Upper School Viewbook

positively

Pike

Upper School Andover, Massachusetts • pikeschool.org

positive Here’s what we know:

energy

will take you places.

It’s hard to miss at Pike.

In fact, positive energy fuels our campus.

In the Upper School, that means creating the kind of environment where it feels safe taking intellectual and creative risks, and where every student is really and truly “seen” (and known, and heard).

No wonder our students are happy, curious, confident kids.

And no wonder they grow up to be such successful adults.

UPPER SCHOOL

Grades 6–9

Combine support, encouragement, and inspiration, and the sky’s the limit.

Sit in on an Upper School class, and you can’t help but notice the mutual respect that occurs between students and faculty. Pike teachers take their role as mentors very seriously. In weekly team meetings, faculty members essentially take the pulse – socially, academically, and emotionally – of every single student.

In small classes (average size: 16), students’ individual learning styles are recognized and appreciated. And a faculty advisor works closely with students and parents to track progress and ensure students stay challenged.

The result? Positively inspiring.

Building the skills for success at Pike and beyond.

The Upper School Advisory Program helps students become self-aware and self-directed (in school and in life). Topics include healthy decision-making, communication, problem-solving, and conflict resolution.

Who wouldn’t fit in at Pike?

“No one!”

“A bully!”

“An alien!”

“An alien bully!”

— Pike sixth graders

UPPER SCHOOL

Balancing core capabilities with self-directed learning.

It’s a positively powerful combination. In Upper School, every effort is made to balance academic rigor with creative exploration. Classes meet for 50 minutes each day with an additional 70-minute block for every academic class once during the rotation. And through the elective program, students have the opportunity to apply classroom learning to topics of their own choosing; current offerings include everything from Orienteering to Game Theory to Uta Hagen Acting.

All Upper School students own and use an iPad for homework and classroom work. The iPads serve as powerful creation tools and foster collaboration, communication, and other key 21st century skills.

Positively mind-growing.

What makes a Pike education unlike any other? The depth and breadth of academic and creative opportunities: studying Latin, firing up the pottery kiln, using Garage Band software to arrange an original piece of music.

UPPER SCHOOL

Infinitely renewable, spreads like crazy.

Positive energy is like that – and there’s no greater example than Pike’s motto of non sibi solum (“not for oneself alone”). Developing a sense of citizenship is a key theme in Upper School, one that’s played out every day in student-run clubs like C.A.R.E., which seeks to better understand the challenges of living with cognitive disabilities, and Big Green, which tackles the ongoing issues of sustainability and environmental stewardship.

There are also ample opportunities for outdoor adventures in Upper School, with trips to Project Adventure in Beverly, Massachusetts, and the Appalachian Mountain Club’s “Mountain Classroom” in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Outdoor trips not only strengthen bonds and build self-awareness but also provide a living laboratory for learning about the environment.

Our very own nature trail.

The roughly 1.5-mile course loops through Pike’s surrounding woodland acres. The trail serves as an outdoor classroom, enhancing students’ environmental literacy.

UPPER SCHOOL

Positive energy creates endless possibilities.

And a Pike education guarantees students are prepared to take advantage of every one. By the time they graduate, our students are master learners.

They know how to manage their time, build meaningful relationships with adults, and advocate for themselves. They also know what it means to make a positive impact in the world.

In recent years, the majority of Pike graduates have enrolled at Brooks School, The Governor’s Academy, Phillips Academy, Pingree School, and St. John’s Prep. Pike students also matriculate to some of the area’s excellent public schools. In both cases, teachers who have the pleasure of interacting with our graduates all say the same thing: Pike students “have it together.” They are organized, articulate, confident learners.

Positively award-winning.

Pike students learn skills essential to effective public speaking, such as articulation, vocal modulation, rate of delivery, gestures, posture, and bodily movement in their Speech Communication course.

“The kid culture at Pike is curious, enthusiastic, and interested in learning. They WANT to learn and to go further. As a teacher, that feels great.”

— PIKE FACULTY MEMBER

Good sports.

Pike students are. In Upper School, the Physical Education program works to build confidence and instill a lifelong love of fitness, with team sports, individual activities, and cooperative games. Ninety percent of Upper School students participate in at least one organized team sport.

FALL Soccer — Boys Varsity Soccer — Boys JV Soccer — Boys 6th Grade Soccer — Girls Varsity Soccer — Girls JV Cross Country Field Hockey — Girls Varsity Intramural Floor Hockey

WINTER Basketball — Boys Varsity Basketball — Boys JV Basketball — Boys 6th Grade Basketball — Girls Varsity Basketball — Girls JV Basketball — Girls 6th Grade Ice Hockey — Boys Ice Hockey — Girls Intramural Team Handball

SPRING Lacrosse — Boys Varsity Lacrosse — Boys JV Lacrosse — Girls Varsity Lacrosse — Girls JV Softball — Girls Varsity Baseball — Boys Varsity Baseball — Boys JV Tennis — Varsity Track — Varsity

At The Pike School, we believe every child has unlimited potential.

That’s why we provide unlimited possibilities – for thinking, creating, competing, and unleashing curiosity.

We surround every student with a web of positive energy – small classes, one-on-one attention, and, of course, fabulous teachers.

The kind who teach children the most important lesson of all: to believe in themselves.

History shows that our students do.

That’s the power of positive energy.

That’s The Pike School.

Pike at a glance >F ounded in 1926, Pike is an independent, coeducational day school that’s home to 449 curious, confident kids in Pre-K through Grade 9. > Pike students come from 41 communities in northeastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire.

>O ur faculty is made up of 66 men and women, 87% of whom hold advanced degrees. >A verage class sizes range from 11 students (Lower School) to 16 (Upper School). >4 7% of Pike students identify as African-American, Asian American, Latino/Hispanic, Middle Eastern, or Multi-racial.

> Each year Pike admits 18-20 children per grade to Pre-K, Kindergarten, and sixth grade. We also accept applications at other grade levels. > Pike’s more than 2,000 alumni go on to top secondary schools (and go on to find success in whatever path they choose).

School hours: Lower School Grades Pre-K - 2

Middle School Grades 3 - 5

Upper School Grades 6 - 9

Early-morning drop-off is available at 7:00 am *

8:15 am-3:05 pm Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri

8:15 am-3:10 pm Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri

8:15 am-3:15 pm Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri

An after-school program is available until 6:00 pm. *

8:15 am-2:00 pm Wed

8:15 am-2:05 pm Wed

8:15 am-2:10 pm Wed

* Fee applies.

Financial assistance is available at every grade level. Learn more and apply online at www.pikeschool.org