ACADEMICLOOKBOOK
OUR DISTINCTIVES
Academic Excellence
Since 1922, teachers at The Stony Brook School have used an academic program committed to excellence in all things to challenge students to pursue moral character and spiritual growth. At Stony Brook, our rigorous curriculum and instruction flows from our Christian mission rather than against it.
“Education without character is a dangerous thing. For character, not intellectual agility, is the source of right living. But character itself has a source. It springs not from moral maxims, rules of conduct, proverbs, or thou-shalt-nots. Its derivation is higher. It grows out of religious experience that is the result of the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
-Frank Gaebelein, Founding Head
of
School
Character Before Career
Students who only pursue academic excellence become graduates who lack the virtue and purpose to serve God and neighbor. This conviction is put quite pointedly in the school’s motto: “Character Before Career.” Our focus on character is reflected in the design of our curriculum, the passion and skill of our teachers, and the ver ethos of our community.
Integrated Humanities Program
Stony Brook’s signature Humanities program invites students to consider the great questions of human existence through an integrated study of literature, history, and the Bible. From Humanities 9 to Faith and Culture, the capstone course of our curriculum, our teachers guide students through close readings and reflections on the best that has been thought and said in human history.
World-Class STEM Offerings
We encourage our students to fearlessly study and master God’s world. STEM faculty at the school are distinguished for their commitment to “learning by doing” and project-based approach to the classroom. Our science students have the option to study and research at local laboratories. We offer some of the top math offerings in the nation with four classes beyond AP Calculus BC, and our state-of-theart STEM Lab houses our internationally competitive robotics and rocketry teams.
Primacy of the Arts
The visual and performing arts curriculum at The Stony Brook School is based on two essential truths: First, the creation process enables students to notice and explore the richness and complexity that can be found in the everyday world around them; second, that the language of art provides a unique means for students to articulate and communicate the discoveries made during that exploration.
133 Course Offerings
19 AP Courses
8 Dual enrollment courses
40 Advanced or Honors courses
15
Average Class Size
Sample Elective Courses
Adv. Scientific Research
College-Level Ethics and Politics
Advanced Latin Literature
Creative Life through Word & Art
Theology of Paul
Anatomy & Physiology
Creative Non-Fiction
Graphic Design
Law & Government Honors
1420
Average SAT Score
33
Average ACT Score
10:1 Student to Faculty Ratio
73%
Faculty with advanced degrees
138
AP Scholars in 2022-2023
Adv. Machine Learning & Artificial
Intelligence with Python
Advanced Digital Art
3D Studies
Advanced Topics in Mathematics
Advanced Topics in Music Theory
Adv. Engineering, Innovation, and Design
Masterpieces of World Literature
Chamber Singers
ACADEMIC PHILOSOPHY
Integration of Faith and Learning
Founding Head of School Frank Gaebelein took as one of his educational mottos the Augustinian maxim that “all truth is God’s truth.” This truth, he wrote, “breaks down ... the division of knowledge between secular and religious, and brings ... life and thought ‘into captivity to Christ.’” As a result, Gaebelein advocated for classrooms that fearlessly explored academic disciplines and subjects with vigor and excellence. This, he argued, was the mark of a great school.
“The central aim of this school is to correlate Christian principles, the great and eternal verities, with education of a type high enough to merit intimacy with such exalted ideals.”
-Frank Gaebelein
Challenge
Since 1922, The Stony Brook School has been committed to excellence in all things. For over a century, we have asked our students to stretch their imaginations of what they are capable of. As alumnus David Hicks ’66 puts it, “the activity of learning takes place in the no man’s land between what the student can accomplish and what he may not be able to accomplish.” Thus, our courses combine challenging texts, assignments, and projects with individualized attention and support.
Support
Structure
Stony Brook teachers carefully design courses with the end in mind, using backward design to develop a course of study that incrementally builds up students’ key skills, knowledge, and competencies. Our courses focus on developing strong foundational knowledge with frequent checkpoints and creative assessments designed to test for understanding rather than rote memory. Our curriculum allows all students to aim for excellence through a slow process of growth through discipline.
In the intense boarding school environment that Stony Brook offers, teachers provide students with personal encouragement and support as they take on difficult projects and assignments. Support structures include biweekly office hours and weekly advisory periods where our teachers provide students with individualized mentoring. Our Learning Services department also collaborates closely with students and families, providing targeted assistance for all students, including those with learning needs. To support this, SBS fosters executive study skills and strategic learning, tailored to support each student's unique path in education.
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. ” - Philippians 4:8-9
PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
The Stony Brook School seeks to develop students who…
Know God, themselves, and their purpose in the world
Derive their identity and self-worth from their status as image-bearers of God
Recognize the innate dignity of every person they meet
Love truth, beauty, and goodness
Move toward injustice with compassion, conviction, and wisdom
Love Others as Themselves
Distinguish themselves by their love of and service to others
Navigate different cultures with appreciation and promote unity and belonging
Are able to disagree with others while maintaining a relationship
Develop a sense of solidarity with those in spiritual and material need
Grow in Wisdom, Knowledge, and Skill
Prize and pursue wisdom
Use technology imaginatively and for the good of all creation
Steward time wisely and build into their routines habits of rest that lead to renewal
Communicate in speech and writing with eloquence and magnanimity
Serve the World Through their Character and Leadership
Understand that self-sacrifice on behalf of others is the true path to flourishing
Pursue health in mind, body, and spirit for themselves and for their community
Persevere through trial and hardship
Solve problems with passionate creativity and innovation
“Having been to two academic institutions since, I didn’t realize quite how unusual and special Stony Brook was – it’s a real environment of learning and so you could have real philosophical, theological, and political conversations with people. That kind of thing was deeply encouraged. I was never made to feel less than because of my opinions ... Having those conversations – whether that be at dinner or a Bible study or in the dorm or after class: they were such a huge part of the experience; it wasn’t just the classes, it was that a culture of learning was so deeply imbued in the environment that I haven't experienced since. Stony Brook is special in that way.” -Erin Young, ‘19
GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP AT STONY BROOK
As a Christian school serving students from a widely diverse group of nations, ethnicities, and creeds, The Stony Brook School is committed as a matter of mission to recognizing and honoring the Imago Dei – the Image of God – in each of its students, faculty, and staff. Our school life is animated with the belief that God has called those “of every tribe and tongue” to be his people. As such, Stony Brook always seeks to unite a diverse population around a common purpose and aim: bringing God’s grace, peace, and justice to every corner of the earth. The school’s academic practices are always considered with these ideals in mind.
TRAVEL AT STONY BROOK
In a world where the boundaries between cultures and countries are becoming a thing of the past, Stony Brook students are learning to compete and collaborate globally. Our travel program takes abroad the Stony Brook mission of learning outside the classroom, partnering with Education First (EF Tours) to provide travel opportunities designed to develop global competencies and, in turn, global citizens who venture beyond the borders of our community. SBS offers 2-4 trips each year during school breaks and mini-course weeks.
Past and future trips include:
Greece and Turkey
Japan
Austria & Hungary
South America & the Galapagos Islands
Australia
Iceland
Spain
Israel & Palestine
China
Italy
South Korea
Puerto Rico
THE HUMANITIES
The Stony Brook School’s humanities program integrates history, literature, theology, and philosophy in a curriculum that focuses on addressing life’s enduring questions and thinking through complex problems.
Our 7th and 8th grade humanities courses focus on preparing students for the rigor of high school, with an introduction to the great questions and an emphasis on the academic skills of reading and writing. An SBS education therefore begins with two standalone English 7 courses: one devoted to literature and one devoted to writing. These courses work in unison to prepare students for lifelong skills in reading, writing, and speaking by emphasizing how clear and imaginative writing is closely connected to attentive reading of great texts. In their Bible and History courses, students develop skills of close reading and writing competency while examining the Old Testament and global history from antiquity to the early modern period.
Our 8th grade courses apply the building blocks of 7th grade to more complex texts and concepts. In history courses, 8th graders study the emergence of the modern world with a focus on Africa, Asia, and the Americas while also beginning their first year of a World Language sequence This focus is aimed at forming 21st century global citizens who lead with character and virtue. This year is also marked by a close study of the New Testament and great texts like Beowulf, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Long Way Down.
In the 9th and 10th grades, our history and Bible classes form a sequence in Humanities 9 and Humanities 10 which cover the historical, theological, and intellectual development of the ancient and medieval worlds Humanities 9 examines the redemptive message of the Old Testament and its historical context through a study of the Ancient Near Eastern, Mediterranean, Asian, and African worlds. The course’s unifying question, “What is the good life for human beings?” brings shape and meaning to reading challenging ancient texts. The content and skills of Humanities 9 are mirrored in English 9, built around a study of Homer’s Odyssey. English 9 students focus on the thematic issue of justice in great literature, engaging with a wide selection of voices from Aristotle to Langston Hughes to Howard Zehr.
Our Humanities 10 course picks up where Humanities 9 leaves off, studying the gospels and the New Testament in their Greco-Roman context before surveying church history and the medieval world. With its enduring question of “What is truth?” the course analyzes the collision between Judeo-Christian thought and the Greco-Roman world. With a thematic focus on wisdom in exile, English 10 enters this conversation by focusing on texts such as Virgil’s Aeneid, Dante’s Inferno, and Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night
In students’ final two years at Stony Brook, we consider enduring truths and goods alongside contemporary questions. In 11th grade, students examine the development of modernity through the literature and philosophy of the Enlightenment and its critics. Primary texts include the poetry of the Bible, Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, and Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own 12th Grade humanities courses bring students into conversation with some of the most pressing issues of our time as we study US History alongside great modern literature, including Fyodor Dostoevsky’s masterpiece The Brothers Karamazov.
The capstone of a Stony Brook education is “Faith and Culture,” a discussion-based seminar for seniors that studies the Christian gospel alongside other world religions. The course asks many of the deepest questions of life: Why am I here? Is there a purpose to life? What does it mean to be human? Is it reasonable to have faith in God? How can I find what is good?
AN INTEGRATED HUMANITIES CURRICULUM
Across their English, History, and Bible classes, SBS students spend time with great thinkers and texts as they develop in wisdom and skill. The “integration of faith and learning” in each humanities course begins with an interdisciplinary approach to curriculum design that builds the great questions of human life into students’ course of study. Each grade level also has a unifying moral or intellectual virtue that undergirds the curriculum and challenges students “to know and to become.”
7th
Grade Courage
8th
Grade Temperance
9th
Grade Justice
10th
Grade Wisdom
The Hobbit, Brown Girl Dreaming, poetry
Midsummer Night’s Dream, Beowulf, Long Way Down
The Merchant of Venice, The Odyssey, selections from Langston Hughes, Shirley Jackson, and more
Twelfth Night, The Aeneid, Kindred, The Inferno
11th
Grade Love
12th
Grade Hope
Macbeth, Educated, Typical American, Invisible Man
Modern, Non-Western History & Geography New Testament Survey
Primary Sources on “the Good” such The Iliad, The Apology, and The Republic
Primary Sources on “the True & the Beautiful” such as Marcus Aurelius, Boethius, and St. Augustine
Primary Sources from the Enlightenment and the Early Modern world
The Pentateuch, History books, and Prophetic books of the Old Testament
Hamlet, The Brothers Karamazov, Sing, Unburied, Sing, The Great Gatsby
“Stony Brook’s rich and comprehensive curriculum provided me with a solid foundation of knowledge that could be brought to bear on almost any text or topic In my senior year at Columbia University, I am still looking back now and again at my old SBS notebooks ... there is something singular and magical in the air at SBS that just cannot be found elsewhere! I learned how to read a text closely, sound its thematic content, and, perhaps most importantly, absorb its essence. ” Donna Sanders ’19
Primary Sources on the American Experiment
The Gospels and Early Church writings
Wisdom and Poetic Literature and NT Epistles
the Gospel of John, selections on Christianity in the Modern World
WRITING AT SBS
The “Essay Wheel” writing curriculum of The Stony Brook School is based on Harvard University’s Writing Program and its Elements of the Academic Essay and Messiah University’s Writing Across the Curriculum and their Essay Wheel. The below “wheel” is a direct adaptation of Messiah University’s Essay Wheel and used with the permission of Messiah’s Director of Writing, Christine Perrin.
This Essay Wheel is intended to be a scaffolded approach that unifies the vision and language for writing analytical essays in grades 7-12 in all disciplines and departments. Teachers in each course or department may opt to customize the Essay Wheel by adding their own interpretations, but the core content remains consistent through the SBS curriculum. Though by no means the only writing materials or curriculum that our students use, it intentionally encourages students and faculty to communicate patterns in their writing in order to identify opportunities to grow in wisdom and skill in their rhetoric.
COURSE OFFERINGS
English Bible History
English 7 Writing
English 7 Literature
English 8
English 9
English 9 Honors
English 10
English 10 Honors
College Prep English A/B
AP Language & Composition
AP Literature & Composition
Creative Non-Fiction
Masterpieces of World Literature
Creative Life Through Word & Art
College Application Readiness
Advanced Research Seminar in Humanities
Old Testament
New Testament
Humanities 9
Humanities 10
Theology
Teachings of Jesus
Theology of Paul
AP Language & Composition
College Prep English A/B
Faith & Culture
World History 7
World History 8
Humanities 9
Humanities 10
European History
US History
Contemporary Global History
Law & Government Honors
College-Level Ethics & Politics
College-Level Hist. of Philosophy
AP European History
AP US History
AP Macroeconomics
AP Microeconomics
“The sense of community at Stony Brook was something that made a deep impression on me and that I still remember fondly Knowing that my teachers wanted me to succeed and were willing to support students inside and outside of the classroom fostered an environment where I could not just reach my highest academic potential, but also where I could see examples of the type of character that I wanted to develop. Having the Stony Brook faculty as my role models allowed me to see the school’s motto ‘Character Before Career,’ put into action.”
Emily Bishop ’19
THE SCIENCES
The science, mathematics, and STEM curriculum at The Stony Brook School seeks to form students whose imagination, humility, and discovery leads them to wonder at the beauty and order of God’s creation and grow in wisdom and creativity.
In the 7th and 8th grades, our project-based STEM classes encourage students to apply design thinking to innovative problem-solving in the fields of physical science, earth science, and engineering. Middle school students may also take STEM electives in robotics and computer science. A diverse range of math classes are available to 7th and 8th graders based on their math placement, including classes ranging from Pre-Algebra to our advanced high school math offerings.
As students enter 9th and 10th grade, they take core science courses such as Biology, Chemistry, and Physics alongside core math classes like Algebra and Geometry. Students may also choose to take STEM electives in Robotics, 3D Modeling and Printing, Programming, and more Students at an accelerated pace may take the appropriate coursework for their level, particularly in math, but all freshmen and sophomores build a strong foundation in scientific reasoning, logical and clear writing, and critical problem-solving skills to maximize their future STEM learning.
By the junior and senior years, the full breadth of our STEM curriculum becomes available, with our core classes augmented by over 30 electives in the Science, Math, and STEM Departments. With a variety of courses and electives for students across the interest and ability range, from Personal Finance to Astronomy, all students can fulfill a passion or discover a new skill set
For students at an accelerated pace, our math sequence offers among the most advanced offerings in any American secondary school. SBS also offers advanced capstone courses in all STEM departments for motivated and talented students to pursue “Character Before Career” at the highest level.
The STEM Department offers Advanced Engineering, Innovation, and Design, which allows for the time and space to deeply explore projects in computer science, engineering, robotics, rocketry, and other STEM fields. Past students have designed an experiment for the International Space Station, designed and 3-D printed face shields during the COVID-19 pandemic, and designed rockets for competition.
Our Science Department offers courses ranging from AP Biology to AP Physics C to AP Chemistry, and electives such as Anatomy & Physiology and Astronomy. Our capstone Advanced Scientific Research class lets students design and execute school-funded science research projects under the tutelage of an expert faculty member Highly motivated and successful students may obtain research internships at outside institutions as part of their SBS schedule Past students have had yearlong internships at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and Columbia University.
In the Math Department, SBS has multiple full-year courses beyond AP Calculus BC including Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra, Advanced Mathematical Logic, and Advanced Topics in Mathematics, most of which are dual-enrollment courses with Stony Brook University Our research-focused Advanced Topics in Mathematics lets students delve into a wide variety of college-level math topics including cryptography, number theory, real and complex analysis, and combinatorics.
COURSE OFFERINGS
Pre-Algebra I
Pre-Algebra II
Algebra I
Geometry
Algebra II
Algebra II Honors
Pre-Calculus Honors
Functions & Trigonometry
Statistics & Personal Finance
AP Statistics
AP Calculus AB
AP Calculus BC
College-Level Linear Algebra
College-Level Multivariable Calculus
Adv Mathematical Logic
Adv Topics in Math
STEM 7
STEM 8
Biology
Biology Honors
Chemistry
Chemistry Honors
Physics
Physics Honors
Astronomy
Anatomy & Physiology
AP Psychology
AP Environmental Science
AP Biology
AP Chemistry
Intro to Organic Chemistry
AP Physics C: Mechanics
AP Physics C: Mech. and E&M
Adv. Scientific Research
Robotics
Computer Programming
3D Modeling and Printing
Gadget Creation & Design
Introduction to Python
Machine Learning & AI with Python
Adv Computer Programming
AP Computer Science A
Data Engineering with Python
Manufacturing in the 21st Century
Redemptive Entrepreneurship
Digital Marketing
Engineering, Innovation, & Design I
Engineering, Innovation, & Design II
Independent EID Proj
THE ARTS
The arts curriculum at SBS equips students in the creative process to explore the richness and complexity of God’s creation. Fine arts encourages our students to integrate multiple academic disciplines to discover more about themselves and other cultures and to pursue the beauty of God.
The Visual Arts curriculum focuses on the comprehension and use of art elements in a variety of media. Students learn essential definitions and skills are learned in a foundations program that are further developed as the student completes higher-level courses. Art history is an integrated part of each studio class, with visits to major museums in New York City and abounding art offerings in our mini-course program.
In visual arts, courses in Studio Art, 3D Studies, and Ceramics form a foundation for upper electives such as Advanced Art, AP Studio Art, or advanced seminars in new media. Our growing digital arts offerings include Photography, Graphic Design, Videography, and our yearbook course Advanced Digital Arts.
In our Performing Arts program, SBS offers multiple choral and orchestral ensembles. Our Concert Choir is one of three vocal ensembles at The Stony Brook School. The group of students in grades 9-12 specializes in concert and chamber styles of choral music. Concert Choir performs at fall and spring concerts, a service of Lessons and Carols, numerous chapel services, and Music in the Parks.
Chamber Singers is an auditioned group comprised of students in grades 9-12 and specializes in madrigal, concert, and chamber styles of choral music. In addition to fall and spring concerts, a Christmas service of Lessons and Carols, and a Maundy Thursday Service, SBS Chamber Singers perform at numerous chapel services on campus and in the local community. Chamber Singers competes globally and have performed at presidential inauguration ceremonies, national competitions such as the prestigious National Music Education conference, and in regional competitions in New York City and the tri-State area.
Chamber Orchestra is comprised of students in grades 10-12 and specializes in concert and chamber styles of orchestra music. They perform at the fall and spring concerts, a Christmas service of Lessons and Carols, and an Easter Service for Maundy Thursday. Chamber Orchestra has competed at Music in the Parks, where they consistently receive superior ratings and overall first place. This ensemble will occasionally have specialized pull-out ensembles to create a Chamber Strings or Chamber Wind Ensemble.
At the middle school level, students may choose between the Visual Arts, where they are exposed to a wide array of visual arts mediums such as clay, painting, drawing, and ceramics, and the Performing Arts, where we offer courses in the instrumental Chamber Ensemble and the choral group that specializes in concert and chamber styles of music. The performing arts classes in the middle school also incorporate extensive theater and improv training, exposing students to the breadth of artistic performances. These immersive experiences cultivate their creative talents and encourage a lifelong engagement with arts, while also preparing talented and driven students to succeed in the advanced arts offerings in the Upper School.
The Stony Brook School offers a wide range of private music lessons during the school day for most instruments and vocals A customized schedule arranged during students’ free periods and study halls is annually offered to maximize the opportunities for students to grow in their musical passions.
Our theater program allows students to be part of a production team for 1-2 shows a year as a cocurricular program, serving God and neighbor to tell a meaningful story that challenges and entertains the broader community. SBS has performed musicals, dramas, comedies, and Shakespearean plays Students have many opportunities in a theater production through acting, directing, set design, light and sound crew, stage crew, and playwriting.
COURSE OFFERINGS
Past performances include: Freaky Friday, Hello, Dolly!, The Addams
Family the Musical, Clue, All Shook Up, Pride and Prejudice, Into the Woods, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Steel Magnolias, The Sound of Music, An Ideal Husband, Godspell, Much Ado About Nothing, The Time of Your Life, Fiddler on the Roof, The Winter’s Tale, Our Town, West Side Story, The Lilies of the Field, The Taming of the Shrew, and The Wizard of Oz.
Visual Arts Performing Arts
MS Visual Arts
Studio Art
3D Studies
Ceramics I
Ceramics II
Graphic Design I
Graphic Design II
Intro to Videography
Intro to Photography
Advanced Art
Adv. Photography I
Adv. Photography II
Adv. Digital Art I
Adv. Digital Art II
AP Studio Art I
AP Studio Art II
Adv. Seminar: Missional Media
MS Chorus & Drama
MS Chamber Ensemble
Chamber Ensemble 9
Chamber Orchestra
Concert Choir
Chamber Singers
Adv Music Theory
WORLD LANGUAGES
The World Language Department at SBS equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary to communicate with love in a linguistically and culturally diverse world. Students will explore the relationship between language, culture, and history through the lens of God’s work in creation.
World Language education at SBS aims to form students in global citizenship and cultural competency We offer Spanish, Latin, and Mandarin Chinese in person as well as French through Gravitas: An Online Extension of The Stony Brook School Students begin their language sequence in 8th grade and can take through level 5 in a language, with opportunities for independent study in an advanced research course.
An SBS World Language classroom is dynamic and interactive. Teachers in the department work to foster learning environments that are more than rows and columns of desks, but instead require students to actively participate in the languages and cultures they study. Students develop this fluency by using language in real-world situations and immersive classroom experiences. Students are also assessed for fluency, not mere memorization.
SBS focuses on classical literature and the department believes firmly in the value of ancient languages that allow us to better understand the human experience. Latin has been taught at the School since our founding in 1922.
COURSE OFFERINGS
Chinese Latin Spanish French
Chinese I
Chinese II
Chinese III
Adv. Chinese: Culture
Adv. Chinese: Literature
Latin I
Latin II
Latin III
Adv. Latin Literature A
Adv. Latin Literature B
Spanish I
Spanish 1P
Spanish II
Spanish III
Spanish 2-3
Spanish IV Honors
AP Spanish
”
French I
French II
French III
“My teacher introduced us to language in a fun, almost child-like, way using associations, songs and imagery. With her, I did not feel like I was being taught, I felt like I was learning ... her teaching methods make it easier for native English speakers to learn Mandarin in a non-intimidating yet effective way.
Katie Burke ’20
MINI-COURSES
Sample Mini-Courses:
Cooking Around the Globe
Forensics
Game Theory
Global Business
Constitutional Law
Fashion Design
Lifeguard Certification
Introduction to Finance
Exploring Long Island
Comparative Zoology
History & Science of Barbecue
Benedictine Monastery Trip
American Sign Language
Moneyball
Model Diplomacy
Project-Based Laser Cutting
Learn to Fish
Introduction to Rocketry
Linguistics
New York City Art
Build a Guitar
The World of Jane Austen
The Mini-Course program affords students learning opportunities outside the standard curriculum, allowing students to engage in project-based learning, interdisciplinary studies, research projects, internships, field trips, off-site labs, and academic competitions. During the school year, the school offers two mini-course units, each four days long. Minicourses change from year to year based on student, teacher, and institutional interests and opportunities. The most popular mini-courses are offered repeatedly. Students may also opt for an independent research project under the s f f
Gravitas, the global online extension of The Stony Brook School, makes Stony Brook School academics and character formation available through live online classes, allowing SBS to expand its mission globally and enhance its campus-based program. Gravitas aims to provide an SBS education to future leaders from every nation in the world.
The Gravitas Curriculum aligns closely with The Stony Brook School’s campus curriculum with minor adjustments made to create a great learning experience for online learners. Additionally, the Gravitas program includes some classes that are not offered online, which campus students may take, such as French, Entrepreneurship, and advanced electives in computer science, history, and philosophy. Gravitas students earn Stony Brook School transcripts and a Stony Brook School diploma upon graduation
Gravitas Outcomes
In just three years of operation, Gravitas students have achieved college outcomes on par with the campus program, with acceptances to Princeton, Cornell, NYU, Davidson, University of Rochester, USC, and Penn State.
SUMMER ACCELERATOR
How it Works
Live online intensive classes meet for three or six weeks during summer break. Classes meet four times per week for live instruction at hours that work well for students in most of the locations our students will be during the summer. A combination of excellent SBS Campus and Gravitas teachers lead engaging discussionbased classes and provide outstanding feedback and support. Students complete the equivalent of three days of homework each day.
Accelerate in Math and Science
Our most popular offerings are in math and science, where students can advance more quickly through our extensive program by taking their next level class over the summer. We offer the full range of math classes from Pre-Algebra II through Multivariable Calculus and a selection of core science classes like Chemistry and Health and Human Flourishing
Electives and Summer Summits
Gravitas offers interesting electives in areas like Redemptive Entrepreneurship, Philosophy Honors: Artificial Intelligence, and Ceramics. Starting in the summer of 2025, Gravitas will offer on campus Summer Summits where future leaders from campus, Gravitas, and other students gather to to learn about pressing global issues.
College Counseling
Students receive one-on-one support to jumpstart their college applications. Students learn how to create their college list and explore possible majors. Counselors provide individualized direction and feedback on personal essays.
Character Formation
Throughout the summer, Accelerator students have the option of participating in live and asynchronous moral and spiritual formation exercises.
It was a great experience taking a Spanish III summer course with the SBS Gravitas program! The course was well-structured, the teacher was attentive and flexible, and I had seen a huge improvement in my Spanish abilities. Highly recommended!
Summer Accelerator Student, Niche.com Review
Gravitas has developed the world’s most comprehensive moral and spiritual formation program for teens. Every day, students learn lessons in virtue, practice spiritual disciplines, receive mentorship, and journal about their growth journey. With the new Gravitas App, this oneof-a-kind program will be accessible to everyone, everywhere.
Lessons on Virtues and Vices: Gravitas’s team of Christian virtue ethicists have developed over 400 lessons on how to cultivate the virtues of love, hope, faith, humility, wisdom, justice, fortitude, and temperance and resist the vices of pride, vainglory, envy, wrath, sloth, avarice, gluttony, and lust. Each lesson breaks down the virtue or vice into micro-learnings and provides relatable illustrations to help students understand the good life.
Challenges: Drawing from the great tradition of Christian spiritual disciplines and empirically verified habit-forming practices from the Harvard Human Flourishing Program, Gravitas. invites students to complete a daily challenge that will help them grow in virtue and love for God.
Mentorship and Reflection: Gravitas students journal about their growth every day and share their journey with their advisors
