What School Should Be

W H AT SC HO OL SHOU L D BE

At Solebury you will…

GROW

BUILD

C U LT I VAT E

SOAR

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GROW There is no single way to experience Solebury. But there is a core approach. It starts with respecting students enough to let them plant the seeds of their own education, and then nurturing and cultivating that until it grows into something strong and life-lasting.

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Nestled in the rolling hills of historic Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Solebury School’s villagelike campus offers both easy access to the wider world and opportunities to enjoy its idyllic natural setting. Solebury’s 90 acres include meadows and woodlands, a meandering stream, and a pond. The Delaware River and the lively village of New Hope are just minutes away, and New York and Philadelphia are within easy reach.

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Solebury is like a college campus.

“Students are walking in and out of buildings all day to go from one place to another. Sometimes that means they’re walking in the rain, other times that means they’re walking outside in the middle of a beautiful spring day, and they stop and throw a Frisbee with somebody as they go to their next class.

I think that is really invigorating for the kids as well as the teachers.”

S T E V E B U T EU X , A S S O C I AT E H E A D O F S C H O O L

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BUILD Solebury’s curriculum provides a rigorous foundation for exploration.

Classes are small, and extended class times allow deeper exploration. The trimester system and diverse elective options mean that you can explore, try new things, and dive deeply into what you love.

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Curious about something?

Four years to dive in.

MULTIVARIABLE CALCULUS Open the world of physics and engineering by learning the calculus to determine Flux, Divergence, and Curl along parametrized paths through force fields.

STUDIO MUSIC PRODUCTION Computer music production from concept through mixing; in short: producing beats, writing songs and recording vocals.

ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN Analyze architecture and understand how to build a building from the ground up.

HONORS DEBATE

ADVANCED PRINTMAKING

Argument theory, techniques of

Hone printmaking techniques,

persuasive speaking, structured

meet master printmakers and

parliamentary debates.

create a portfolio.

LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY

HONORS SOCIAL THEORY

Investigate the intersections

Ideas from psychology, sociology,

between language and social

culture studies and history that

categories like race, class,

have shaped the study of society

nationality, ethnicity and gender.

in the last century.

SCREENPLAY WRITING Organize your ideas into scenes and express that vision on the page.

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MICROBIOLOGY

ROBOTICS

Explore the beneficial and harmful

Learn programming fundamentals

effects that microorganisms have

and design, build, and test robotic

in our world today.

assemblies.

SENIOR PROJECT

AP FRENCH LANGUAGE

In the final month of school,

French news, music, film, literature

seniors may gain real world

and art, conducted exclusively in

experience while working

French.

as apprentices, conducting independent research or pursuing creative projects.

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE Report facts, fight for social justice and write great stories all at the INTERNATIONAL HORROR

same time.

MOR AL CONFLICTS

LITER ATURE

Challenging moral issues around

Learn how a country or region’s

the globe, explored and team-

history influences their

taught through the lenses of

contribution to the genre.

history and science.

AP CALCULUS BC Includes all of the topics covered in AB, plus topics typically covered in college-level Calculus II. 11

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“Math feels fun here. It’s creative and interesting, but it’s serious, too.”

B EN , L A N G H O R N E PA

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STEM week inspires students to open their minds to what’s possible, through demonstrations, workshops and lectures by visiting speakers.

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Teach2Serve is a rigorous multi-year program that inspires students to create solutions to problems they identify in the world.

Whether starting a tutoring program in an urban elementary school or raising awareness about local food insecurity, students learn by doing and become changemakers in the process.

“Teach2Serve is my favorite class because it has really taught me how to think and look at things in a different way, and especially a way that helps me to see the wrong in the world and how I can change that. I will be working on the refugee crises in Burundi and Syria, countries that have a lot in common with where I’m from. It’s given me leadership skills that will help me along the way, not just now but in the future.”

P ER RY, K I G A L I R WA N DA

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Solebury students go the extra mile. Sometimes they go the extra 2,995 miles.

Rising 9th and 10th graders may choose to declare a global education concentration designed to cultivate globally-minded young adults through coursework, service learning, travel immersion experiences (including exchanges with schools in Europe), and independent study.

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C U LT I VAT E “I live in the boys’ dorm with my wife and kids. It’s nice to have the energy of the little kids mixed with the older students. It brings its own kind of diversity. We try to keep it real: relaxed, natural and a little messy.”

DAV I D M ER O L A , M AT H T E AC H ER A N D B OY S ’ D O R M PA R EN T

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Living

at Solebury

On Tuesday nights, boarding students gather for special programming.

You’ll learn to: sail your boat in a (cardboard) regatta • change a tire • recognize the best disco tunes for roller skating • foosball fiercely • cook for your friends • get pumped about weight training • balance a checkbook • rap battle • tune up your trivia • stargaze • be smart in social media • write a killer skit

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On weekends, you’ll: go apple picking • visit a museum in Philadelphia • hike the High Rocks trail in Ralph Stover State Park • go bowling • grab an ice cream cone in New Hope • canoe the Delaware and Raritan Canal • catch a movie in Doylestown • ride a roller coaster at

Great Adventure • have a barbecue or chili cook-off • shop at the largest mall on the East Coast • see a Broadway show • curl up with a

and fun.

good book • make a pizza • play kickball • ski or snowboard at Blue Mountain • go to a Phillies game • relax

is purposeful

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“Growing up in New York City, you have to be really independent, but Solebury has helped me mature. You have to wake up by yourself. You have to do your own laundry. But it’s not like being in boarding school is being by yourself. There are teachers and students that live with you and help you.

Everybody is like a big family. You call your teachers by their first names, which helps you establish a relationship with them.

When you’re here, you feel like you’re at home. I love that about Solebury.

One of my favorite experiences was going to Costa Rica with the school.

Having to speak Spanish and immerse myself in the culture was beautiful. I loved it and made a really strong connection with my host family.

Everybody at Solebury is just so open and accepting. They want people to try new things. They want you to find yourself and make sure that you are the person that you want to be, and that you’re the best you that you can be.”

S A S H A , N E W YO R K N Y

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“One of the best, happiest surprises about boarding at Solebury is how easy it is for me.

They do such a good job of pushing you without you knowing you’re being pushed. I just started being involved with all these new things, and enjoying this experience without realizing that was Solebury giving me that shove that I needed.

Whoever you are, you’re going to come in and fit right in.

I love being outside, and there are a lot of cool outside opportunities here.

I also like the opportunities to just hang out in New Hope and Lambertville, or to go to New York. I’ve been there three times this year. We’re not far from a lot of exciting places.

Before, in an intellectual conversation, I would just sit there. Now, I take part in it because I am much more confident in who I am academically. I’ve grown to be someone I’m proud of, someone who is aware of what’s going on in the world.”

L I V, C H A R LOT T E N C

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Solebury is what school should be.

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“On a Friday night, I’ll knock on a friend’s door and say, ‘Hey man. Can I borrow your Nerf sword?’ Living away from home is great. Who isn’t a fan of living in a building with 40 friends? As a dorm proctor, I try to make sure that people are having fun. What’s good about Solebury is that it lets you be yourself, for real. There’s a whole team of people who want you to do well once you get here.

My teachers at Solebury are just cool and interesting. Everyone has a story, and wants us to actually like what they are teaching. Solebury helped me realize that I like music for pretty much the same reasons that I like history or art or physics. It’s all coming from the same place.”

J O S H , S P R I N G C I T Y PA 33

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Solebury’s goal in athletics is to meet the full range of needs of a diverse community, from top competitors to students trying sports for the first time (it’s encouraged!).

Many students play two or more varsity sports, choosing from 13 teams. Other activities — from yoga to strength training to dance — inspire healthy, active lifestyles.

“I came to Solebury already knowing that I wanted to be a student-athlete.

Now, thanks to our awesome coaches and trainers who’ve pushed me to be my best, I am ready to play in college.”

J ACO B , N E W H O P E PA

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“In grade school I did a lot of theater and music, but when I came here I thought, ‘I want to try sports.’ So I joined the field hockey team in ninth grade and now as a senior I’m a captain. It surprised me how easy it was to join a team at Solebury. My teammates have been awesome and the coaches are really here to push each of us to be our best. I also do track and field. My events are the 400, long jump and triple jump. I qualified for states in the long jump last year. I never thought I would see myself at states for track and field!”

L AKUMI, WEST WINDSOR NJ

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Students of all kinds thrive in Solebury’s ever-present music and arts scene.

Getting involved is only a drum beat away. One of every five Solebury students is involved in theater, from performing on stage to building sets or tech. Rock band concerts and coffee houses bring everyone together.

Students can choose from 57 art electives, and Arts Week highlights student work and brings local and national artists to campus for a week of performances, workshops and talks.

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“The coolest thing about Shakespeare is how physical you have to be. Shakespeare wrote plays, not novels, so you have to always remember to act out what you’re saying.

The arts are really core to our school. No matter if you do theater after school or you’re on the track team, you have this connection with the arts. It’s a way that we express ourselves.”

ER I K , L A N G H O R N E PA

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“At Solebury, I realized that I could connect to the arts. I didn’t have to be just ‘good at math.’

A lot of people say great engineers are actually great artists, because they look at the world in a different way. Photography has helped me see the world in new ways, and now I can’t live without it. It was my teacher at Solebury who discovered that quality in me.”

K RY S TA L , B EI J I N G C H I N A

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SOA R Discover your next adventure. Life is more than school, and a Solebury education goes beyond merely preparing you for college (though we do that very well).

We help students find more than just the right college. We ask them to discover what’s important to them and how they want to make a difference. This perspective creates people who — rather than feeling changed by the world — become a force for change in the world.

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“One important lesson I learned from my Solebury experience is that, in order to grow, I must continue to learn, to experience and explore new things.”

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“At Solebury, I learned the value of being my own unique and genuine self.”

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“As an international studies major, I was able to see how much Solebury contributed to my worldview and my understanding of global and environmental issues. Solebury helped me to be me, which sounds silly, but learning to persevere, think critically, and lead are valued at Solebury. Instead of having these traits disappear as I went through middle school and high school, they flourished.”

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“Graduates leave knowing how strong they are, how capable they are, but also that if they ever need someone they know how to find the support that they need. They’ve had a supportive experience that teaches them that they don’t have to go it alone.”

H A N N A H O W E, D O R M H E A D, L I B R A R I A N A N D EN G L I S H T E AC H ER

“The emphasis is on curiosity, going beyond the basics, developing one’s own mind, and applying ideas to larger issues in the world.

The partnership between students, teachers, and advisor is supportive in a way that could be a safety net when needed, but also a catapult to intellectual development beyond the average and ordinary.”

C H A R L I E G ROT H , PA R EN T

“Solebury helped me connect with people, and to speak and to write effectively. In my first year writing class at Cornell, I was fortunate enough to use the skills I learned at Solebury. I even earned a writing scholarship for a paper I wrote for my Management Communication class. To this day, I am grateful for my communication, public speaking class and US history classes at Solebury.”

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6832 Phillips Mill Road, New Hope PA 18938 215.862.5261 solebury.org