission to create confident learners, Breck’s academic program equips students with a well-rounded education that will support them as they move on to college and beyond.

Schedule

Teacher Accessibility

Our daily schedule has a rhythm similar to a college campus. Designed by our

We ask every student to complete one task: do Breck well. To us, this is defined by

tenured faculty and guided by

taking advantage of the many

research from Breck’s Peter

pathways created for connection,

Clark Center for Mind, Brain,

creativity, and deeper learning.

and Education, this approach

Our small class sizes allow

allows students time for

students to connect with their

deeper exploration and more

teachers on a one-to-one basis

meaningful discussions. It also

and partner with our faculty as

teaches them the demands and

learners and collaborators.

time management skills they’ll need for their future education.

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Upper School

Set for every stage.

Learning doesn’t only occur in the classroom. We offer these programs so students can broaden their passions, deepen their interests, and create their most authentic experience while they’re here.

At Breck, we see athletics as an extension of the classroom.

Whether on the court or on the field, studentathletes are always learning new ways to lead, collaborate, and work toward a common goal, all while strengthening their mental and physical health. Our coaching staff is dedicated to teaching commitment and preparation, personal growth and teamwork, and urge our students toward excellence independent of outcome.

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The Performing Arts at Breck provide students more than just the chance to grow and explore their own self-expression and creativity — it’s a chance for them to build something together.

Through dance, music, and theatre, students gain first hand exposure to the arts and develop the skills and discipline to create as a group.

Our Visual Arts Department is studiobased at its very core.

Students create work in vivid, beautiful studio spaces under the guidance of real working artists who share their knowledge, talent, enthusiasm, and inspirations that rouse their imagination.

Performing Arts

Physical Ed. & Health

Religion

Science

Visual Arts

World Languages

Band Symphonic Winds & Jazz Ensemble Choir Upper School Voices Advanced Concert Chorale

Health and Performance Physiology

Music: Craft & Cognition Music Theory I Music Psychology Music and Film AP Music Theory

Dance Dance Advanced Dance Repertory

Theater Theatrical Production I & II Actor’s Workshop Advanced Studio Theater

Orchestra String Ensemble Advanced Chamber Players

Earn 6 additional PE units through any combination of:

Philosophy of Religion

Bioethics Moral Philosophy Religious Imagery in Film Theologies of Liberation

Yearlong Electives AP Biology AP Chemistry AP Physics C Advanced Physics Advanced Science Research

PE courses (3 PE units/quarter or 6 PE units/semester)

Grade 11 Biology AP Biology Electives

Semester Electives Engineering Robotics Anatomy and Physiology Advanced Molecular Biology Honors Science Research

OR

Grade 9 Physics Honors Physics Advanced Physics

Grade 12 Electives

Breck Athletics (1 PE unit per season)

Grade 10 Chemistry AP Chemistry Electives

World Religions I

Prerequisite Creative Design

Photography Photography I–IV Photo Studio I–II AP 2D Art and Design

Spanish Spanish I–V AP Spanish Language & Culture Advanced Spanish Literature & Culture Advanced Spanish for Immersion & Heritage Learners I–II

Drawing & Painting Draw/Paint I–IV Draw/Paint Studio I–II AP Drawing French French I–V AP French Language & Culture Advanced French Literature & Culture Advanced French for Immersion & Heritage Learners I–II

Ceramics Ceramics I–IV Ceramics Studio I–II AP 3D Art and Design Chinese Chinese I–VI Advanced Chinese for Immersion & Heritage Learners I–II Advanced Chinese Seminar I–II

English 9: Close Reading & Analytical Writing

Grade 9

Grade 9 Modern World History Grade 10 U.S. History AP U.S. History

English 10: Composition & Rhetoric

Grade 10

Grade 11

Grade 12

Grades 11 and 12

Honors Research African American Studies Current History Heritage Studies Race in Place

AP Courses AP Statistics AP Computer Science A AP Calculus AB AP Calculus BC

Higher Level Courses Advanced Topics in Computer Science Advanced Topics in Math I–II Advanced Math Research

Yearlong Electives: AP Art History AP Comparative Government & Politics AP European History AP US Government & Politics Advanced History Research (grade 12 only)

English 11: Inquiry & Synthesis AP Language & Composition AP Literature & Composition

Semester Courses Computer Science I–II Probability and Statistics

Honors Courses Honors Algebra 2 Honors Precalculus

Semester Electives History of Terrorism Labor Studies Sports in America Modern Chinese History The Ancient World WWII & the Holocaust Economics I & II

English 12: Self & Revision Creative Writing Honors English 12: Self & Revision Honors Creative Writing AP Language & Composition AP Literature & Composition Advanced English Scholarship and Research

Please see the course guide at breckschool.org/academics/upper-school for more details.

Curriculum Overview English

History

Mathematics

Core Course Sequence Algebra 1B Geometry Algebra 2 Functions, Statistics and Trigonometry Precalculus Calculus

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Upper School

Leave no unexplor Domestic & International Experiential Learning

Advanced Research Opportunities

Students have the opportunity to develop a lifelong appreciation for other people and cultures through our diverse domestic and international trip offerings, which have included travel to China, Mexico, Morocco, and the American South, among others.

For students in grades 11 and 12, we offer four highly regarded research programs in English, History, Mathematics, and Science. Guided by professional mentors and expert faculty, students pursue collegelevel research projects, working in labs and professional settings on some of the most essential subjects facing our society.

Religious Studies

Global Partnerships

At Breck, our Religious Studies program emphasizes understanding religion as lived, diverse, and dynamic, knowing the ways religion functions as a part of peoples’ lives and society as a whole.

The American School of Madrid and Breck are proud partners in an exchange program, where students in grade 10 have the transformative opportunity to engage in rigorous academic coursework, participate in extracurricular activities, and foster an understanding of global perspectives for a semester in Spain.

Student Experience

o idea red.

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At Breck, we urge every student to pursue knowledge in and out of the classroom.

May Program Students thrive when given the opportunity to pursue their interests.

Which is why, every year, Upper School students take part in May Program.

During this two week program, grade 9 and 10 students have more than 50 short courses to choose from; at the same time, grade 11 and 12 students pursue internships.

Community Engagement Social responsibility is central to a Breck education. Therefore, Upper School students engage with one of over 38 Twin Cities community partners each week.

Whether working with preschoolers at our local Head Start chapter or packing nourishing meals, every student is urged to serve our neighbors.

Clubs We want to encourage students to pursue their passions, and maybe even discover a few new ones.

From experimenting with robotics or writing for the student newspaper, debating in Model UN, or advocating for the environment, there’s always a new and exciting way to make friends, learn more, and grow together.

Student Leadership Breck students are integral to the leadership of our school and have the opportunity to serve on one of six of our student councils, as well as councils in advocacy, arts, athletics, community action, and DEI.

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Upper School

Forward to the future.

At Breck, preparation for college goes well beyond grades.

College Counseling

Senior Speeches

Preparing for college can be

Every week, Upper School

overwhelming. Which is why,

students gather to hear speeches

at Breck, nobody does it alone.

presented by their classmates.

Starting in grade 10, students

During this cherished Breck

meet their college counselor

tradition, students have

to discuss interests, prepare

the opportunity to share a

for standardized testing, and

personally meaningful topic

develop a plan to achieve

with the community, often

their academic goals. We work

reflecting on the impact of

together with families to ensure

their Breck experience. Senior

every student is confident and

speeches are a culminating

pointed in the right direction for

and formational experience for

whatever’s next.

our graduates.