General Catalog 2015-16

GENERAL CATALOGUE 2015 . 2016 Kindergarten – Class XII

610 East 83rd Street New York, NY 10028 (212) 744-8582 www.brearley.org

20471_Cover.indd 1

8/6/15 10:20 AM

n The Brearley School, in observance of state and federal laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, disability or national or ethnic origin in administration of its admission, financial assistance, educational or other school policies. Every Brearley student is admitted to all of the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. n Brearley is chartered by and registered with the Education Department of the State of New York. It is accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools.

20471_Cover.indd 2

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Table of Contents Table of Contents

Mission Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 History of the School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Faculty and Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The Academic Program Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

The Lower School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

The Middle School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

The Upper School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Learning Beyond the Classroom Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Community Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Health and Guidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

The School Community

Student Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Staff and Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 College Advising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

College Entrance 2011–2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Greater Brearley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Endowed Funds of the Brearley School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 2015–2016 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Tuition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 School Office Hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Board of Trustees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

1 1

20471_Text.indd 1

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Mission Statement Mission Statement

The Brearley School challenges girls of adventurous intellect to think critically and creatively and prepares them for active, responsible citizenship in a democratic society. Within a diverse community and in partnership with dedicated faculty who teach across three divisions, students in Classes K through XII develop a command of many disciplines and a love of learning through the passionate exchange of ideas. Encouraging girls to balance individuality and collaboration further promotes the integrity essential to principled engagement in the world.

2 2

20471_Text.indd 2

8/6/15 10:20 AM

History of the School History of the School

The Brearley School was named for its founding Headmaster, Samuel A. Brearley, Jr. After graduating from Harvard in 1871, Mr. Brearley worked as a private tutor until 1880, when he went to study at Balliol College, Oxford. He came to New York in 1884, when it was commonly thought that “intellectual activity took the bloom from ladies,” and opened a school that was designed to provide young women with an education comparable to that available to their brothers. With courses in English, Greek, Latin, French, German, modern history, drawing, physics, botany, geography and geometry, the Brearley School offered strong preparation for college. An early graduate of the School later wrote that this “first intellectual experience had a novelty and excitement that it is almost impossible for a person born in the twentieth century to understand.”

When Mr. Brearley died of typhoid in December 1886, the School consisted of one hundred twenty pupils and a faculty of twenty. James G. Croswell, an Associate Professor of Greek at Harvard, served as the next Head until his death in 1915. Since 1930, Brearley has been led by five women Heads: Millicent Carey McIntosh, who came from Bryn Mawr College in 1930, went on to Barnard College in 1947 and later became its first president; Jean Fair Mitchell, who had taught in many institutions in the US as well as in her native Scotland; Evelyn J. Halpert, a Brearley alumna and former Head of the History Department, who became Head when Miss Mitchell retired in 1975; Dr. Priscilla M. Winn Barlow, a biologist, who had been Principal of Havergal College in Toronto before succeeding Mrs. Halpert in 1997; and Dr. Stephanie J. Hull, who taught French and women’s studies at Dartmouth College and was Assistant to the President and Secretary of the College at Mount Holyoke before serving as Head of the School from 2003 to 2011. Jane Foley Fried became the fifteenth Head of Brearley in the fall of 2012, following Dr. Winn Barlow, who returned to the School as Interim Head for the 2011–2012 academic year. Ms. Fried previously held the position of Assistant Head for Enrollment, Research and Planning and Dean of Admission at Phillips Academy in Andover, MA.

Brearley outgrew its original quarters on East 45th Street when it added a primary program to its six-year college preparatory sequence, moving twice before commissioning its current building in 1929. Following that move, the school day was extended to include the afternoon. At the same time, social service projects and other outside activities introduced students to a wider world around them in the city. In its eighty-six-year tenure on 83rd Street, the School has undertaken many renovation programs, most notably expanding its library, art and science facilities; creating space for a Common Room on the first floor; and adding two stories to the building. The School also purchased a twenty-unit apartment building (1989) on East 77th Street that provides faculty housing and built a Field House (1997) on East 87th Street, which contains regulation-sized basketball and volleyball courts and other facilities. In May 2010, the School acquired a threebuilding parcel at 70–74 East End Avenue, and in February 2015, the Board of Trustees announced its decision to add new programming and instructional space at that site and renovate the schoolhouse on 83rd Street.

3 3

20471_Text.indd 3

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Administration Administration Head of School

Jane Foley Fried

Administration

Chief Financial Officer

Rahul Tripathi

Dean of Academic Life

James Mulkin, Jr.

Director of Athletics

Tammy Zazuri

Director of College Advising

Carolyn W. Clark

Director of Community Life

Michelle Wonsley

Director of Development

Anne S. Bergen

Director of Institutional Advancement

Lewise H. Lucaire

Director of Lower School Admission

Winifred M. Mabley

Director of Middle and Upper School Admission & Financial Assistance

Joan Kaplan

Director of Technology

Lal Abraham

Head of the Lower School (K–IV)

Maria-Anna Zimmermann

Head of the Middle School (V–VIII)

Tasha Elsbach

Head of the Upper School (IX–XII)

Evelyn Segal

Department Heads

Art

Dale Emmart

Classics

Tom Wright

Drama

Robert D. Duke, Jr.

English

Katherine Barrett Swett ’78

History

Robert Raoul Meyer

Learning Skills

Alice Kessler

Library

Amy Chow

Mathematics

Maggie Maluf

Modern Languages

Sylvie Lucile

Music

Matthew Aiken

Physical Education

Sirkka McMenamin

Science

James Karb

4 4

20471_Text.indd 4

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Faculty and Staff Faculty and Staff

JANE FOLEY FRIED, Head of School

B.A., Bowdoin College; M.A., Tufts University ***PATRICIA AAKRE, Librarian B.A., University of Iowa; M.L.I.S., Pratt Institute School of Information and Library Science MICHAEL ABBOTT, Piano

B.Mus., Hampshire College, California Institute of the Arts; Charles Banacos, Lennie Tristano, Roland Hanna LAL ABRAHAM, Director of Technology

B.Sc., Middlesex University; Member British Computer Society, CITP MATTHEW AIKEN, Head of the Music Department, Percussion

B.Mus., University of Oregon; M.Mus., Eastman School of Music; John Beck, Charles Dowd FUNKE AKINOLA, Room Teacher, Class II

B.A., Hunter College; Certificate, Wesley Teachers Training College, Ghana ORREN ALPERSTEIN, Admission Assistant

B.A., Vassar College; M.B.A., Columbia University; M.S.Ed., Bank Street College of Education JULIÁN ALTSCHUL, Mathematics

B.A., Rice University; M.Ed., Hunter College ERIC ANTANITUS, Webmaster; Technologist

B.F.A., New York University; M.S., Polytechnic Institute of New York University VERONICA ARZENO, Admission Assistant

B.A., Bucknell University; M.S.Ed., Bank Street College of Education; M.S.W., Columbia University School of Social Work CLEVELETTE AUSTIN, Assistant CFO; Controller

B.A., University of the West Indies; M.B.A., Dowling College; CMA MICHAEL BALDWIN, Drama, Advisor, Class IX

B.A. Skidmore College; Graduate Study, City College, CUNY MARISA BALLARO, Dance; Advisor, Class VI

B.A., SUNY Brockport BRITTANY BANASZAK, Administrative Assistant to the Directors of

Admission and Financial Assistance B.A., St. Joseph’s Univeristy DINA D. BARKER, Physical Education

B.S., SUNY New Paltz

*** Sabbatical Leave, 2015–2016

5 5

20471_Text.indd 5

8/6/15 10:20 AM

JENNIFER M. BARTOLI, Graphic Design and Communications Manager

B.A., East Stroudsburg University ANNE S. BERGEN, Director of Development

B.A., Colgate University KARIN BERNSTEIN, Assistant Head of the Lower School; Mathematics

Coordinator; Co-Supervisor of Associate Teachers B.S., Penn State University; M.Ed., Bank Street College of Education MARIAN R. BICKS, Admission Assistant

B.A., Wellesley College; M.A.T., Harvard University NATHAN BLANEY, Art, Carpentry

B.F.A., University of Rhode Island; Graduate Study, Parsons School of Design and Teachers College, Columbia University SHERI L. BLAU, Mathematics

B.S., University of Michigan; M.A., Teachers College, Columbia University RUTH BODELL, Lower School Associate

B.A., Bowdoin College, M.Ed., Bank Street College of Education GREGG BORNFELD, Accountant

B.A., Queens College, CUNY KARA BOULTINGHOUSE, Admission Assistant

B.A., Boston University; M.Ed., Hunter College of Education CAITLIN BRADLEY, Mathematics; Room Teacher, Class VI

B.A., Dickinson College; M.A., Teachers College, Columbia University MATTHEW BRADY, Music; Advisor, Class IX

B.Mus., Eastman School of Music; Artist/Teacher Diploma, Association for Choral Music Education; Seymour Bernstein, Doreen Rao CYNTHIA BRAUER, Admission Assistant

B.A., Colgate University; M.S., Hunter College TINA BRISTOL, Admission Assistant

B.S., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute TIM BROWNELL, Drama; Head of Classes V, VI and VII

B.A., Middlebury College YESENIA BROWNELL, Room Teacher, Kindergarten

B.A., Brown University; M.S., Bank Street College of Education MARTIN BURMAN, Guitar

B.A., Bard College; M.A., Wesleyan University; Graduate Study, Teachers College, Columbia University; Happy Traum, Woody Mann ANNIE SPADER BYERLY, Room Teacher, Kindergarten

B.A., Wellesley College; M.S., Hunter College of Education PAUL J. BYRNES, Science; Room Teacher, Class XI

B.S., SUNY Buffalo; M.S., Pace University

6 6

20471_Text.indd 6

8/6/15 10:20 AM

LAUREN CARRELLA, Class V Associate Teacher

B.A., Stonehill College; M.S.Ed., Bank Street College of Education ENVER CASIMIR, History; Advisor, Class X

A.B., Harvard University; Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill CAROLINE CHANG ’08, Spanish; Associate Teacher, Classes VIII and IX; Room

Teacher, Class IX B.A., Yale University PHILLIP CHEAH, Choral Accompanist

B.S., M.Mus., Indiana University ANNIE CHEUNG-LIVHITS, Science

B.A., Colgate University SARAI CHICO, Administrative Assistant to the Head of the Middle School

Lehman College, CUNY AMY CHOW, Head Librarian, Department Head

B.Mus., McGill University; M.L.I.S., Dalhousie University, Halifax ***REBECCA CHYNSKY, Room Teacher, Kindergarten

B.A., Ithaca College; M.A., Hunter College; M.S.Ed., Bank Street College of Education LUIGI CICALA, Art

B.A., Colorado College; M.F.A., The New York Academy of Art ANALISA CIPRIANO, Assistant Director of College Advising; Advisor, Class X

B.A., Connecticut College; M.A., Ed.M. Teachers College, Columbia University JOSEPH CIVITA, Food Service Consultant

New York Community College CAROLYN W. CLARK, Director of College Advising; Advisor, Class XII

B.A., Wesleyan University; M.P.A., Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs DORIS COLEMAN, Director of Construction and Facilities; Advisor, Class VII

B.S., Cornell University; M.B.A., Pepperdine University JOHN COOGAN, Security Supervisor BENDA CRAIG, Accountant

B.S., York College KENNETH M. CRONIN, JR., Building Superintendent LILLIAN DARCHÉ, Learning Skills

B.A., Lehigh University; M.S., Bank Street College of Education JOSEPHINE B. DAVID ’61, Director of Communications

B.A., Wellesley College; Graduate Study, University of Oxford; M.A., New York University LEILANI DELEON, Administrative Assistant to the Registrar JENELLÉ DEODATH, Administrative Assistant to the Head of the Lower School

B.S., M.S., New York Institute of Technology JILL DIJOSEPH, Receptionist

Fordham University, New School for Social Research, Hunter College

7 7

20471_Text.indd 7

8/6/15 10:20 AM

CELIA DILLON, Librarian

B.A., College of the Holy Cross; M.L.I.S., Queens College JEAN S. DREW, Science; Advisor, Class XII

A.B., Harvard University; Ph.D., University of Virginia MARIA DUCKETT, Special Assistant to the Head of School

B.A., Loyola University (Maryland); M.A., New York University ROBERT D. DUKE, JR., Head of the Drama Department

B.A., Williams College ALEXANDRA SNYDER DUNBAR, Harpsichord

B.Mus., Manhattan School of Music; M.Mus., Juilliard School; Phillip Kawin, Lionel Party ***TASHA ELSBACH, Head of the Middle School

B.A., Yale University; M.A., Teachers College, Columbia University DALE EMMART, Head of the Art Department; Advisor, Class VI

B.F.A., Cooper Union School of Art; M.F.A., The Rhode Island School of Design PIETRO ENNIS, Computer Educator/Technology Integrator; Advisor, Class VIII

B.F.A., New York Institute of Technology; M.A., Teachers College, Columbia University ARLENE FABIO, Director of Human Resources

B.A., Tufts University; M.B.A., Clark Atlanta University HEATHER FARLOW, Business Office Assistant

B.S., Rutgers University; M.P.H., University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey J. ERIC FISHER, Respect and Responsibility Program

B.A., Susquehanna University; M.A., New York University; Graduate Study, University of Oxford PAUL FOGLINO, Mathematics; Advisor, Class XII

B.A., B.S., Columbia University ROBERTA D. FRANK, Piano

B.Mus., M.Mus., Manhattan School of Music DARCY R. FRYER, History; Advisor, Class X

B.A., University of Michigan; M.A., Ph.D., Yale University YUSI GAO, Mandarin; Room Teacher, Class VIII

B.A., Hebei University; M.A., New York University; Graduate Study, Irkutsk State Linguistic University ANNE GARCIA, Admission Assistant

B.A., Wheaton College; M.S.Ed., Bank Street College of Education ASHLEY GARRETT, Admission Assistant

A.B., Smith College; M.B.A., Harvard Business School PHOEBE T. GEER ’97, Assistant Director of Development

B.A., Williams College; J.D., University of Virginia School of Law ELIZABETH GEIGER, Lower School Associate

B.A., Connecticut College

8 8

20471_Text.indd 8

8/6/15 10:20 AM

ANDREA M. GILROY, Mathematics; Advisor, Class VI

B.A., Hartwick College; M.A., SUNY Stony Brook DEBRA EVE GLICK, Mathematics; Room Teacher, Class XII

B.A., Hunter College; M.A., New York University MARSHA GOMEZ, Food Service Manager ***ANNABEL GORDON, Cello

B.Mus., Mannes College of Music; Timothy Eddy, Jerry Grossman NATASHA GRAY, History

B.A., Bryn Mawr College; M.A., Ph.D., Columbia University YONGSOO HA, Network Administrator

B.S., Cornell University; Graduate Study, Syracuse University; New School/Institute of Audio Research BELINDA HAAS, Learning Skills

B.A., Leicester Polytechnic; M.A., University of Minnesota; M.A., Teachers College, Columbia University HOWARD HALL, Music, Violin

B.Mus., Mannes College of Music; Graduate Study, SUNY Stony Brook; Teachers College, Columbia University; Vladimir Graffman, Paul Zukofsky KIMBERLEE HALPERIN, School Counselor

B.A., University of Pennsylvania; M.A., New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development THOMAS L. HARRISON, History

B.A., University of California, Berkeley; M.Phil., Columbia University; Graduate Study, University of Washington MARILYN HEINEMAN, Learning Skills

B.A., Thiel College; M.A., M.Ed., Teachers College, Columbia University ***KATHERINE A. HENDERSON, Physical Education; Advisor, Class XII

B.S., SUNY Cortland; M.S., University of New Hampshire CAREY HICKEY, Physical Education

B.A., M.A., Manhattanville College HANNAH HOAR, Lower School Associate

B.A., Hamilton College NANCY KELLERMAN HOUGH, Cello

B.A., Lehman College, CUNY; M.Mus., Manhattan School of Music; Evangeline Benedetti, Timothy Eddy JACQUES F. HOUIS, French

B.A., Temple University; M.A., New York University GRACE HSU, Cello

B.F.A., Carnegie Mellon University; Suzuki Teacher Training, The School for Strings; Graduate Study, Teachers College, Columbia University; Jerome Carrington, Anne Martindale-Williams, Katherine Brainard

9 9

20471_Text.indd 9

8/6/15 10:20 AM

KATHRYN HUNTER, Room Teacher, Class IV

B.Ed., Plymouth University; Graduate Study, Teachers College, Columbia University MARINA JACKSON, Computer Educator/Technology Integrator

A.B., Harvard University; M.A., Teachers College, Columbia University WHITNEY JACOBS, Physical Education, Dance; Advisor, Class VIII

B.F.A., Ohio University; M.F.A., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee ***KATE JAVENS, Art

C.F.A., Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts JOYCE E. JERDEN, Receptionist

University of Missouri; Johns Hopkins University KARYN JOAQUINO, Music; Advisor, Class X

A.B., Princeton University; M.A., Teachers College, Columbia University; Clifford Herzer, JosĂŠ Ramos-Santana HEATHER JOHNSTON, Lower School Associate

B.A., Haverford College; M.S.Ed., Bank Street College of Education KATHARINE JONES, Art

B.A., Columbia University; M.F.A., University of New Mexico JOAN KAPLAN, Director of Middle and Upper School Admission and

Financial Assistance; Advisor, Class XI B.A., SUNY Buffalo; M.A., New School for Social Research JAMES KARB, Head of the Science Department

Sc.B., M.A., Brown University BRENNA KELLY, Development Associate for Events and Social Media

B.A., Davidson College RACHEL KERCHMAN, Mathematics; Room Teacher, Class VIII

B.A., Bucknell University; M.A., Johns Hopkins University ALICE KESSLER, Head of the Learning Skills Department

B.A., Boston University; M.A., California State University JIA KIM, Cello

B.Mus., M.Mus., The Julliard School; Joel Krosnick JU YEON KIM, Room Teacher, Kindergarten

B.A., Smith College; M.A., Teachers College, Columbia University JEE LEONG KOH, English

B.A., University of Oxford; M.A., Sarah Lawrence College; Postgraduate Diploma in Education, National Institute of Education, Singapore MARIA KOUREPENOS, Admission Assistant

A.B., Princeton University SHEILA KRAMER, Science; Room Teacher and Head of Classes VIII and IX

B.A., Truman State University; M.F.A., Kent State University; M.A., Columbia University

10 10

20471_Text.indd 10

8/6/15 10:20 AM

JOAN KRAUSE, Registrar; Voice

B.Mus.Ed., Northwestern University; M.Mus., Hartt School of Music; Artist’s Diploma, Cleveland Institute of Music; Maria Farnworth, Benton Hess TAMMY H. KUO, Mandarin

B.S., University of British Columbia; M.Ed., Boston College CHRISTOPHER LA MORTE, Physical Education, Gymnastics

University of New Mexico; B.S., Hunter College ANNA LAMBERT, Art

B.A., Eugene Lang College; B.A., Parsons School of Design; M.A., Teachers College, Columbia University PENELOPE JANE LEMIRE, Room Teacher, Class IV

B.A., Vassar College; M.A., Teachers College, Columbia University DOUGLAS LEVINE, Physical Education; Advisor, Class XI

B.S., University of Maryland; M.S., University of New Mexico LEWISE H. LUCAIRE, Director of Institutional Advancement

B.A., Southern Methodist University SYLVIE LUCILE, Head of the Modern Languages Department; Spanish

B.A., M.A., L’Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris 3 MAURA LYONS, Physical Education

B.S., SUNY Cortland WINIFRED M. MABLEY, Director of Lower School Admission

B.A., University of Pennsylvania; Graduate Study, Bank Street College of Education MAGGIE MALUF, Head of the Mathematics Department; Room Teacher, Class IX

A.B., Vassar College; M.A., Teachers College, Columbia University THOMAS M. MARCH, English

B.A., Northwestern University; M.A., Ph.D., New York University ALLISON MARCHESE, Physical Education

B.S., Southern Connecticut State University; M.S., Management of Sports Industries GAIL SUSSMAN MARCUS, History; Room Teacher, Class VII

B.A., Cornell University; M.A., M.Phil., Yale University RAQUEL MARTIN, Assistant to the Director of Facilities OLIVIA MARTINEZ, Viola, Violin

B.Mus., University of Massachusetts, Amherst; M.Mus., Mannes College of Music; Michelle La Course, Karen Ritscher KEVIN MCCOY, Learning Skills; Room Teacher, Class VI

B.A. Fordham University; M.Ed., Manhattanville College; M.S. Fordham University JAMES MCDONALD, English, History, Geography; Room Teacher, Class V

B.A., Dickinson College; M.Ed., Rutgers University PETER MCKAY, Development Database Manager

B.A., James Madison University

11 11

20471_Text.indd 11

8/6/15 10:20 AM

SIRKKA L. MCMENAMIN, Head of the Physical Education Department;

Advisor, Class VIII B.S., Helsinki University; M.A., Brigham Young University ARACELIS MEDINA, Executive Assistant to the Head of School

B.A., Lehman College, CUNY ELIZABETH MÉGROZ, Room Teacher, Class III

B.A., M.A.T., Hobart and William Smith College DANIELLE MEINRATH, Classics, Advisor, Class X

B.A., University of Cambridge; M.St., University of Oxford; Ph.D., Princeton University VALERIE MENDELSON ’75, History; Advisor, Class VII

A.B., Harvard University; M.F.A., Brooklyn College, CUNY; Ph.D., CUNY REBECCA MEYER, Lower School Associate

B.A., Skidmore College; M.A., Bank Street College of Education ROBERT RAOUL MEYER, Head of the History Department

A.B., Brown University; Ed.M., Teachers College, Columbia University; J.D., New York University School of Law LISA MILLER ’09, Development Assistant

B.A., The George Washington University ANA MILOSAVLJEVIC, Violin

B.Mus., The University of Novi Sad, The Academy of Arts, Serbia; Professional Studies Diploma and M. Mus., Mannes College The New School for Music; Lewis Kaplan, Muneko Otani, Maja Jokanovic JOHN MITCHELL, Physical Education

B.S., Manhattan College JAMES MULKIN, JR., Dean of Academic Life; Classics; Advisor, Class XI

B.A., University of the South; M.F.A., Carnegie-Mellon University; M.A., Ph.D., CUNY ARIELLE MULLER, Lower School Associate

B.S., University of Vermont; M.Ed., Hunter College ERICA MUÑOZ-GONZALEZ, Library Assistant

B.S.W., University of Cincinnati; M.S.W., Fordham University AMY NAGLER, Admission Assistant

B.A., Johns Hopkins University; J.D., The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law AHMED NAJM, Mathematics; Room Teacher, Class VII

B.A., Boston University; M.A., Relay Graduate School of Education KAREN A. NEDBAL, Science

B.A., Vassar College; M.Ed., Harvard University; Graduate Study, Teachers College, Columbia University PATRICIA ANN NEELY, Double Bass, Recorder

B.A., Vassar College; M.F.A., Sarah Lawrence College JANE NEWMAN, Senior Editor, Communications and Development;

Assistant to College Advising Office B.A., Kenyon College; Graduate Study, New York University

12 12

20471_Text.indd 12

8/6/15 10:20 AM

VIRGINIE S. NIEDERMAYER, French

Maîtrise en Droit, University of Paris II-Assas; LL.M., University of Pennsylvania JADE NOIK, Lower School Associate

B.A., Brown University NICOLE NOUNOU, Lower School Associate

B.A., Mount Holyoke College; M.Ed., City College MOLLY O’BRIEN, Lower School Associate

B.S., College of the Holy Cross NIAMH O’DONNELL, Admission Assistant

B.A., Trinity College, Dublin; M.A., Columbia University JOHN O’GALLAGHER, Saxophone

M.M., Manhattan School of Music; B.M., Berklee College of Music ERIN OKABE-JAWDAT ’06, Math Associate, ipad Coordinator

B.A., Connecticut College ERIN OLSEN, Librarian

B.Ed., Indiana University; M.L.I.S., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee ELIZABETH A. OSWALD, Annual Fund Director

B.A., University of Virginia ZACHARY PAPAS, Room Teacher, Class I

B.A., University of California Berkeley; M.A., Teachers College, Columbia University KARL PARANYA, Mathematics; Room Teacher, Class IX

B.S., Haverford College ALLISON PATRICK ’02, Science; Lab Assistant

B.A., Tufts University; M.Arch., Columbia University EMILY PERRY, Administrative Assistant to Head of Classes VIII and IX

and to the Director of Community Life B.A., Smith College EMILY PETERS, Associate Director of Admission

B.A. Kenyon College; M.F.A., New York University DIANA PETRELLA, Clarinet

B.Mus., M.Mus., Canterbury Christchurch University; David Campbell, Leon Russianoff JOY PLAISTED, Harp

B.Mus., University of Minnesota; M.Mus., The Juilliard School; Graduate Study, Conservatoire de Musique, Genève LISA A. POLLACK, Administrative Assistant to the Head of the Upper School

B.A., Beloit College ALISON POLLOCK, Director of Clubhouse

B.S., Tulane University; M.Ed., Bank Street College of Education FREDI POMERANCE, Admission Assistant

B.A., Cornell University; M.A., New York University

13 13

20471_Text.indd 13

8/6/15 10:20 AM

SCOTT POMERANTZ, Drama

B.F.A., Five Towns College MICHELE POST, Admission Assistant

B.A., Smith College; M.P.H., Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University NAOMI PRESS, Admission Assistant

B.S., Cornell University; M.P.P.M., Yale University PENNY PRIOR, Computer Educator/Technology Integrator; Room Teacher,

Class VI B.A., Georgetown University; M.S., Bank Street College of Education EILEEN RACANELLI, B.S.N., R.N., School Nurse

B.S.N., C.W. Post College, Long Island University; Diploma, Queens Hospital Center School of Nursing MELISSA RASO, Admission Assistant

B.S., Georgetown University; M.B.A., Columbia University JUDITH REIBEL, Educational Consultant, Lower School

B.A., Smith College; M.A., Teachers College, Columbia University DARSHANIE RISHUDEO, Director of Activities WANDA RIVERA-RIVERA, Spanish

B.A., M.A., University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras; Ph.D., Harvard University FANNY ROCHETEAU, French

M.A., Université du Maine; M.A., University of Arkansas KEBA ROGERS, Director of Counseling and Wellness

B.A., M.A., Ph.D., SUNY Buffalo HEYDEN WHITE ROSTOW ’67, English; Advisor, Class XI

A.B., Harvard University; M.A., Cambridge University; Graduate Study, Columbia University YE RUAN, Mandarin

B.A., Shanghai Normal University; M.S., University of Bridgeport ANA SABATER, Spanish

B.S., M.S., Universidad Compultense de Madrid; M.S., Universidad Pontificia de Comillas, ICADE, Madrid; M.Ed., Manhattanville College School of Education TARA NEELAKANTAPPA SAFRONOFF, English; Advisor, Class XI

A.B., Amherst College; M.A., Graduate Study, Columbia University SUSAN SAGOR, English; Advisor, Class X

Mount Holyoke College; B.A., Hunter College; M.A., M.Phil., CUNY LAURA SCHMIDT, Room Teacher, Class I

B.A., MacMurray College; Graduate Study, Teachers College, Columbia University FRANCESCA SCHWARTZ, Consulting Psychologist

B.A., Tufts University; M.A., Ph.D., New School for Social Research FIARA SEALY, Administrative Assistant to the Dean of Academic Life

B.A., Simmons College

14 14

20471_Text.indd 14

8/6/15 10:20 AM

EVELYN SEGAL, Head of the Upper School; Mathematics

Sc.B., Brown University; M.A., Teachers College, Columbia University LAURIE SEMINARA, Science; Room Teacher, Class X

B.S., Barnard College; M.A., Ed.D., Columbia University KARA SIEGEL, Physical Education

B.S., University of Michigan; M.A., Teachers College, Columbia University KATHERINE SILBERSTEIN, Lower School Associate

B.A., Bates College HELAINE L. SMITH, English

A.B., Boston University; M.A., Hunter College IVAN SMITH, Building Night Supervisor

A.A.S., Bronx Community College LORRE SNYDER, Physical Education; Advisor, Class VII

B.S., SUNY Brockport; Graduate Study, Teachers College, Columbia University CLAYTON SQUIRE, Science; Advisor, Class XII

A.B., Harvard University; M.A., San Francisco State University; M.A., Teachers College, Columbia University ELIZABETH STAINTON ’77, Art; Advisor, Class IX

B.A., Wesleyan University KASANDRA STARK, Science

B.S., University of Rhode Island; M.A., Brooklyn College JUDY STEIN, Admission Assistant

A.B., Barnard College; Ed.M., Smith College KELLY STEIN, Lower School Associate

B.A., Marist College DARYL GURIAN STERN, Alumnae Relations Manager

B.A., Brandeis University JONATHAN STOLER, Physical Education

B.A., Arizona State University; M.A.T., Manhattanville College DHIMAS SUGIARTO, Information Technologist; Systems Administrator

Music Business and Audio Engineering, Five Towns College; A+ Training and Certification, Thomson NETg; Mac OS X Server Essentials, Apple Training AKIYO SUZUKI, Music

B.A., Musashino Academia Musicae, Tokyo; M.A., New York University; Kodály Certificate, New York University KATHERINE BARRETT SWETT ’78, Head of the English Department;

Advisor, Class XII A.B., Harvard University; M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D., Columbia University MARC SZAMMER, Violin

B.Mus., M.Mus and PDPL, Mannes College The New School For Music; Sally Thomas

15 15

20471_Text.indd 15

8/6/15 10:20 AM

YUE TANG, Mandarin

B.A., Beijing Union University; M.A., Point Park University; Coursework at University of Pittsburgh; TCFL, Beijing Language and Culture University DAWN E. TENEV, Room Teacher, Class V

B.A., University of Massachusetts; M.S., Wheelock College DARA M. TESSE, Art, Ceramics

B.A., Wellesley College; M.A., New York University; Graduate Study, Bank Street College of Education MELINDA THALER, Admission Assistant

B.S., Cornell University; J.D., George Washington Law School SHARON THOMAS, Educational Consultant, Upper School And Middle School

B.A., Georgetown University; M.S., University College London; M.S., Hunter College School of Education RANDI TIMAN, Room Teacher, Class I; Co-Supervisor of Associate Teachers

B.A., SUNY Binghamton JOCELYN TRAN, Athletic Trainer

B.H.S., University of Missouri; M.S., Seton Hall University RAHUL TRIPATHI, Chief Financial Officer

B.A., Trinity University; M.A., Claremont Graduate School ELISABETH UMLANDT, Play and Crafts Program

Kindergarten Teachers’ School Marienheim, Salzkotten/Westfalen JEFFREY VENHO, Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn

B.Mus., M.Mus., The Juilliard School; William Vacchiano, Vince Penzarella SABINE WEILER VERDESOTO, CPA, Associate Director of Finance

B.A., Claremont McKenna College RENATE VON HUETZ ’72, English

B.A., Sarah Lawrence College ELIZABETH WARREN, Room Teacher, Class II

B.S., Skidmore College; M.A., Teacher’s College, Columbia University TISH WEBSTER, Photography; Advisor, Class IX

B.A., New College of the University of South Florida FRANCES S. WHEELER, Learning Skills

A.B, Vassar College; M.A., Teachers College, Columbia University RICHARD T. WHITE, Science

B.A., Goddard College; M.S., University of Vermont ANN WOZENCRAFT WILLEY, Admission Assistant

A.B., Princeton University; M.S., Columbia Journalism School; M.B.A., Columbia Business School KRISTEN WILLIAMS, Administrative Assistant to the Director of Athletics

B.A., Iona College LAURIE WILLIAMS, Classics; Advisor, Class XII

B.A., Wellesley College; Graduate Study, University of Pennsylvania

16 16

20471_Text.indd 16

8/6/15 10:20 AM

SHERRI WOLF, English; Advisor, Class XI

B.A., Yale College; M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D., Columbia University MICHELLE WONSLEY, Director of Community Life; Advisor, Class X

B.A., Spelman College; M.B.A., M.I.L.R., Cornell University TOM WRIGHT, Head of the Classics Department

B.A., Dickinson College; M.A., Ph.D., University of Virginia CORALIE (COCO) HINES YANG, Room Teacher, Class III

B.A., Connecticut College; M.A., Teachers College, Columbia University ***HUI YIN, Mandarin

B.A., Beijing University; Graduate Study, Harvard University ALYSSA YOUNG, Lower School Associate

B.A., Bryn Mawr College REVA YOUNGSTEIN, Flute

B.Mus., Manhattan School of Music; M.Mus., Yale University School of Music; Julius Baker, Ransom Wilson TAMMY ZAZURI, Director of Athletics; Advisor, Class XII

B.S., University of Delaware MARIA-ANNA ZIMMERMANN, Head of the Lower School

Julliard Pre-College; B.A., Barnard College; M.Mus., Manhattan School of Music; M.S.Ed., Bank Street College of Education; Violin: Louise Behrend, Hamao Fujiwara ELLEN ZWEIG, Admission Assistant

B.A., Barnard College; M.A., Harvard Graduate School of Education

17 17

20471_Text.indd 17

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Academic Program Academic Program

At Brearley, students learn to think for themselves and to challenge assumptions. From Kindergarten on, they relish the work of sifting and evaluating the wealth of information available to them, and they rejoice in the life of the mind. Our curriculum is the product of the collective expertise of a highly skilled faculty and is guided by the belief that preparation for the demands of the future is based on a strong foundation in the liberal arts disciplines.

Small section sizes ensure that students probe ideas daily—their own, their classmates’ or their teachers’—as well as those of Charles Darwin, Zora Neale Hurston, Mohandas Gandhi or Martha Graham, among others. Teachers balance the intellectual appetite of eager students with developmentally appropriate experiences that they can fully assimilate. The increasing choice of courses teaches lessons in independence and individuality, so that by the time a girl graduates she has assumed ownership of the shape of her educational program.

Brearley encourages each girl to consider her own learning style, or how she approaches and absorbs what she is taught. This focus begins with the strategies that help girls learn to read and write in the Lower School and continues with attention to how they complete homework in the Middle School. In the Upper School, as they begin to tailor their own course programs, girls are able to take into account their personal academic strengths as well as their interests so that they can both continue to develop skills and exploit, with growing exuberance, those they have mastered.

Teachers are eager to give appropriate help in individual sessions or in small groups. Occasionally, especially in the lower grades, a student may benefit from help provided by learning specialists and faculty in the Learning Skills Department as a regular part of the school program. The department works closely with the teachers in all divisions of the School, and every effort is made to identify issues and develop helpful strategies early on.

The faculty is made up of teachers at all stages of their careers, from talented novices to masters of the art. What draws them to Brearley is the triple inspiration of talented, spirited students; dedicated, thoughtful colleagues; and the high level of intellectual work that all participate in together. With most of the faculty teaching in more than one division of the School, their experience with students at several stages of learning informs thinking about how the curriculum should develop. A math teacher may well teach BC Calculus and Class IV, for example, and art teachers regularly teach both Class II and Class XII. Cross-divisional teaching allows faculty the satisfaction of watching students grow and often leads to lifelong friendships between students and their former teachers. Academic excellence at Brearley is dynamic: it grows out of responses to what happens in the classroom and exploration within departments, and it is further stimulated by a cross-fertilization of ideas within the larger school community and the world.

18 18

20471_Text.indd 18

8/6/15 10:20 AM

The Lower School The Lower School

The Brearley Lower School cultivates an environment in which life is conducted with honesty, kindness, respect, responsibility and courage. Problem-solving skills and the expression of ideas and character development, along with the acquisition and exploration of a language base, are the primary focus of the Lower School. Full of energy, enthusiasm and curiosity, Brearley’s K–IV students inspire their peers and their teachers to learn and think in interesting and varied ways. The School encourages integrity and dignity in its youngest students, as well as mindfulness that they exist not only as individuals but as members of a community of eager learners.

There are many opportunities for responsibility and independence on the Lower School floors and, as the girls grow more autonomous, throughout the School. At first, they may act as messengers and visit other classrooms on the Lower School floors at snack time; later on, as they become more adept at individual decision making, they take on the responsibility of unchaperoned trips to the gym, art studios or cafeteria on more distant floors. While the homeroom is the center of the girls’ academic and social lives, they congregate weekly in assemblies to share songs, plays and recitations and to welcome guest speakers on topics such as the history of jazz, children’s literature and caring for rescued wildlife.

The development of character forms a substantial part of the Lower School curriculum. Children who are learning how to express and manage their personality display a broad range of behavior as they explore notions of cooperation, respect and community responsibility. In addition to service projects and the beehive of daily life in every homeroom, studying literature and drama helps girls to think beyond themselves. In all Lower School classes, much conversation about peer conflicts and social dynamics arises from reading and other activities. With teachers as guides, Lower School students establish the social and academic skills that will support their learning and growth throughout a lifetime of education.

19 19

20471_Text.indd 19

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Kindergarten Kindergarten

LANGUAGE ARTS: phonics, reading and writing through multi-disciplinary

activities; reading aloud from various genres; oral expression through discussion and presentation; general introduction to letter formation; self-expression through creative writing.

MATHEMATICS: number relationships; number combinations to ten; sorting

and classification of objects; measurement of length, weight and time; attributes of shapes; data collection and recording; identification, description and extension of patterns.

SOCIAL STUDIES: an exploration of how basic needs are met, families are

constituted and holidays are observed in similar and different ways throughout the world.

SCIENCE: study of motion and forces, using marbles; behavior, anatomical

structure and ecology of gerbils and earthworms and their relationships to the rest of the animal kingdom; characteristics of leaves; water on Earth; sinking and floating; dissolving and evaporating; day and night.

WORK AND PLAY: time to play, learn, explore and experience through role

playing and problem solving; block building, board games, puzzles and self-initiated art projects.

RESPECT AND RESPONSIBILITY: weekly class using book discussions, art

projects, dramatic role playing, movement and theater games to focus on character, friendship and resolving conflicts.

LIBRARY: weekly period for listening to stories, working on story-related

projects and checking out books.

ART: exploration of many media through work in two and three dimensions;

development of strong fine motor skills.

CRAFTS: three-dimensional art projects; lifelong skills such as sewing.

MUSIC: exploration of high and low, loud and soft, slow and fast, up and

down, and beat and rhythm through singing and percussion instruments.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION: one gymnastics, one dance and three physical

education classes a week focus on independent skills and creative movement, as well as introduce spatial awareness, body control and basic locomotor skills development through exploration and guided discovery; gymnastics: preparatory movements and basic body positions on the apparatus; dance: utilizing resources including musical instruments and story books to enhance learning of movement vocabulary.

SERVICE LEARNING: various activities and projects to benefit All Souls

Soup Kitchen.

 

20 20

20471_Text.indd 20

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Class I Class I

LANGUAGE ARTS: reading in small groups using phonics and whole language;

plays, poetry and stories for guided reading; focus on oral expression, comprehension and analytical skills as well as handwriting and spelling.

CREATIVE WRITING: emphasis on writing freely from the imagination and

from the inspiration of literature; story structure, sequencing of events and character development; elementary editing of grammar and punctuation.

MATHEMATICS: place value; number relationships and properties; number com-

binations to 20; creation and solution of story problems; measurement of length, weight and time; identification and classification of 2-D and 3-D shapes; organization, representation and comparison of data; creation, description and extension of patterns.

SOCIAL STUDIES: a yearlong study of New York City, beginning with

community and neighborhood and expanding to the five boroughs with attention to geography, history, landmarks and transportation, and to individual differences and similarities within the classroom community.

SCIENCE: properties of air and aerodynamics; comparative study of human and

animal teeth; behavior, anatomical structure and ecology of mollusks using land snails and their relationship to the rest of the animal kingdom; seed germination; bird anatomy and identification; states of matter exploring change of state, the water cycle, and weather; the solar system.

MANDARIN: movement, games and elementary vocabulary designed for a

playful introduction to oral communication in a second language.

RESPECT AND RESPONSIBILITY: continuation of the program begun in

Kindergarten.

LIBRARY: weekly period for listening to stories, learning the location of fiction

and nonfiction, checking out books; a unit on stories from around the world in the second semester.

ART: introduction to the tools, techniques, materials and practices of the art

studio: an accordion bookmaking project that records the journey of a dot as it becomes a line, journeys through space and takes on different characteristics; basic concepts associated with image making, such as shape, texture, contrast, pattern, color mixing and composition.

CRAFTS: continuation of program begun in Kindergarten.

MUSIC: introduction to rhythmic and five-line staff notation; songs sung during

the year are collected in a music book that grows through the Lower School years.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION: one gymnastics, one dance and three physical education

classes each week, including one double period, focus on locomotor and basic sports skills such as throwing, catching and dribbling, and jumping and landing; swimming for one trimester; dance: study of Isadora Duncan and, in conjunction with science program, developing and performing dances about nature.

SERVICE LEARNING: See Kindergarten.

21 21

20471_Text.indd 21

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Class II Class II

LANGUAGE ARTS: reading in small groups with focus on oral expression,

comprehension and analytical skills, with weekly phonics rules and spelling practice; handwriting and grammar.

CREATIVE WRITING: emphasis on the stages of the writing process; introduction

to free-form poetry.

MATHEMATICS: place value; estimation; addition and subtraction; introductory

multiplication and division; introduction to fractions and decimals; money; properties of numbers; units of measurement; identification and classification of 2-D and 3-D shapes; data analysis; number patterns.

SOCIAL STUDIES: recent topics have included exploration of students’ family

histories; indigenous culture of Eastern Woodland Native Americans with emphasis on the Lenape; life in New Amsterdam; leaders in the civil rights movement and the influence of jazz, art and poetry as unifying forces in American society.

SCIENCE: study of rocks and minerals; geological change; behavior, anatomical

structure and ecology of snakes; measurement of length, volume and mass; structure and growth requirements of green plants; sound, light and heat energy; structure and function of the eye and ear; stars.

MANDARIN: in addition to the activities of Class I, first explorations of simple

character writing, including pinyin, and basic sentence building; continued exploration of Chinese culture.

RESPECT AND RESPONSIBILITY: continuation of program begun in

Kindergarten.

LIBRARY: further building of skills and exploration of reading for pleasure; a

unit on versions of the Cinderella folktale and study of biographies using the database PebbleGo. TECHNOLOGY: introduction to computer graphics, including copying and pasting

objects; short writing projects; introduction to the file server, network login, saving and retrieving files; learning how to explore new programs.

ART: an exploration of visual density through the creation of overlapping

shapes. Subject matter varies but often considers the art of other cultures and areas explored in science, social studies and language arts.

MUSIC: expansion of rhythmic and intervallic vocabulary through songs with

richer texts and more complicated melodic structure; continued work with the full five-line staff and pentatonic melodies. Each girl who studies an instrument privately has the opportunity to perform in school-sponsored recitals.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION: one gymnastics, one dance and three physical education

classes each week continue to develop sports skills in static and dynamic situations; dance: jazz and ballet, and modern dance through the work of Merce Cunningham; gymnastics: begining to perform basic routines while continuing to refine movements, improving conditioning and increasing flexibility.

SERVICE LEARNING: See Kindergarten.

22 22

20471_Text.indd 22

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Class III Class III

LANGUAGE ARTS: reading aloud and silently in small groups, with an em-

phasis on the use of language and on ethical dilemmas; comprehension of plot, themes and characterization; inferential thinking; handwriting, punctuation, spelling and phonics; skits and presentation of a class play.

COMPOSITION: guided writing of a variety of assignments, non-fiction and

creative, in connection with the social studies curriculum.

MATHEMATICS: place value; whole number operations; relationships between

whole numbers, fractions and decimals; patterns and functions; comparison of 2-D and 3-D shapes; simplification of and solutions for simple number relationships; probability and data analysis.

SOCIAL STUDIES: a comparative study of civilizations in Asia that includes ge-

ography, culture, religious beliefs and traditions, and aesthetics. The curriculum is designed to shift between fieldwork in New York City, research and classroom projects that incorporate indigenous Asian art forms and cuisine.

SCIENCE: design and construction of bridges using newspaper; chemical

and physical properties of common household powders; behavior, anatomical structure and ecology of crayfish and their relationship to the rest of the animal kingdom; variables affecting pendulums; investigation of acids, bases and pH; seasons.

MANDARIN: practice of character recognition and writing of simple characters; con-

tinued exploration of Chinese culture through the celebration of various holidays.

RESPECT AND RESPONSIBILITY: continuation of program begun in

Kindergarten.

LIBRARY: introduction to the automated card catalog; reading aloud of stories

or chapter books; increased pleasure reading; a unit on fractured fairy tales.

TECHNOLOGY: introduction to touch-typing and computer programming; contin-

ued exploration of computer graphics and animation; reinforcement of the concepts of saving and retrieving files, copying and pasting objects and learning new applications.

ART: multifaceted projects inspired by different artistic traditions and involving

preliminary planning and revision as well as spontaneous creative choices.

CARPENTRY: development of spatial and mechanical skills through the use of

basic tools and practices of a wood shop and building a small functional object.

MUSIC: one period of vocal music; one period of ensemble study in either a

stringed musical instrument or soprano recorder and Orff instruments.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION: instruction in basic rules, concepts and terminology

of sports; building of strength, mobility and anaerobic capacity through daily workouts and cooperative games; dance: basic concepts of choreography through the work of Anna Sokolow; gymnastics: tumbling combinations and apparatus routines.

SERVICE LEARNING: exploration of concepts of economy and charity through

active learning and service opportunities.  

23 23

20471_Text.indd 23

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Class IV Class IV

ENGLISH: close reading in small groups and discussion of short stories, novels

and essays; reading, writing, memorization of poetry and of selected portions from sacred texts studied in history; spelling, handwriting and grammar; public speaking and debate; skits and class plays.

WRITING: expository and creative writing; formal paragraph writing; mimetic

stories; strategies for planning, writing and editing.

MATHEMATICS: continued development of computational and problem-

solving skills through work on real-world problems; geometry and spatial relationships; extensive investigation of whole numbers, fractions, decimals and percents to strengthen number sense and computational fluency.

HISTORY: a study of immigration; close comparative study of basic tenets of

the Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, using sacred texts; topics in the Middle Ages, including the structure of society, the heroic ideal and the role of religion; research reports with bibliography.

SCIENCE: properties of magnets; simple machines including levers, gears and

mechanical advantage; behavior, anatomical structure and ecology of selected insects and their relationship to the rest of the animal kingdom; structure, uses and prevention of mold and its ecological role as a decomposer; phases of the moon.

MANDARIN: continued speaking, writing and listening, with a focus on

consolidation of previously learned material around the theme of “backpack travel,� an exploration of urban modernity and traditional rural life.

LIBRARY: along with continuing activities, study of the Dewey Decimal

System and exploration of works of non-fiction.

TECHNOLOGY: continued development of touch-typing skills and computer

programming; creation of slideshow presentations; introduction to desktop publishing; digital citizenship.

ART: rotating twelve-week courses in ceramics, carpentry and photography.

CERAMICS: basic skills associated with working in clay to make a functional

ceramic object, including wedging, hand building, throwing and glazing.

CARPENTRY: design, planning and construction of a finished wooden object.

PHOTOGRAPHY: an introduction to nineteenth-century photography using

pinhole cameras and solar grams.

MUSIC: continued vocal and instrumental study of strings or the alto recorder;

English handbells for performance at the Winter and Last Day Assemblies.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION: positioning and movement strategy and their application

in cooperative games; focus on strength, flexibility and overall fitness; introduction to running club; class dance performed during assembly; gymnastics routines on the floor, vault, beam and bars.

SERVICE LEARNING: See Class III.

24 24

20471_Text.indd 24

8/6/15 10:20 AM

The Middle School The Middle School

The Middle School encourages each girl to develop a sense of her strengths as she learns new material and masters new intellectual, social, emotional and physical skills. Recognizing not only the individual needs of each student but also the fact that those needs change from year to year, the program includes a progression of growing responsibility and independence. As in the Lower School, students in Class V learn English, history and geography with their room teacher, but beginning in Class VI all subjects are taught by the faculty of the different departments. As girls learn to navigate a more complicated academic day, they continue to assume increasing responsibility for their work through supervised study halls and through “floats,” extra help sessions that a teacher may propose but that students learn to seek for themselves if needed.

Most girls take a language in Class V, either beginning Spanish or French or continuing with Mandarin. Those who would still benefit from reinforcement of their English reading and writing may take a series of skills courses throughout the Middle School instead. All students start Latin in Class VII, and those who no longer need the skills reinforcement may also begin French.

Visual arts, music, dance and drama provide an opportunity for students to express their own perceptions and feelings and to appreciate the artistic expression of others. Physical education challenges and nurtures students, whatever their level of ability, as they refine their motor skills and apply them to sports and dance. A no-cut policy for participation on teams further encourages girls to explore and feel comfortable in varied athletic settings.

Several important disciplines are taught mostly through integration into other courses. Technology—including word processing, spreadsheets, robotics, programming, presentations and audio resources—is incorporated into the curriculum to support and extend learning. In addition, the curriculum of the Library course in V and VI is integrated into the research programs of other subjects. Public speaking projects form part of the curriculum each year in the Middle School, developing girls’ confidence through the delivery of speeches they have written or memorized.

The activity program supplements students’ experience in the classroom and reflects their interests from year to year. Offerings include art electives (photography, ceramics, carpentry), athletic teams and programs, chorus, orchestra, jazz ensemble, drama, dance, a Middle School newspaper, robotics and debate.

25 25

20471_Text.indd 25

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Class V Class V

ENGLISH: composition, creative writing, grammar, spelling and handwriting;

reading of novels including The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Johnny Tremain and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, short stories and poetry (in connection with work in American history); public speaking.

MATHEMATICS: continued development of number sense; computation with

positive rational numbers in both fraction and decimal forms; percents; probability; geometry, including area and perimeter; applications and problem solving.

HISTORY: American history from the early explorers through the Civil War

and Reconstruction, with related work in English, and introduction to global geography.

SCIENCE: exploration of basic concepts of electricity, robotics and properties of

matter. Activities include wiring a household circuit, building and programming a robot to complete a maze and exploring physical changes and chemical reactions.

FRENCH: the beginning of a five-year integrated French curriculum, with initial

emphasis on oral communication through the memorization of poems, dialogues and songs. Basic grammar and the reading of simple stories also help develop oral and written comprehension.

MANDARIN: continued writing and continued listening and speaking through

poems, nursery rhymes, songs and games; exploration of Chinese culture and further work with simplified Chinese characters. The course is designed to review vocabulary included in the Lower School curriculum, introduce new topics and vocabulary and promote speaking skills through dialogues.

SPANISH: structured and interactive introduction with a focus on listening,

speaking, reading and writing. Students develop their ear for the language and work toward authentic pronunciation through songs, dialogues and short video clips.

READING AND WRITING SKILLS: a course for girls who would benefit from

reinforcement in language arts; focus on expository writing, close reading of increasingly complex material and the practice of such study skills as outlining and note taking. This is the first part of a two-year sequence.

DRAMA: exploration of the craft of acting; performance of an adapted Shakespeare

play at a spring assembly.

MUSIC: singing, solfﾃｨge, theory fundamentals and group instrumental instruction.

Extracurricular choral, jazz and orchestral ensembles and handbells are offered to all girls in Classes V窶天III.

26 26

20471_Text.indd 26

8/6/15 10:20 AM

STUDIO ART: emphasis on work from students’ imaginations and on raising

visual awareness and understanding through the exploration of design and the basic elements of line, texture, shape and color. Projects are inspired by historical subject matter and techniques. Additional units on world crafts, digital photography and sculpture are offered.

LIBRARY: exploration and development of personal reading taste, through

stories read aloud and selection of pleasure reading; practice of research skills in connection with student reports on the colonies and on world geography.

TECHNOLOGY: final year of touch-typing instruction; transfer of files between

home and school, file management, introduction to email and exploration of other software tools.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION: introduction to team sports: soccer, basketball,

volleyball, cooperative games, European handball, floor hockey, softball, track and field, badminton and lacrosse; dance: exploration of different styles and choreography; monthly Red/White competitions offer leadership opportunities and emphasize good sportsmanship; running club.

27 27

20471_Text.indd 27

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Class VI Class VI

ENGLISH: poetry; stories from Genesis (King James Version); Greek and

Roman myths; Homer’s Odyssey; performance of a Greek or medieval mystery play; analytic paragraphs; creative writing; grammar, speech writing and public speaking. Some reading parallels studies in ancient history.

MATHEMATICS: review of fundamental operations with whole numbers,

fractions and decimals; order of operations; negative numbers; ratios, rates and proportions; percents with practical applications; review of area and perimeter; introduction to circles; angles and triangles; circle graphs; statistics.

HISTORY: complex ancient societies: Egypt; the development of Judaism from

Moses through Solomon; the rise and fall of the Persian Empire; Greek history through Alexander the Great; Indian history through the Mauryan Dynasty; Roman history through Augustus; Chinese history through the Han Dynasty.

SCIENCE: focus on the human species. Study of human body systems with an

emphasis on the relationship between structure and function and on the interdependence of the systems.

FRENCH: continued acquisition of basic grammar skills and practice in oral

and written communication; introduction to cultural topics pertinent to France and francophone countries.

MANDARIN: continued emphasis on communication skills through increased

exposure to reading, writing and grammar.

SPANISH: continued emphasis on communication in the present, preterite and

present progressive tenses; introduction to cultural topics pertinent to Spanishspeaking countries.

READING AND WRITING SKILLS: further practice in the writing of

paragraphs, summaries, essays and creative pieces; researching and delivering an oral report; highlighting, outlining, mapping and taking notes; informal debating. This is the second part of a two-year sequence (see Class V).

DRAMA: each English section presents an ancient Greek comedy or tragedy or

a medieval mystery play.

MUSIC: see Class V. STUDIO ART: continued work on the basic skills of visual expression through

projects relating to the study of the ancient world, such as classical architecture, mythological creatures and bas-relief tiles.

LIBRARY: biographies, poetry and nonfiction titles; analysis of the classic

Hitchcock film Rebecca; research skills integrated with history classes for a presentation on ancient Rome.

LANGUAGE: studies in grammar and composition; public speaking; the nature

of language; etymology and derivation of words; the relationship of English to other Indo-European languages.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION: soccer, basketball, volleyball and track and field; hip-

hop; Red/White competitions; running club.

28 28

20471_Text.indd 28

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Class VII Class VII

ENGLISH: poetry; grammar; Great Expectations; Julius Caesar; formal intro-

duction to poetic terms; critical and creative writing.

MATHEMATICS INTRODUCTION TO ALGEBRA: review of order of operations; intro-

duction to algebraic topics, including linear equations and inequalities; graphing lines; solving equations with applications; properties of real numbers; combinatorics and probability; set theory; geometry topics, including parallel lines, polygons, area, volume and surface area; computer programming with Processing; active problem solving throughout the year to reinforce and deepen conceptual understanding.

VII ALGEBRA: review of order of operations; equations with applications;

set theory and inequalities; factoring and exponents; polynomial operations; solutions of linear and quadratic equations with applications; equations and graphs of lines; systems of linear equations with applications. Graphing calculators are used as needed, and students study computer programming with Processing. Active problem solving throughout the year reinforces and deepens conceptual understanding.

HISTORY: topics in medieval world history from 200 through 1500 C. E.,

including the development of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism and their spread; the Chinese Empire and its impact on Japan; the Mongol Empire; and the emergence of Europe from feudalism through the Renaissance.

SCIENCE: the first part of a two-year physical science program that focuses on

matter, energy and the atmosphere. In the context of the law of conservation of matter and energy, students investigate heat, wave and mechanical energy to explore the causes of weather, seasons and climate change and are introduced to the laws of motion.

BEGINNING FRENCH: an integrated introduction to develop communication

skills as well as awareness of French and francophone cultures through oral and written exercises, skits and poems, using elementary grammar and vocabulary.

FRENCH: for those continuing from Class V, development of more advanced

oral and grammatical skills through discussion, storytelling, reading, skits and oral presentations.

MANDARIN: further integration of the four language skills: listening, speak-

ing, reading and writing. Students study grammar in greater depth, continue to learn the vocabulary of daily life and reinforce character writing and typing skills. They also read simplified stories in Chinese, write journals about their daily life and work on oral presentations.

SPANISH: continuation of the integrated curriculum, with attention to the use

of a broader range of tenses, more extensive vocabulary and more complex idiomatic phrases; intensive practice in speaking, reading, writing and listening.

29 29

20471_Text.indd 29

8/6/15 10:20 AM

WRITING WORKSHOP: for students who do not study a modern language

and who would benefit from reinforcement in language arts, practice in both organization and written expression and comprehension and analysis of works by a variety of authors.

LATIN: introduction through reading about daily life in a first-century Roman

family, combined with practice and drills of declensions, conjugations and elementary grammar using the Cambridge Latin program, units 1 and 2.

MUSIC, DRAMA: Music and Drama collaborate to produce a Gilbert and

Sullivan operetta in the spring term; the class also attends a dress rehearsal at the Metropolitan Opera. The study of a percussion instrument is added to the offerings in instrumental music.

STUDIO ART: exploration of elements of design through layering pattern

through simple printmaking techniques and the study of draped human figures. Projects integrate graphics, color theory, costume design and historical context. One museum study assignment is required.

PUBLIC SPEAKING: lessons on practical application of public speaking skills,

including interview etiquette; storytelling without filler language; introducing and greeting with confidence; news anchor practice.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION: development of more sophisticated game play and

skills in soccer, field hockey, basketball, volleyball, softball, lacrosse and track and field; exploration of physical fitness and wellness concepts; refinement of game strategies; participation in Red/White competitions and running club; modern dance and choreography in dance.

HEALTH: health-related topics such as drugs, nutrition, human sexual-

ity, safety and peer pressure are integrated into the Middle School advisory program (see Health and Guidance, page 48). This course follows guidelines established by New York State for health education and is taught through films and discussions.

 

30 30

20471_Text.indd 30

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Class VIII Class VIII

ENGLISH: short stories; grammar; Jane Eyre; poetry; Twelfth Night; formal intro-

duction to narrative structure; critical and creative writing.

MATHEMATICS ALGEBRA I: development of problem-solving skills and conceptual

understanding of algebra through factoring and exponents; radicals; polynomial and rational expressions; solutions of linear, quadratic and rational equations; inequalities; equations and graphs of lines; systems of equations and graphs of quadratic equations. Graphing calculators are used as needed. Active problem solving throughout the year reinforces and deepens conceptual understanding.

VIII GEOMETRY: geometric concepts in a more abstract form. The

properties of triangles, quadrilaterals, polygons and circles are studied through the use of logic and deductive proofs. Other topics may include locus and transformational geometry. Computer software (Geometer’s Sketchpad) is used to extend and explore concepts.

HISTORY: global history from 1500 to the late nineteenth century. Topics

include the European conquest of the Americas; the Atlantic slave trade; the Ottoman and Mughal Empires; Ming and Qing China; Tokugawa Japan; the American, French and Latin American Revolutions; the Industrial Revolution; nineteenth-century European imperialism; and the Meiji Restoration in Japan.

SCIENCE: the second part of a two-year physical science program that focuses on

matter, energy and the Earth; introduction to concepts of chemistry and geology.

Students also investigate conservation of the Earth’s resources.

BEGINNING FRENCH: for students who began French in Class VII, continued

development of the four fundamental language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) through structured conversation in class and skits, study of grammar (especially verb forms and pronouns) and written paragraphs.

FRENCH: for students who began in Class V, emphasis on more advanced

grammar skills through conversations in class, written compositions, the reading of a version of Le Comte de Monte-Cristo and the viewing of films.

MANDARIN: continued development of skills through supplementary audio and

video materials that present students with real-life situations and exercise their ability to listen and speak; further practice in character writing and enrichment of students’ command of vocabulary, as well as expression of opinions in discussions in Chinese.

SPANISH: continued development of skills, vocabulary and review of grammar,

with emphasis on tenses of the indicative mood and present subjunctive; a short novel is also read.

WRITING WORKSHOP: see Class VII. LATIN: study of grammar and syntax, with attention to uses of the participle and

subjunctive in subordinate clauses, in the Cambridge Latin program, units 2 and 3.

31 31

20471_Text.indd 31

8/6/15 10:20 AM

MUSIC: singing and group instrumental instruction. Extracurricular choral,

jazz and orchestral ensembles, handbells and a recorder consort are offered to all girls in Classes V窶天III. Girls who study privately may perform in schoolsponsored recitals.

STUDIO ART: drawing and painting from direct observation of the natural

world, using inks, pastels and watercolor. Techniques may include collage and mixed media. One museum study assignment is required.

PUBLIC SPEAKING: introduction to formal and extemporaneous skills of

presentation and exchange, with applications in several disciplines throughout the year.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION: in addition to the program offered in Class VII, one

trimester of West African dance and spring electives in sports such as rugby or cricket; quidditch, badminton, Zumba; more intensive preparation for interscholastic competition in individual and team sports with opportunities for leadership.

HEALTH: discussion of health-related topics through the Middle School advisory

program (see Health and Guidance, page 48). Articles from periodicals serve as background, and the girls are encouraged to bring their questions to the groups.

Topics include nutrition, body image, eating disorders, decision making, relationships with parents and peers, human sexuality and substance abuse. This course fulfills the New York State requirement for health education.

32 32

20471_Text.indd 32

8/6/15 10:20 AM

The Upper School The Upper School

The Upper School represents the final stage in a program that develops a student’s confidence in herself and in her growing skills in many disciplines. Its rich and vigorous academic, athletic and artistic curriculum, centered in a strong community that supports students in their self-discovery, produces resourceful young women who are prepared to find their places in the world outside of Brearley.

As they learn to make academic choices, students may take advantage of conversations with a wide range of adults who help them assess their interests and talents and encourage them to take appropriate risks. The curriculum of the Upper School provides choices, within each discipline, both in subject area and among elective topic. Although most students in Classes XI and XII take five courses, some girls, especially those with heavy extracurricular commitments, choose to take four. All students fulfill basic requirements: 1. English through Class XII. 2. Mathematics through Class XI. 3. B iology plus two additional years of science, one of which must be a full laboratory course.

4. F our-credit sequence in one foreign language or three credits in one language plus two credits in a second language. (A language begun in the Middle School receives two points of credit if continued through the end of Class IX.) 5. T wentieth-Century World History, US History and one history elective with a research component.

6. S tudio Art, Drama or Music in Classes IX and X. There is no prerequisite in either year.

7. P hysical Education through Class XII, including CPR/First Aid; Health in Class IX. 8. Community Service in Classes IX–XI. 9. Junior and Senior Seminar Students have many opportunities to pursue their interests beyond the curriculum.

The School offers arts activities—photography, sculpture, ceramics, dramatic productions, orchestra and chorus, for example—in addition to the regular courses, as well as writing and publishing opportunities. Students in the Upper School may be admitted to the Columbia Science Honors Program or to Brearley’s Science Research Seminar; they may also participate in math, robotics and engineering clubs or join Interschool advanced math courses as juniors or seniors. Seniors who have exhausted the offerings in a particular discipline are eligible to apply for an independent study program. Acceptance depends on a student’s capacity for extended work on her own, the availability of an appropriate teacher and the nature of the proposed study.

In the spring of senior year, most students petition to create their own program, which may include dropping some academic courses to sample new topics in mini-courses taught by faculty or to concentrate on one particular subject through individual independent study. A student may also pursue an extracurricular project or internship that worthily replaces some or all of her academic work.

33 33

20471_Text.indd 33

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Each year, a few members of Class XI spend a semester in New England, either in the Mountain School program of Milton Academy in Vershire, Vermont, or in the Maine Coast program of the Chewonki Foundation in Wiscasset.

Juniors may also study in France, Spain, Italy or China under the auspices of School Year Abroad. Selected students in Class IX may have the opportunity to participate in an exchange program that Brearley maintains with the Godolphin and Latymer School in London. Language Immersion programs in French or Spanish are also available in selected grades and alternating years. Students entering Classes X, XI and XII may apply to join a June travel/study program in Vermont, India or China.

In the Upper School, students assume increased responsibility for themselves and others. Heads of student organizations participate in leadership training sessions and learn to encourage the younger students who will eventually succeed them. Students learn to lead in other arenas as well—as athletic team captains or stage managers of the drama productions, for example. The major school publications are run by members of Classes XI and XII and are staffed by members of all the classes.

34 34

20471_Text.indd 34

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Class IX Class IX

[Courses are full credit, lasting a full year, unless otherwise noted.]

ENGLISH: Their Eyes Were Watching God; grammar; sonnets; Macbeth; Pride and

Prejudice.

GEOMETRY: an intuitive and analytical approach to the mathematics of shapes

and space. The properties of triangles, quadrilaterals, polygons and circles are studied through the use of logic and deductive proofs. Algebraic problem-solving skills are reinforced throughout.

GEOMETRY WITH EXTENDED EXPLORATIONS: geometric concepts in a more

abstract form. The properties of triangles, quadrilaterals, polygons and circles are studied through the use of logic and deductive proofs. Other topics may include locus and transformational geometry. Computer software (Geometer’s Sketchpad) is used to extend and explore concepts.

IX ALGEBRA II WITH EXTENDED EXPLORATIONS: in-depth study of

mathematical relations, functions and transformations; specific topics include polynomial and rational functions, trigonometric functions, exponential and logarithmic functions and the complex number system. The TI-84 graphing calculator is used as a tool for extension, exploration and solution.

TWENTIETH-CENTURY WORLD HISTORY: global history from the late

nineteenth through the twentieth centuries.

BIOLOGY: life processes, with emphasis on cell biology, DNA, biotechnology,

evolution, plant and animal physiology and an extended laboratory exploration into genetics. The course includes a field trip to investigate the ecology of an intertidal zone.

FRENCH II COMPREHENSIVE: for students who began in Class VII. The

focus is on listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students also read poems and excerpts from literature to consolidate their knowledge of grammar and to begin the development of the skills of literary analysis in another language.

FRENCH II: conclusion of the integrated French curriculum begun in Class V.

Systematic study and practice of advanced grammar and introduction to literature through such texts as Némirovsky’s Le bal and Maupassant’s La parure.

COMPREHENSIVE MANDARIN I: an introductory course with an emphasis on

practical communicative skills—listening and speaking—supported by drills.

Students learn to write and memorize simplified Chinese characters, study basic grammar and develop phonetic awareness in speaking and listening.

MANDARIN II: for students who began Mandarin in Class V, a course that

focuses on listening comprehension, speaking, reading and writing with the emphasis on formal grammatical structures and vocabulary. Students discuss topics in Chinese customs and traditions.

COMPREHENSIVE SPANISH I: introduction to the basic concepts of Spanish

grammar and vocabulary through the four skills of speaking, writing, listening and reading. Cultural topics and customs of Spanish-speaking countries are explored. A wide variety of materials and tools are used to increase proficiency.

35 35

20471_Text.indd 35

8/6/15 10:20 AM

SPANISH II: for students who began Spanish in Class V, a thorough review of

grammar and the addition of topics such as the subjunctive and the passive voice; exploration of adapted versions of such master works as Don Quijote de la Mancha

by Miguel de Cervantes, as well as selections of short pieces by Latin American and Spanish writers.

LATIN II: completion of the introduction to basic vocabulary and syntax using

the Cambridge Latin program, units 3 and 4, and excerpts adapted from Roman authors.

DRAMA (half credit; throughout the year): introduction to the art of play-making

in all of its aspects, from the actor’s approach to the script to the creation of scenery, props and costumes. Particular attention is paid to helping students with skills that serve them well in other areas, including vocal projection, physical poise and strengthened concentration. All students rehearse and perform a full-length play during the second semester.

MUSIC (half credit; throughout the year): VOCAL TECHNIQUE AND LITERATURE: fundamentals of vocal technique

and introduction to the solo song literature, ending with a performance.

Participation in the Upper School Chorus is required. (Open also to X–XII.) CHAMBER MUSIC/ORCHESTRA: small groups of instrumentalists of like

ability study standard chamber repertoire, ending with a performance. Participation in the Upper School Orchestra is required. (Open also to X–XII.) INSTRUMENTAL TECHNIQUES: exploration of technique in a small group

setting of like instruments. This course extends the work accomplished in Middle School instrumental classes and supports the repertoire played in the Upper School Orchestra. Each semester ends with a performance. Participation in the Upper School Orchestra is required.

STUDIO ART (half credit; throughout the year): fundamentals of painting,

color and composition. Through direct observation, students develop complex compositions and learn about rendering forms in space. The second half of the year includes a large oil painting project, with an emphasis on non-Western schools of painting. One museum study assignment is required.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION: choice of a variety of activities that promote health

and fitness, including badminton, fitness, Pilates, Tai Chi, running, gymnastics, team sports, Quidditch, dance and yoga. Upper School students can fulfill their requirement by taking three periods a week of P.E. or by participating in one of fifteen interscholastic teams (see Athletics in “Learning Beyond the Classroom,” page 47). All students fulfill the additional requirement of certification in First Aid/CPR by taking the First Aid course offered by the P.E. Department.

HEALTH: trimester course required of all students, offered in the fall trimester of

P.E. in Class IX; a wide range of topics emphasizing informed decisions regarding personal health.

36 36

20471_Text.indd 36

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Class X Class X

ENGLISH: American literature, novels, short stories, essays, autobiographies

and poems from the Puritans through the moderns. Authors include Wharton, Hawthorne, Twain, Thoreau, Melville, Fitzgerald, Morrison and selected poets.

ALGEBRA II: study of mathematical relations, functions and transformations;

specific topics include polynomial and rational functions, trigonometric functions, exponential and logarithmic functions and the complex number system. The TI-84 graphing calculator is used as a tool for extension, exploration and solution.

ALGEBRA II WITH EXTENDED EXPLORATIONS: in-depth study of

mathematical relations, functions and transformations; specific topics include polynomial and rational functions, trigonometric functions, exponential and logarithmic functions and the complex number system. The TI-84 graphing calculator is used as a tool for extension, exploration and solution.

ALGEBRA II AND PRECALCULUS: an accelerated course covering two years of

math (Algebra II and Precalculus). This course prepares students for BC Calculus and may be taken with the permission of the department.

UNITED STATES HISTORY: a chronological survey introducing students to

political, economic, social and cultural developments in American history from 1607 to the present. The course incorporates the study of the US Constitution and federal government, extensive work with primary sources and a focused introduction to historiography. In the spring, students travel to Washington, DC, to meet with people who work in the government.

CHEMISTRY: a qualitative and quantitative investigation into the nature of

matter and chemical change. Specific topics include electron configuration; bonding; gas behavior; mole concept; stoichiometry; redox reactions; acid-base; environmental chemistry. The course culminates in a month-long independent research project. (Open also to XI and XII.) FRENCH III COMPREHENSIVE: short literary and expository texts are read,

including Camus’ L’Étranger. The skills of speaking and writing are emphasized.

(Offered in some years.)

FRENCH III: continued extension and refinement of speaking, writing and

reading skills through in-depth analysis and discussions of contemporary topics and works by authors such as Yasmina Reza and Eric Emmanuel Schmitt that further develop vocabulary and grammar.

COMPREHENSIVE MANDARIN II: continued development of skills in com-

munication, reading and writing; broader and more intensive vocabulary and grammar; work with facility and fluency in tones for individual characters, as well as lexical formations and radicals to aid in memorization of characters.

MANDARIN III: for students who began in Class V, continued study of grammar

and increasingly advanced newspaper vocabulary, leading to discussion of a broader range of issues in Chinese society, history and culture. Students read a selection of short stories and essays from modern authors.

37 37

20471_Text.indd 37

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Class X COMPREHENSIVE SPANISH II: for students who began Spanish in Class

IX, an intermediate Spanish course that continues the study of grammar and vocabulary. This course emphasizes oral communication and comprehension. The students read a selection of works from either Latin America or Spain.

SPANISH III: review of grammar through the study of literary excerpts from

Latin American and Spanish writers. Students also read a full-length novel or play such as Marianela by Pérez Galdós.

LATIN III: Vergil’s Aeneid, Book IV (the tragic love of Dido and Aeneas).

DRAMA (half credit; throughout the year): concentration on elements of the

actor’s art: motivation, objective, physical realization and script analysis in the first semester. Texts include excerpts from Uta Hagen’s Respect for Acting and Constantin Stanislavsky’s An Actor Prepares. In the second semester, students consider scenic and costume design, stage management, prop building and some stage carpentry as part of the preparation for the performance. Post-production, they explore elements of playwriting and directing. Students develop a sharp critical eye for what makes good theater, and the class takes an evening trip to see a professional production.

MUSIC: see Class IX. STUDIO ART (half credit; throughout the year): expression of volume through

the examination of examples from Old Masters and chiaroscuro. Drawing from observation, students realize their creative vision through a series of preliminary studies and one highly developed charcoal drawing. Experimentation with mixed medium prints completes the year. One museum study assignment is required.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION: see Class IX.

n CO-CURRICULAR OFFERINGS COMMUNITY SERVICE: See Learning Beyond the Classroom, page 46.

SCIENCE RESEARCH SEMINAR: a three-year sequence that includes read-

ing and discussion of peer-reviewed scientific articles with their authors, who visit Brearley from various New York City research institutions; cutting-edge laboratory work on RNA interference, Polymerase Chain Reaction and DNA sequencing; opportunities for research internships and entry in Intel or Siemens competitions. This program accepts 5 new students from Class X each year for a total of 15 enrolled students.

38 38

20471_Text.indd 38

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Class XI Class XI

ENGLISH: elective in poetic analysis (for example, John Donne and the Metaphysical

Poets; Victorian to Modern Poetry; Romantic Poetry; or Bishop, Larkin and Lowell); a required trimester on Greek tragedy and King Lear; and a spring elective on narrative works (The Canterbury Tales; James’s The Portrait of a Lady and other narratives of travel and exile; or Rushdie and Lahiri). n MATHEMATICS PRECALCULUS AND AN INTRODUCTION TO DIFFERENTIAL CALCULUS:

extended study of functions and trigonometry begun in Class X. Additional topics may include vectors, conic sections, parametric equations, polar coordinates, probability and statistics, and sequences and series. Calculus topics include limits and derivatives. This course prepares students for the study of AB Calculus.

PRECALCULUS AND DIFFERENTIAL CALCULUS: extended study of

functions and trigonometry begun in Class X, as well as vectors, conic sections, parametric equations, polar coordinates and graphs, probability and statistics, and sequences and series. Calculus topics include limits, derivatives and applications of derivatives. This course prepares students for the study of BC Calculus.

ADVANCED CALCULUS: differential and integral calculus of functions of one

variable with applications; power series. Students wishing to take the College Board AP BC Calculus exam will find that this course provides suitable preparation.

INTERSCHOOL GAME THEORY (half credit; throughout the year): theoretical

analysis of game theory taught through applications in economics, politics, business, evolutionary biology, religion, philosophy, computer science and sports, as well as through games such as poker and chess. Quantitative models are developed for strategic situations, and analysis includes optimization and graphical analysis.

This course is offered through the Interschool consortium. n HISTORY THE ATLANTIC WORLD: an examination of how interactions between

Europe, Africa and North and South America, from the fifteenth century onward, spurred the creation of Atlantic commercial and political empires.

The course emphasizes comparative history and the emergence of modern Latin America. (Open also to XII.) HISTORY OF CHINA AND JAPAN: an investigation into the history and

culture of China and Japan, starting with the momentous twentieth century and then looking back chronologically at developments in both countries. The course culminates in a consideration of disparate responses to European incursions in the modern period, the legacies of World War II and China and Japan in the world today. (Open also to XII.) MODERN EUROPEAN HISTORY: a survey of political, economic, intellectual

and social history from the French Revolution to the present, based on a wide variety of primary and secondary sources, with emphasis on controversial topics in historical interpretation. (Open also to XII.)

39 39

20471_Text.indd 39

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Class XI MODERN LATIN AMERICA: an introduction to issues and themes in the

history of Latin America since 1800. Students explore the most important political, economic, social and cultural developments that characterize the region as a whole, while keeping in mind the considerable variation among the countries in the region.

HISTORY OF WARFARE: a survey of the history of war from prehistory to the

present. Students will examine the development of infantry, cavalry, artillery and asymmetrical warfare. New York City as a theater of war is a major focus. (Open also to XII.) HISTORY OF WORLD ART: The Prehistoric cave paintings of Lascaux through

the contemporary installations of New York City galleries, with particular attention to fundamental theoretical issues and historical, social, political and religious climates. (Open also to XII.) n SCIENCE ADVANCED BIOLOGY: intensive investigation of selected topics, including

biochemistry, energetics, ultrastructure of cells, information transfer (structure and function of the gene; genetics of populations), biotechnology, evolution, the morphology and physiology of plants and animals, ecology and mathematical modeling. Students write grant proposals on topics of their choice. Prerequisites: Biology and Chemistry. (Open also to XII.) ADVANCED CHEMISTRY: further exploration of topics introduced in Chem-

istry, and new topics including molecular architecture, orbital hybridization, thermodynamics and kinetics. Laboratory techniques emphasize qualitative and quantitative understanding of concepts. Computer-assisted sensors help students gather and analyze data and relate chemical topics to real-world situations. Prerequisites: Biology and Chemistry. (Open also to XII.) CHEMISTRY: see Class X. PHYSICS: the investigation of nature of forces and energy and their interactions

with matter, using creative problem-solving projects, experimental design and cooperative learning activities. Topics include mechanical, thermal, wave electric/ electromagnetic and nuclear energy. (Open also to XII.) ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY (half credit in either semester; full

credit if taken all year): the role of science, economics and government policy in developing an environmentally sustainable world. The course considers such topics as energy production, climate change, freshwater resources, agriculture, fisheries, waste management and biodiversity. (Open also to XII.) COMPUTER SCIENCE AND PROGRAMMING (half credit in either semester;

full credit if taken all year): In the first semester students investigate topics in computer science including computer hardware, software and programming algorithms; in the second semester students learn basics of the Java programming language through problem solving, debugging logical and syntax errors and creating original object-oriented programs.

40 40

20471_Text.indd 40

8/6/15 10:20 AM

n MODERN LANGUAGES FRENCH IV: an examination of French culture through the history, literature

and other media of two key periods—the seventeenth and twentieth centuries.

Authors include Corneille, Molière, La Fontaine, Camus and Césaire.

COMPREHENSIVE MANDARIN III: speaking and writing through the study of

Chinese culture. Students read simple stories, explore creative writing and learn to present on selected topics such as Chinese cities and festivals.

MANDARIN IV: extensive reading of journalism, essays and stories by such

authors as Zhu Ziqing, Bing Xin, Liang Shiqiu and Han Han; discussion of current events; analytical and creative writing; introduction to traditional Chinese characters.

COMPREHENSIVE SPANISH III: an intermediate level course for students

who began in Class IX with continued expansion of vocabulary and knowledge of idiomatic expressions. Students also read short stories, excerpts from novels and explore level-adapted versions of literary masterpieces. They also discuss cultural and current events of the Hispanic world.

SPANISH IV: works by Latin American and Spanish writers, including García

Lorca and García Márquez; review of advanced grammar through the writing of essays; reinforcement of oral skills in conversation and literary discussion, as well as listening and spontaneous response exercises. n CLASSICS LATIN IV: selections from Ovid’s Metamorphoses and from the poems of Catullus.

GREEK I (half credit; throughout the year): introduction to Attic Greek. Topics

include the principles of word formation and syntax, Aesop’s fables and the life of Alexander the Great. (Open also to XII.) n ARTS STUDIO ART (half credit; throughout the year): advanced work in the studio

with in-depth exploration of various drawing and painting media. One museum study assignment is required.

DRAWING I (half credit; fall semester): comprehensive introduction to advanced

drawing techniques, including linear and tonal drawing and mixed media. Students draw from a variety of subjects, including still life, animals, architecture, landscape and interiors. (Open also to XII.) DRAWING II (half credit; spring semester): figure drawing; working from

models, either animal or human, students complete full figure compositions, head studies, drapery studies and figures in interiors. As in Drawing I, Old Master techniques are studied. (Open also to XII.)

41 41

20471_Text.indd 41

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Class XI MIXED MEDIA ON PAPER (half credit; fall semester): experimental exploration

of various painting techniques, combined with drawing, printmaking and collage. (Open also to XII.) OIL PAINTING (half credit; spring semester): intensive study of oil painting, explor-

ing color, brush stroke, glazing and composition with a variety of observed and imaginative subjects. (Open also to XII.) n DRAMA PLAYWRITING (half credit; spring semester): the fundamentals of the playwright’s

art through in-class drama writing exercises and the study of four contemporary plays.

Student work is presented in a play-reading festival. n MUSIC For applied music offerings, see Class IX. MUSIC PERFORMANCE CREDIT (half credit; throughout the year): awarded to

instrumental and voice students who satisfy requirements through a recital given in Class XI or XII. Admission to this program is by audition in Class X or XI. PHYSICAL EDUCATION: see Class IX.

n CO-CURRICULAR JUNIOR SEMINAR: a yearlong class that encompasses college advising, health and

life skills. (Required of all students in Class XI.) COMMUNITY SERVICE: see Learning Beyond the Classroom, page 46.

SCIENCE RESEARCH SEMINAR: see Class X.

42 42

20471_Text.indd 42

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Class XII Class XII

ENGLISH: required unit of essays and poetry; electives from late fall through

the winter term in Russian literature (short fiction by Chekhov, Gogol, Pushkin, Tolstoy and Turgenev; Anna Karenina), William Faulkner’s fiction, Virginia Woolf and James Baldwin, South African literature; spring electives determined by interests of students (in recent years, primarily individual projects in fiction, drama or writing). n MATHEMATICS CALCULUS: differential and integral calculus of functions of one variable with

application. Students wishing to take the College Board AP AB Calculus exam will find that this course provides suitable preparation.

ADVANCED CALCULUS: see Class XI. LINEAR ALGEBRA: vectors, linear transformations, general vector spaces and

the algebra of matrices.

INTERSCHOOL MATH: topics in advanced mathematics with students from

other members of Interschool; BC Calculus is a prerequisite or co-requisite.

INTERSCHOOL GAME THEORY: see Class XI.

n HISTORY THE ATLANTIC WORLD: see Class XI. HISTORY OF CHINA AND JAPAN: see Class XI. MODERN EUROPEAN HISTORY: see Class XI. HISTORY OF WARFARE: see Class XI. HISTORY OF WORLD ART: see Class XI. MODERN LATIN AMERICA: see Class XI.

n SCIENCE ADVANCED BIOLOGY: see Class XI. ADVANCED CHEMISTRY: see Class XI. ADVANCED PHYSICS: a calculus-based extended study of relationships

between forces, matter and energy through lectures, creative problem solving and experimental design. Selected topics include kinematics and dynamics, rotational mechanics, wave mechanics, physical and geometrical optics, and nuclear and particle physics. Prerequisite: Physics.

CHEMISTRY: see Class X. PHYSICS: see Class XI. ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY: see Class XI. COMPUTER SCIENCE AND PROGRAMMING: see Science, Class XI.

43 43

20471_Text.indd 43

8/6/15 10:20 AM

n MODERN LANGUAGES FRENCH V: French and francophone cultures, including political and sociological

issues, through literature (such as Le Clézio and Zola), the news, the Internet and other media.

COMPREHENSIVE MANDARIN IV: continued development of proficiency in

reading and speaking through projects and presentations. Further expansion of vocabulary on cultural and political topics.

MANDARIN V: focus on formal and literal grammatical structures and phrases.

Students will further expand their vocabulary and identify subtle differences between synonyms. Readings include novels from Yu Hua, Lu Xun and the Analects of Confucius.

COMPREHENSIVE SPANISH IV: grammar review and study of the sequence

of tenses; readings and films chosen from various countries in the Hispanic world.

Themes are explored through class discussions and essays.

SPANISH V: analysis of plays, poetry and prose by Latin American and Spanish

writers, including García Lorca, Matute, Cortázar, García Márquez and Neruda.

Music, art and film enhance study of literature from different centuries and genres. n CLASSICS LATIN V: the life and times of Cicero. Students read excerpts from his speeches,

his letters and the philosophic works.

GREEK I: see Class XI. GREEK II (half credit; throughout the year): continuation of the study of

Attic Greek. Students read adapted versions of the Apology, the Clouds and the histories of Herodotus. n ARTS STUDIO ART: see Class XI. DRAWING: see Class XI. MIXED MEDIA ON PAPER: see Class XI. OIL PAINTING: see Class XI. MUSIC: see Class IX. MUSIC PERFORMANCE CREDIT: see Class XI.

44 44

20471_Text.indd 44

8/6/15 10:20 AM

n COMPUTER EDUCATION COMPUTER SCIENCE AND PROGRAMMING (Divisible into two separate half

courses): see Science, Class XI. PHYSICAL EDUCATION: see Class IX.

n CO-CURRICULAR SENIOR SEMINAR: a yearlong class that encompasses college advising, health

and life skills. (Required of all students in Class XII.) SCIENCE RESEARCH SEMINAR: see Class X.

45 45

20471_Text.indd 45

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Learning Beyond the Classroom Learning Beyond the Classroom

Balance is an important educational principle. In addition to an academic curriculum that ensures a well-rounded education, Brearley offers its students a variety of programs that sharpen and broaden their focus and also provide a different kind of working, thinking—and playful—environment. n ACTIVITIES An integral part of the educational experience, activities provide opportunities to explore new areas, develop talents and become acquainted with students in different grades. Girls in the Lower School may choose from among three optional after-school programs. Clubhouse, in collaboration with the Chapin School, offers activities like inline skating or creative cooking and baking. On Fridays, girls may stay for a program of play and crafts or organized sports. A further Extended Day program, ending at 5:45 pm, includes reading stories, quiet time and indoor/outdoor play.

Activities in the Middle and Upper Schools offer greater opportunities for girls to shape their own programs. Some of Brearley’s numerous co-curricular activities include Middle and Upper School branches of the robotics team, orchestra and chorus, math team, environmental action committee, student publications (the newspapers, literary magazines and the yearbook), drama productions, debate team and an array of art courses, from photography to bookmaking. In the Upper School, students may participate in the Model UN and Model Congress programs and affinity groups like Asian Awareness or Umoja. Organizations like the Athletic Association and the Middle and Upper School Student Government groups are led by students elected from each grade and advised by faculty. These organizations offer opportunities for leadership, public speaking and the planning and execution of events.

A Peer Leadership program trains seniors who would like to offer support to students in Class IX in the form of weekly discussions about life issues. Upper School students also serve as counselors in Brearley’s two-week June Summer Start and Summer Interlude programs for younger Brearley students. Summer Start, also open to girls in New York City in K–VII, offers nonacademic activities taught by members of the Brearley faculty. Summer Interlude, a music program emphasizing chamber music, is similarly open to students in III–VIII from other New York City schools. n COMMUNITY SERVICE Brearley’s long-standing commitment to community service complements and supports academic education, in that it requires understanding, compassion, hard work and perseverance. The K–XII program features developmentally appropriate experiences that ensure the continuity of the vision. In this way, students come to see community service not as a task to complete but as an ongoing part of their lives as engaged participants in their various communities.

Service begins in the Lower School, with a sequence of annual projects and trips, building on Social Studies and “Respect and Responsibility” classes. These activities give students a sense of their potential to contribute in the world around them,

46 46

20471_Text.indd 46

8/6/15 10:20 AM

even at a young age. In addition to joining activities at the nearby All Souls Friday Lunch Program, students also work within their own school community and post reminders of standards, such as holding doors for others, around the building. Girls in Class IV become buddies to girls in Class I and read with them weekly.

The Middle School Service Committee is an active group whose wide range of projects appeals to diverse interests. With support from the Office of Community Life, girls identify and advocate for a variety of activities for the year: their work may range from delivering wrapped gifts to hospitalized children to volunteering at an after-school Head Start program. One constant is the annual Class VIII Carnival, which raises several thousand dollars for a charity chosen by the class. In proposing specific projects and arguing their relative merits, students see the impact of their collective efforts and realize their power to effect positive change.

The program in the Upper School is founded on the premise that community service is a habit and that it works best when students are guided in exploring a choice of possible commitments. In Class IX, students participate as a group in a Saturday soup kitchen program and also research and engage in volunteer opportunities offered to them. In Classes X and XI, students are required to make a long-standing commitment to a specific cause, activity or organization.

Upper Schoolers may also work through school groups like the Brearley Service Committee and Habitat for Humanity, assist in Lower School classrooms or tutor children elsewhere. In the spring of senior year, students may choose to devote themselves nearly full time to a project of their choice.

The Upper School also participates in a service day with the Collegiate School.

Classes are suspended so that each grade can work together on a project in the community, ranging from planting trees on Randall’s Island to volunteering at the New York Public Library. n ATHLETICS Brearley has one of the most extensive athletic programs among independent schools in New York City.

Athletic programs in Classes V–VIII introduce students to competitive play outside the School. Seven club sports are offered during the year to girls in Classes V–VI. Participation in the program gives many girls their first opportunity to be on a team, where they learn valuable lessons in cooperation and skill development. The VII–VIII interscholastic program features nine different sports and a junior dance troupe over three seasons. Brearley’s no-cut policy at this level enables girls to explore their athletic interests, since they are guaranteed a spot on the team of their choice regardless of prior experience or ability.

In Classes IX–XII, the School fields teams in fourteen different varsity sports, with a primary goal of providing opportunities to as many girls as possible.

Many students thrive on the experience of playing several sports a year, and Brearley teams have frequently won league championships and New York State championships in cross country, track and volleyball.

47 47

20471_Text.indd 47

8/6/15 10:20 AM

The School is a founding member of the Athletic Association for Independent Schools (AAIS) and competes with many coed and single-sex schools. Training and competition often provide opportunities for travel outside of the greater metropolitan area: recently, teams have traveled to Florida for spring training; the track team has qualified for the Penn Relays; and the cross country team competes in the Brown (University) Invitational. Brearley athletes have the support of a coaching staff of experienced and dedicated professionals, many of whom have college and international sports backgrounds. Over the last decade, Brearley teams have captured more than twenty AAIS championships, as well as nine New York State Association of Independent Schools Athletic Association (NYSAISAA) Championships in crosscountry. A number of Brearley athletes each year go on to play Division Iand III-level college sports. Most of the Physical Education offerings are geared toward lifelong activities and skills and to the management of future fitness and well-being. Each student in Classes V–XII is assigned to the Red or the White team, a tradition that dates from 1923. n HEALTH AND GUIDANCE Brearley considers a student’s emotional health and well-being an important aspect of her education. Following the Lower School courses in “Respect and Responsibility” (see “Academic Program”), students in the Middle School work together in advisory groups. There teachers introduce such topics as organizational, study and communication skills; friendship and ethics; conflict resolution; eating disorders; substance abuse—with a four-day workshop run by the Freedom from Chemical Dependency organization in Class VII and a follow-up visit the next year; human sexuality, including discussions with the School Nurse about body changes in V; a science curriculum on anatomy and physiology of the reproductive system in Class VI; and, in VII and VIII, conversations facilitated at times by outside health educators.

Students in the Upper School also think about balance in their lives. Class IX participates in a trimester-long health course that covers topics like nutrition and sexuality and in which they can continue discussions about making individual choices. They also meet weekly with Senior Peer Leaders for informal discussions. The community service requirement allows them to consider themselves in relation to the needs of individuals within and outside their community. These concepts as well as a variety of topics that address the transition to college, are reinforced in Junior and Senior Seminars through classes with the College Advisors, the School Counselor and outside experts in medicine, sexuality and substance abuse and through ongoing opportunities for community service.

The School Counselor, School Nurse and Psychologist are available to talk to girls about specific health concerns and to make additional referrals where appropriate.

Seniors also address a number of topics (writing a résumé, changing a tire and managing finances, for example) in preparation for college and more independent living. From Class X on, students are in touch regularly with their advisors about academic and personal decisions.

48 48

20471_Text.indd 48

8/6/15 10:20 AM

The School Community The School Community

From Kindergarten on the second floor to Class XII on the twelfth floor, students experience each year with growing awareness that they are part of many communities. n STUDENT LIFE Staff and Support

The Division Heads, who are responsible for the lives of students in the Lower (K– IV), Middle (V–VIII) and Upper (IX–XII) Schools, are well informed about each student’s circumstances and her progress over a period of years and can put immediate concerns in the larger context of their work with students, families and teachers. Classes VIII and IX are each also supported by a Class Head, who reports to and shares supervision with the appropriate Division Head. The Class Head stays with the girls for two years as they negotiate the important personal and academic transition from Middle to Upper School. The Psychologist and Educational Consultants, who work with families, and the School Counselor, who works with girls in the Middle and Upper Schools, are important resources for the whole community.

Homeroom teachers serve as a home base in the lives of students in each grade.

There are two or three homerooms for each grade until Class X, when the whole class comes together in a single homeroom. In addition to the academic subjects they teach, these teachers work with individual students and coordinate the life of the class as a community. They serve as general advisors for student activities unique to a given grade, like the Middle Eastern feast in Class IV and the Class V trip to Mystic, Connecticut, or activities with greater scope, like Class XII’s organization of Mountain Day, which involves two divisions.

Homeroom teachers see the girls in homeroom every day; they are resourceful adults who can give information or offer advice and are also advocates for the girls. Life in the Lower School is centered in the individual homerooms, with most academic subjects being taught by the room teacher.

Even after homeroom teachers relinquish their role as subject teachers for the entire homeroom, they join with grade-level advisors in Classes VI–IX to lead weekly advisory group discussions. In Classes X–XII, girls request an advisor from among a group of teachers and administrators who have been designated to work with the grade in its last three years at Brearley. They assist the room teacher and meet individually with advisees as well as in advising groups.

The Dean of Academic Life, who focuses mostly on curricular development and other academic matters, works especially closely with Upper School students as they select courses for the next year, as well as with the heads of the academic departments.

There are fourteen curricular disciplines: the traditional academic subjects, the arts, Physical Education and the more interdisciplinary Library, Learning Skills, Elementary Education and Technology. Department Heads, the Head of the Lower School and the Director of Technology oversee the academic program in

49 49

20471_Text.indd 49

8/6/15 10:20 AM

The School Community their respective disciplines; they are responsible for maintaining standards and for encouraging the development of new curricula. Teachers who share sections of a course meet once a week to discuss, plan and reflect on their work.

Schedule

School begins after Labor Day in September and ends mid-June. All regular school days within the school year begin at 8:10 am for everyone. Lower School dismissal times vary according to grades, but all Lower School students and Classes V and VI are dismissed on Fridays by 2:10 pm. The academic day for Classes VII, VIII and the Upper School students ends at around 3:00 pm, depending on the day.

Each week has an assembly period, during which students attend music, dance or dramatic performances, hear speakers, enjoy demonstrations of student public speaking skills and, in the Middle and Upper Schools, consider the merits of candidates running for school offices. Both the Middle and Upper Schools have weekly gatherings of a more informal sort for announcements and for sharing.

In the Lower School, classes run in forty-minute blocks. There is a mid-morning snack, a lunch period and a time for recess. At the end of the day, a transitional period allows girls to move from the fast pace of a kaleidoscopic day to a more serene one, taking stock as they organize themselves, listen to announcements, finish up projects begun earlier in the day or listen to a teacher read a story aloud.

The Middle School maintains the framework of the Lower School academic day, beginning with a homeroom period three days a week. Three times a week, in addition to mid-morning snack break, Middle School girls have a full hour for lunch that provides them with opportunities to socialize, work quietly or attend a meeting or activity if they choose. They also have an advisory period once a week.

The Upper School day defies easy description, because each course and discipline has its own characteristic configuration of classes in a week. While some courses, especially in Classes IX and X, meet in the traditional pattern of four forty-minute periods a week, other courses operate on a pattern of mingled forty-, sixty or eighty-minute periods, according to the needs of the discipline.

This arrangement makes each day different, with the fixed points of homeroom in the morning three days a week, a half-hour mid-morning break on three days and a longer advisory period on Wednesdays. Lunch periods fluctuate according to a given schedule.

Homework throughout the school is carefully regulated. Lower School families are expected to read aloud with their children from Kindergarten on, and girls are expected to read to themselves for half an hour daily once they have developed the skills to do so. Classes II and III have weekly spelling and math assignments to do at home. Girls in Class IV are asked to prepare a thirty-minute assignment at home on weekdays and two on weekends, in addition to reading for pleasure.

In the Middle School, the number of homework assignments gradually increases: a student who normally has two or, occasionally, three assignments a night in Class V can expect three, or sometimes four, assignments in Class VIII. With a time

50 50

20471_Text.indd 50

8/6/15 10:20 AM

limit of forty minutes per assignment, girls are often able to complete some of their homework in supervised study halls. A test calendar regulates the number of large assignments that may be due in any given week.

With the greater flexibility of schedule and more disposable free time in the Upper School, the number of assignments a student takes home with her fluctuates, not only according to the number of classes she has in a day but also according to decisions she makes about how to use her time. If she joins an athletic team, she will have more free time during the day and less after school; if she prefers to socialize or participates in many activities, she may need to defer her preparation of assignments until she gets home. In accordance with a student’s increasing capacity to work independently, the length of assignments increases to fifty minutes per assignment starting in Class X. Facilities

In order to to create the modern facilities necessary to sustain Brearley’s legacy of excellence in education, in February of 2015 the Board of Trustees decided to add programmatic and instructional space at 70-74 East End Avenue in tandem with the renovation and modernization of the schoolhouse at 610 East 83rd Street.

With indoor and outdoor athletic facilities in the neighborhood and its setting overlooking the East River, the School will over the next five years create a campus amid the artistic, cultural and other resources of New York City.

The twelve-story main building, which currently serves as the academic home of all students from Kindergarten through Class XII, has airy interior spaces and sweeping views. While the homerooms of the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools are grouped in different parts of the building—the ages of students rising with the floors— classrooms and offices of the academic departments are situated throughout.

Faculty, staff and girls of all ages come together in the School’s common areas.

The Assembly Hall, with its classical architecture, is the frequent scene of theater productions, lectures, concerts, recitals, rehearsals and community gatherings throughout the school year. Younger students gather with their teachers for lunch at tables in the Common Room, while Middle and Upper School students, faculty and staff have breakfast, lunch and snacks in the cafeteria. Students and teachers also make daily use of Brearley’s two libraries, with their combined collection of 31,000 volumes, dozens of print and online subscriptions, musical recordings, audio books and a film collection of over 2,000 titles, mostly on DVD. Classrooms for most subjects are structured around seminar circles of desks or tables and are equipped with SmartBoards, projectors, laptop sets, wireless access points or other technology; in addition, the Physical Education, Computer Education, Science and Art Departments have dedicated gyms, laboratories and studios.

On the science floor, specially designed to take advantage of recycled materials and energy-saving systems, students use a range of electronic tools for experimental and quantitative analysis to explore topics in biology, chemistry and physics—and even design and build their own robots, among other projects.

There is also a large science room on one of the Lower School floors.

51 51

20471_Text.indd 51

8/6/15 10:20 AM

The School Community Brearley’s art floor features three dedicated rooms for painting, drawing and sculpture, along with a ceramics room and a photography lab and darkroom.

Students’ evolution as artists is richly evident in the sketches, paintings and photos that are displayed in the studios, the gallery-like walls of the seventh floor and the lobby and common areas throughout the school. The carpentry room on B Deck serves additional offerings of the Art Department and provides space and equipment for building theater sets.

Computer facilities are available throughout the building. Students have access to two large computer labs, one serving the Lower School, the other the Middle and Upper Schools. In addition, there are three smaller computer workrooms, as well as the advanced science research room and laptops for use in the library and classrooms.

Brearley’s physical education facilities at East 83rd Street include two gymnasiums, a gymnastics room, a fitness area and a dance studio. The School’s Field House, with regulation-size basketball and volleyball courts and bleachers, is a short walk away, on East 87th Street. This multi-purpose space serves primarily as a site for Middle and Upper School basketball, volleyball and other games and practices. Brearley also makes use of many outside facilities, including the swimming pool and artificial turf fields at Asphalt Green and fields on Randall’s Island. n DIVERSITY When a girl arrives at Brearley, she enters an inclusive community that prizes diversity—what people have in common and how they differ—and recognizes that its students need to feel at home not only in a variety of cultures and ways of approaching and solving problems, but also in the realization that “feeling at home” is a shifting concept.

Brearley draws families from the entire metropolitan area—all five boroughs, Connecticut, Long Island, Westchester and New Jersey—and from all socioeconomic groups. Both the percentage of students receiving financial assistance and the average grant per student are among the largest in New York City independent schools. The School emphasizes ethnic and cultural diversity as well: students of color make up 46 percent of the student body.

Diversity, and how we think about it, plays an important role in the lives of students and adults throughout the School. The school recently created the Office of Community Life to address areas of concern and to create programs for students, faculty and staff, and parents to engage with one another in thoughtful, respectful and progressive conversation. Lower School teachers discuss and devise effective approaches to issues of identity in the classroom. Middle School students and their advisors address similar questions as they arise in the burgeoning social world of early adolescence. Interested students can join the Middle School Diversity Committee, which meets weekly with a faculty advisor. The students on the Upper School Diversity Committee also hold weekly meetings, which are open to faculty and staff, and lead regular discussions for the entire division.

This committee also sponsors a “common” book or film, which is read or viewed,

52 52

20471_Text.indd 52

8/6/15 10:20 AM

and discussed, by Upper School students and their advisors in group meetings throughout the school year. Among the student clubs in the Upper School are several groups that provide support, celebrate and share their cultures with the whole community. The School also commits to sending Upper School students to the Student Diversity Leadership Conference, hosted annually by NYSAIS, as a way of supporting their desire to develop deeper cultural competence.

Girls share activities and relationships with students in other schools in New York and in other states and countries. They may take an advanced mathematics course, go on an outdoor overnight trip or perform in plays and concerts with other Interschool consortium students. Students participate in exchanges or travel/study programs that allow them to spend time abroad; in recent years, students have traveled to London, Paris, Mumbai and Bangalore, as well as to China.

An active Parents’ Association discusses topics of general interest and hears presentations by the Head of School and other senior staff members. It coordinates events for parents and families during the school year; welcomes new families with events and a buddy program in the fall; and serves as a liaison between Brearley parents and outside organizations like Parents in Action. The parents’ diversity forum, Community Life and Diversity, hosts programs and events that celebrate and encourage Brearley’s commitment to diversity. Its members serve as a resource for parents, as support groups for parents and their children and as co-organizers of the Festival of Cultures, held every other year. Moreover, they seek to bring their concerns to the attention of the School and to advocate for strategies that promote and support diversity, through their partnership with the Office of Community Life.

The opportunities that arise from collaboration among varied perspectives and personalities, different family traditions and multiple talents are at the core of the academic experience as well. Diversity in academic life teaches students how to move between the familiar and the unfamiliar, with an intellectual understanding enriched by formal education. Broad exposure in the Lower School to cultures around the world is accompanied by an equally important focus on culture within the girls’ own community. The Middle School’s global history curriculum develops students’ facility with the comparative method as they encounter cultures firsthand in their study of French, Spanish or Mandarin. In the Upper School, girls develop the ability to see a culture on its own terms rather than chiefly through comparison with others.

Having studied the history of African, Asian, South American and European cultures and a broad range of literature—and with the awareness that there are many learning styles and media for the translation of understanding—Brearley alumnae are prepared for the specific challenges of living and working with people from backgrounds different from their own. Supported by intellectual tools, academic diversity is not just a virtuous or moral perspective; it is an essential way of seeing the world for global citizens through embracing differences in lived experience.

53 53

20471_Text.indd 53

8/6/15 10:20 AM

College Advising College Advising

The college search and application process is an opportunity for students to exercise their decision-making skills, independence and self-knowledge. Brearley offers a comprehensive advising program that begins formally in the fall of Class XI; however, students in Classes IX and X may also consult the College Advisors, particularly around issues of college entrance examinations. Although the College Advisors oversee the entire college application process, it is vital that each girl feel confident taking responsibility for and making choices appropriate to her academic and personal goals. The students meet in seminars with the Advisors throughout Class XI and through the fall of their senior year. In the second half of Class XI, girls begin to meet individually with the Advisors in a series of conversations that eventually includes their parents. The process is a very personal one, in which the Advisors come to know each girl quite well and are thus best able to serve as her advocate throughout.

The college process consists of a series of events to educate families about college as well as frequent meetings and regular correspondence with students and their parents. All of these exchanges depend on honest and open communication. In addition to conversations with Brearley’s College Advisors, families are invited to attend college-related events (including a college fair and financial aid event) sponsored in conjunction with other Interschool institutions. In the fall of the senior year, over eighty college representatives visit Brearley to meet with students interested in their college or university. The College Advisors, as the School’s representatives to the colleges, write a lengthy letter of recommendation for each student, drawing upon their knowledge of the individual girl; the recommendation is supplemented by substantial commentary from teachers and advisors and is endorsed by the Head of School. The College Advisors are available as counselors and editors as the students complete their applications, and they remain a source of information and guidance until a student has made the decision about which college she will attend. While the primary relationship is forged with the student, the College Advisors serve as a resource for parents as they, too, navigate the college application process.

Almost all courses at Brearley in Classes XI and XII meet or exceed the standard of the Advanced Placement program; although Brearley courses rarely confine themselves to teaching to a particular syllabus, Brearley students who do choose to take an AP have historically done well.

54 54

20471_Text.indd 54

8/6/15 10:20 AM

n COLLEGE ENTRANCE 2011—2015 Total

Total

Amherst College

3

Occidental College

1

Bard College

6

Pitzer College

1

Barnard College

4

Princeton University

Bates College

2

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

1

Boston College

5

Rhode Island School of Design

1

Bowdoin College

4

Skidmore College

2

Brandeis University

2

Smith College

1

Brown University

9

Southern Methodist University

1

Bryn Mawr College

1

Stanford University

4

Bucknell University

2

Stony Brook University

1

Carleton College

4

Swarthmore College

2

Carnegie Mellon University

3

The Cooper Union

1

Claremont McKenna College

1

Evergreen State College

1

Colgate University

2

The Juilliard School

1

University of Texas, Austin

1

14

Columbia University

18

Connecticut College

2

Trinity College

1

Cornell University

4

Tufts University

3

Dartmouth College

8

Tulane University

2

Davidson College

1

University of California

Duke University

3

Elon University

1

University of California

Emory University

2

at Santa Barbara

1

Georgetown University

4

University of Chicago

6

Grinnell College

4

University of Illinois School

Hamilton College

1

of Engineering

1

Harvard University

22

University of Miami

1

Haverford College

3

at Berkeley

1

University of Michigan

2

Indiana University at Bloomington 1

University of Oxford

1

Johns Hopkins University

7

University of Pennsylvania

12

Kenyon College

1

University of St. Andrews

4

Macalester College

2

University of Vermont

1

University of Virginia

1

1

Vanderbilt University

3

McGill University

1

Vassar College

1

Middlebury College

2

Washington University in St. Louis 7

Mount Holyoke College

1

Wellesley College

1

New York University

3

Wesleyan University

7

Northwestern University

4

Williams College

9

Oberlin College

5

Yale University

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

17

55 55

20471_Text.indd 55

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Greater Brearley Greater Brearley

Brearley alumnae distinguish themselves by knowing exactly why they love their alma mater. The relationship between the School and its past students is notable for the energy and support alumnae give to Brearley: 41% of them contribute to Brearley’s Annual Fund, one of the highest rates of participation among our peer schools.

Alumnae maintain close ties with the School through long friendships with their former teachers, through publications and a website that keep them up-to-date on news of the School and through participation in programs and reunions sponsored by an active Brearley Alumnae Association, formed in 1893. Among other opportunities for alumnae involvement, the “610 Connect Program” fosters networking among our alumnae; an Arts Committee invites alumnae to events that provide an inside look at the arts in the city; the Frances Riker Davis Award honors alumnae for quiet giving to their communities; and the Lois Kahn Wallace Award honors the talent of aspiring alumnae writers. Alumnae across the generations serve as resources for one another on both career and personal issues.

They take an active interest in students at the School, providing career advice and internships at their workplaces. Brearley alumnae are lawyers, parents, filmmakers, teachers, designers, writers of all kinds—from poets and screenwriters to journalists—policy makers and politicians, actors, social workers, artists, financial managers and doctors.

In addition to alumnae support, Brearley is fortunate in enjoying the generosity of parents, alumnae parents, grandparents and foundations. This support, well rooted in the School’s long history, makes possible programs for financial assistance, enrichment of the curriculum and student and faculty awards that honor the School’s core values. Members of the Brearley community contribute generously to the School through gifts to the Annual Fund ($4,003,241 in 2014–2015), the Parents’ Association Benefit, the Class XII gift and capital funds. In 2014–2015 parent participation in the Annual Fund reached 99%.

Brearley’s endowment is the result of gifts, large and small, over many decades, which have been wisely managed by a volunteer investment committee of the Board of Trustees.

■ ENDOWMENT

Market value as of June 30, 2015: $132,500,000

56 56

20471_Text.indd 56

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Endowed Funds Endowed Funds of the Brearley School n FOR THE ARTS ART HISTORY FUND (2001)

Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust and Henry and Patricia Tang. To support and enrich the study of art history.

TONY BARLOW DANCE FUND (1999)

In memory of Tony Barlow, husband of Dr. Priscilla M. Winn Barlow, Head of the School from 1997 to 2003 and Interim Head from 2011 to 2012. To enhance the dance program.

URSULA LOENGARD BERENS ’47 MEMORIAL ART FUND (1987)

To enhance the visual arts program through demonstrations by practicing artists and trips to view art and architecture.

ELSMITH MUSIC FUND (1966)

In memory of Berta and Leonard Elsmith. To award a music prize and to support the work of the Music Department.

SALLY W. GANZ VISITING ARTISTS FUND (1998)

Established by her daughters. To bring visiting artists to work with students.

ELINOR LAMONT HALLOWELL ’53 MUSIC FUND (1998)

To encourage an appreciation of music in future generations of Brearley girls.

THE RACHEL BARRETT SWETT ’07 PHOTOGRAPHY FUND (2011)

Established by Benjamin and Katherine Swett, family and friends, in loving memory of Rachel Barrett Swett, Class of 2007. To support and enhance the teaching of photography, as a reflection of Rachel’s interest and passion for photography.

ALICE BEMIS THOMPSON FUND (1985)

Charles G. Thompson, in memory of his wife. For honoraria for guest speakers, particularly in the arts. n FOR GENERAL CURRICULAR ENRICHMENT THE ATHLETICS DISCRETIONARY FUND (1995)

Peter and Mike Gilbert.

FISHER/NADOSY LIBRARY FUND (1995)

Robert and Barbara Liberman and Peter and Patricia Nadosy.

ALICE F. GOODWIN ’50 LIBRARY FUND (2002)

Bequest of Mrs. Marion F. Goodwin, in memory of her daughter.

ISEMAN FUND (2001)

Frederick Iseman and Marguerite Nougué-Sans. To support the teaching of fresh, articulate and effective spoken English as a recognized valuable part of a Brearley education.

MARGARET R. LAWRENCE FUND (1983)

A Brearley alumna and her husband, in honor of a longtime teacher in the Lower School. To support the teaching of reading in the Lower School program.

57 57

20471_Text.indd 57

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Endowed Funds Endowed Funds of the Brearley School n Endowed and Other Capital Fuds PHYSICAL EDUCATION FUND (1986)

For rental of athletic facilities outside the School, transportation for students and salaries for part-time physical education teachers and coaches.

THE GEORGE Z. TOKIEDA FUND FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION (2007)

An alumna in the Class of ’81, in memory of a much-loved science teacher.

To support all aspects of environmental education.

TWEEDY LOWER SCHOOL LIBRARY FUND (1987)

Mrs. Gordon Tweedy and her three Brearley daughters.

ZAHLER VISITING WRITERS FUND (2004)

Eric and Karen Gantz Zahler. To support the visiting authors program. n FOR STUDENT ACTIVITIES NINA ZINSSER ’76 MEMORIAL FUND (1979)

To support the School’s literary magazine, the Beaver.

SELF-GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION FUND (1996)

Toni Krissel Goodale ’59. To encourage and support student involvement and leadership in the life of the School through the activities of the Brearley Association for Self-Government. n FOR FACULTY ART CHAIR FUND (1958)

Barbara Whitney Headley ’21, in memory of her mother, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, 1894.

ANNE LLOYD BASINGER LEGACY (1987)

Bequest of Miss Basinger, Head of the Middle School from 1934 to 1972. For vacations, travel and recreation of members of the faculty.

EDNA H. CARLING PHYSICAL EDUCATION CHAIR FUND (1962)

In honor of the Head of the Physical Education Department from 1933 to 1963.

CHAIRS FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING (1984)

To support and augment the salaries of three outstanding teachers, in recognition of Brearley’s commitment to excellence.

HELENE CHAMPRIGAND CHAIR OF MODERN LANGUAGES (1982)

Margarita Delacorte ’49, in memory of the former Head of the French Department.

PHYLLIS GOODHART GORDAN ’31 CHAIR OF CLASSICS (1976)

In honor of Brearley alumna, parent and President of the Board of Trustees from 1969 to 1973.

ENDOWMENT FOR FACULTY SALARIES (2015)

Bequest of Lois Kahn Wallace ’57 for support of faculty salaries.

58 58

20471_Text.indd 58

8/6/15 10:20 AM

EVELYN J. HALPERT ’52 HISTORY CHAIR FUND (1924)

Originally established in 1924, the fund was augmented by additional gifts and renamed in 1997, in honor of the Head of the School from 1975 to 1997.

MARGARET RIKER HARDING LOWER SCHOOL FELLOWSHIP FUND (2002)

In memory of the Head of the Lower School from 1963 to 1985 and a faculty member for forty-four years.

SANDRA LEA MARSHALL ’73 FUND (1974)

For travel or other pleasurable purposes in recognition of extraordinary personal support of students.

MASTER TEACHER FUND (2000)

In honor of retiring faculty each year. To support the mentorship by longtime faculty members of less experienced teachers.

MILLICENT CAREY McINTOSH ENGLISH CHAIR FUND (1951)

In honor of the Head of the School from 1930 to 1947.

MUSIC CHAIR FUND (1959) LAURA SPELMAN ROCKEFELLER FUND (1984)

Mr. and Mrs. Laurance S. Rockefeller. For faculty salaries.

DOROTHY SCHIFF ’20 SCIENCE CHAIR (2004)

The Dorothy Schiff Foundation, in memory of longtime editor and publisher of the New York Post and member of a multi-generation Brearley family.

EMILY TOWNSEND VERMEULE ’46 CLASSICS FUND (2002) EMILY V. M. WALKER ’06 FACULTY FUND (2014)

Established by Thomas B. Walker III in honor of his daughter. To support faculty compensation.

SERENA MARSHALL WELD ’01 FUND (1934)

Bequest of Miss Mildred Du Bois. To benefit a teacher on sabbatical leave.

PRISCILLA M. WINN BARLOW FACULTY SALARY FUND (2003)

In honor of the Head of the School from 1997 to 2003 and Interim Head from 2011 to 2012. n FOR SCHOLARSHIPS AND STUDENT AWARDS ALESSANDRA CHENEY APPLEBY ’44 SCHOLARSHIP FUND (1959)

Mr. and Mrs. Ward Cheney, in memory of their daughter.

ANNE LLOYD BASINGER FUND (1972)

In honor of the Head of the Middle School from 1934 to 1972. For scholarships, especially for Middle School students.

59 59

20471_Text.indd 59

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Endowed Funds Endowed Funds of the Brearley School

THE BLUTT FAMILY ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITY FUND (2008)

Mitchell and Margo Krody Blutt. To make all aspects of a Brearley education accessible to students.

LOUISE CLARKE BODMAN 1911 MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND (1983)

The Bodman Foundation.

BARBARA SCHNEIDER BRUCKNER ’68 MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND (1988)

For scholarships, especially for students who exhibit an interest in and commitment to community service.

SARAH C. CARSLAKE SCHOLARSHIP FUND (1977)

In honor of the Registrar and Director of Admission from 1929 to 1977.

ELIZABETH DODGE H. CLARKE 1903 AND JULIA DODGE REA 1904 MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND (1977)

The Cleveland H. Dodge Foundation, Inc. FRANCES RIKER DAVIS 1915 MEMORIAL FUND (1966)

To provide a scholarship annually to a girl who has shown leadership in service to the School and to honor an alumna who exemplifies the spirit of service characteristic of Mrs. Davis.

MARY DE KAY SCHOLARSHIP FUND (1982)

In memory of the Head of the English Department and Head of the Middle School. Middle School scholarships.

MILDRED M. DONNELLY MEMORIAL FUND (1964)

Lower School scholarships.

ANNE DUNN SCHOLARSHIP FUND (1924)

Mr. and Mrs. George D. Selden and a bequest of Miss Frances Arnold. For a student entering Bryn Mawr College.

ELIZABETH WHEELER ELLISON ’38 SCHOLARSHIP FUND (1987)

Bequest from John Wheeler in memory of his daughter.

AMY MAZZOLA FLYNN ’81 MEMORIAL FUND (2014)

Established by family and friends in loving memory of Amy Mazzola Flynn, Class of 1981. For scholarships, especially for students interested in the arts.

EDWARD E. FORD FOUNDATION ENDOWMENT FUND (1981)

Upper School scholarships.

ELINOR FRESTON ’51 MEMORIAL FUND (2001)

Katherine F. Freston ’48, in memory of her sister. For special assistance in language and/or mathematics for Lower and Middle School students.

60 60

20471_Text.indd 60

8/6/15 10:20 AM

CAROLINE ZELAZNIK GRUSS SCHOLARSHIP FUND (1999)

Evelyn G. Lipper and Tamara Lipper ’91, in memory of their mother and grandmother. Scholarships, with preference given to a student from a recent Jewish immigrant family.

ELIZABETH FRENCH HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND (1977) MARIAN L. HOGUE ’41 SCHOLARSHIP FUND (1985) JANE FENNELL HOOPS ’37 SCHOLARSHIP FUND (2005)

Bequest of Herman L. Hoops in honor of his daughter.

KAUFMAN FAMILY FUND (2000)

Eric and Eileen Kaufman. For supplementary financial assistance, with preference given to members of minority groups.

CLARA B. KELLNER SCHOLARSHIP FUND (1987)

George A. Kellner, in honor of his mother. For scholarship assistance to deserving students, with preference given to children of employees of not-for-profit educational or research institutions.

HEDWIG RIDDER LEACH ’35 SCHOLARSHIP FUND (1991)

Orin T. Leach, in memory of his wife. For scholarships, with preference given to students with a strong interest in the study of history.

LOUISE LITTAUER SCHOLARSHIP FUND (1985)

Lucius N. Littauer Foundation. For scholarships for students who show the “mental superiority and considerate disposition” of Louise Littauer, a young New Yorker who died in 1876 and “who would have attended the Brearley school had it existed in her time.”

THE MCLEAN FUND (1920)

Bequest from Ethel McLean. To support financial assistance.

JEAN FAIR MITCHELL SCHOLARSHIP FUND (1997)

In honor of the Head of the School from 1947 to 1975. For a partial scholarship for a student in Class VI, VII or VIII who has demonstrated academic ability but whose parents, working in non-profit educational, research or public service institutions, cannot comfortably cover the entire cost of a Brearley education.

ELISABETH MOSER MEMORIAL FUND (1990)

Esther Ridder ’43 and Joan Ridder Challinor ’45. For extra assistance to students in the Middle and Upper Schools.

READER’S DIGEST ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FUND (1980)

Dewitt Wallace Fund, Inc. For partial scholarships for students from middle income families beyond their first year at Brearley.

SYDNEY JOELSON SEGAL MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND (1998)

In loving memory by her family. For scholarship assistance to a Middle or Upper School student with an interest in science or math.

61 61

20471_Text.indd 61

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Endowed Funds Endowed Funds of the Brearley School

THE LOUISE G. AND JACOB SKLAROFF MEMORIAL FUND (2011)

Established in their memory by Rachel and Donald Strauber. To help assure that all Brearley students can enjoy every aspect of life at the School.

C.V. STARR SCHOLARSHIP MEMORIAL FUND (1995)

The Starr Foundation.

SHEILA MULDOWNY STONE ’53 SCHOLARSHIP FUND (2000)

Robert L. Stone, in honor of his wife and augmented by a bequest from Mr. Stone in 2009. For financial assistance for students who strive to be the best that they can be in the classroom, in the Brearley community and in sports or dance.

DELIGHT TOLLES FUND (1990)

In memory of longtime Classics teacher and Chairman of the Classics Department from 1964 to 1979. For scholarships and tutoring or other assistance, especially for students who show an interest in the Classics.

FRANCES HYDE ZABRISKIE 1914 SCHOLARSHIP FUND (1973)

The Lillia Babbitt Hyde Foundation. n STUDENT TRAVEL FUNDS JACQUELINE DE COPPET BERTHET ’52 MEMORIAL FUND (1980)

For study in France.

CLASS OF 1948 TRAVEL FUND (1998)

In honor of their 50th reunion and in memory of their deceased classmates. For student foreign exchange programs.

PEGGY LEHMAN KORN ’37 FOREIGN EXCHANGE AND TRAVEL FUND (2000)

Bequest. To provide financial assistance to broaden students’ horizons with travel and exchange programs.

KATHRYN SCHAEFLER PERSHAN ’49 SCHOLARSHIP FOR STUDY AND TRAVEL (1999)

For travel grants to Upper School students participating in programs related to classical studies or art history.

ANDREA V. ROSENTHAL ’84 SCHOLARSHIP FOR OVERSEAS STUDY AND TRAVEL (1990)

Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Rosenthal, in memory of their daughter. To enable a deserving Upper School student to travel or participate in summer study, community service projects or other programs overseas. n SPECIAL PURPOSE FUNDS COLLEGE FUND (1998)

Tony and Amie James. To support the work of the College Advisor through enhanced contact with colleges and universities.

62 62

20471_Text.indd 62

8/6/15 10:20 AM

INDEPENDENCE FOUNDATION STUDENT LOAN FUND (1982)

For student loans to accompany the School’s scholarship grants.

JEAN FAIR MITCHELL FUND (1975)

In honor of the Head of the School from 1947 to 1975. To give future Heads of School a special resource for curricular or administrative projects that lie outside the regular budget of the School.

SCHOLASTIC LOAN FUND (1976)

The Uris Brothers Foundation, Inc. For loans to families in need of temporary financial assistance.

LOIS KAHN WALLACE ’57 BREARLEY WRITERS AWARD FUND (1999)

To honor Brearley for honing her appreciation of good writing. An award to honor and encourage a Brearley alumna who has begun to publish wellcrafted prose. n FOR GENERAL SCHOOL PURPOSES ENDOWMENT FUND

Includes funds raised for the Endowment Fund of 1920, the 75th Anniversary Fund, the Development Fund, the Capital Fund Program of 1973, the Centennial Campaign, the Campaign for Brearley and the 125th Anniversary Campaign.

CROSWELL MEMORIAL PENSION FUND (1915) HELEN LANCASTER HALL ’18 FUND (1993) SOPHIE CONNETT JOHNSON ’25 FUND (1993) THE ALICE MacRAE KISSEL ’29 FUND (2004) MEMORIAL FUND OF THE ALUMNAE (1955)

Alumnae Association. To receive capital bequests under wills or gifts in memory of alumnae, with income supporting the Annual Fund, so that annual giving by memorialized alumnae is perpetuated.

RICHARD B. STEARNS, JR., MEMORIAL FUND (1993)

In memory of a Brearley parent and trustee (1986 to 1993).

VALERIE VONDERMUHLL ’36 FUND (1979)

Income supports the Annual Fund.

63 63

20471_Text.indd 63

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Endowed Funds Endowed Funds of the Brearley School n PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION BENEFIT FUNDS Every year since 1978, the Brearley Parents’ Association has produced a Benefit event that brings the entire community together for an afternoon or evening.

The use of the proceeds from the Benefit is determined each year by the volunteer Benefit Committee in consultation with the Head of School. In some years, Benefit proceeds have been used for purposes other than endowment; in some years, Benefit gifts to the endowment have been unrestricted. The list here highlights those Benefits that have created funds for specified purposes.

1985 CENTENNIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Proceeds from “An Evening with Itzhak Perlman.”

1988 ARTS FUND 1992 FACULTY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND 1999 “BREARLEY ON BROADWAY” FUND FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Featuring the music of Brearley fathers Irving Berlin, Leonard Bernstein, FrankLoesser and Richard Rodgers, the 1999 Benefit created this fund to support the School’s performing arts program.

2002 BENEFIT SCHOLARSHIP FUND 2004 ARTS FUND 2007 FACULTY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND 2008 COMMUNITY SERVICE FUND 2009 FACULTY SALARY FUND 2010 THE 125TH ANNIVERSARY SCHOLARSHIP FUND 2011 FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FUND 2012 FACULTY SALARY FUND 2013 INNOVATION FUND FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING 2014 BREARLEY TEACHING FUND 2015 BREARLEY TEACHING FUND

64 64

20471_Text.indd 64

8/6/15 10:20 AM

n CLASS XII GIFT FUNDS Each year, the families of Brearley’s Class XII honor their daughters’ achievements and their Brearley education with a gift to the School. The purpose to which the Class XII gift will be directed is determined by the volunteer Gift Committee in consultation with Class XII and the Head of School. In some years, the Class XII gift purchases something specific for the School (for example, seating for the Assembly Hall balcony or pianos). The list here highlights those Class XII gifts that have created endowed funds for specified purposes.

CLASS OF 1981 SCHOLARSHIP FUND CLASS OF 1988 COMMUNITY SERVICE FUND CLASS OF 1992 FACULTY AWARD FUND

To honor the extraordinary commitment of the Brearley faculty to their students.

CLASS OF 1993 CURRICULAR ENRICHMENT FUND

To expand the offerings of elective courses in the Upper School.

CLASS OF 1995 SCHOLARSHIP FUND CLASS OF 1996 LIBRARY TECHNOLOGY FUND CLASS OF 1997 SCIENCE ENRICHMENT FUND CLASS OF 1998 VISITING SCHOLARS FUND CLASS OF 1999 FACULTY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND CLASS OF 2003 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR FACILITIES AND KITCHEN PERSONNEL CLASS OF 2004 LANGUAGE ENHANCEMENT FUND CLASS OF 2005 MASTER TEACHER FUND

In memory of George Tokieda, treasured member of the Brearley Science faculty from 1975 to 2005.

CLASS OF 2006 TRAVEL, STUDY AND SERVICE FUND CLASS OF 2007 CURRICULUM INNOVATION FUND CLASS OF 2008 FACULTY SALARY FUND CLASS OF 2010 COMMUNITY SPIRIT FUND CLASS OF 2011 LEGACY FUND CLASS OF 2012 FACULTY TECHNOLOGY FUND CLASS OF 2013 FACULTY AND STAFF APPRECIATION FUND CLASS OF 2014 STUDENT LIFE FUND CLASS OF 2015 ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY FUND

65 65

20471_Text.indd 65

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Calendar 2015—2016 Calendar ■ 2015 Tues.–Fri., August 25–Sept. 4 Mandatory team practices and tryouts for

Upper School athletic teams.

Monday, September 7

Labor Day: School closed.

Tuesday, September 8

Opening Day XII.

Wednesday, September 9 Opening Day V–XI;

VII–VIII athletics begin.

Thursday, September 10 K small groups visit.

Opening Day I–IV; Early dismissal at 12:30 pm; M.S./U.S. Classes begin.

Friday, September 11 K Opening Day; Dismissal at 11:30 am;

V–VI athletics begin.

Monday, September 14

Rosh Hashanah: School closed.

Tuesday, September 15

Lower School Full Days begin.

Wednesday, September 23 Thursday, September 24

Yom Kippur: School closed.

Upper School Curriculum Night.

Tuesday, September 29 Lower School Curriculum Night.

Thursday, October 1

Middle School Curriculum Night.

Monday, October 12

Columbus Day: School closed.

Wed.–Fri., November 25-27

Thanksgiving Recess: School closed.

Thursday, December 17

K–IV last day before Winter Break.

Friday, December 18

V–XII last day before Winter Break.

66 66

20471_Text.indd 66

8/6/15 10:20 AM

Calendar 2015—2016 Calendar ■ 2016 Monday, January 4

School reopens.

Monday, January 18

Martin Luther King Jr. Day: School closed.

Mon.–Tues., February 15–16

Presidents’ Weekend: School closed.

Wed., March 9–Wed., March 16

Examination period, Classes IX–XII.

Mon., March 14–Wed., March 16

Examination period, Classes VII and VIII.

Friday, March 18

Last day before Spring Break.

Monday, April 4

School reopens.

Friday, May 27

Last day of music lessons.

Monday, May 30

Memorial Day: School closed.

Wednesday, June 1

Last day of Middle School activities.

Wednesday, June 8

Lower School Last Day.

Thursday, June 9

Middle School Last Day.

Friday, June 10

Upper School Last Day.

Mon.–Wed., June 13–15

Faculty meetings.

■ TUITION 2015–2016

K–XII $43,680 Tuition includes lunch, books, supplies and class trips.

■ SCHOOL OFFICE HOURS

Weekdays: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Summer Hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Closed Fridays in July and August

67 67

20471_Text.indd 67

8/6/15 10:20 AM

2015–2016 Board of Trustees 2015—2016 Board of Trustees Ellen Jewett ’77, President Carter Brooks Simonds ’95, Vice President Christopher L. Mann, Secretary Noah Gottdiener, Treasurer

Christine Frankenhoff Alfaro ’91

HONORARY TRUSTEES

Reza Ali

Georges F. de Ménil

Nicholas C. Bienstock

Evelyn Janover Halpert ’52

Virginia Connor

David T. Hamamoto

François de Ménil

Stephanie J. Hull

Jane Foley Fried

Alan Jones

Marisa Gardini ’85

Caroline Kennedy ’75

Jane Gladstone ’86

Edward F. Rover

Ivan M. Hageman

John F. Savarese

Munib Islam

J. Kellum Smith, Jr.

Elizabeth Harpel Kehler ’79

Priscilla M. Winn Barlow

Georgia Levenson Keohane ’90 Kathleen Moriarty ’71

FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE

Stephanie L. Perlman, M.D.

Susan Sagor

Julia Pershan ’88 David B. Philip Naomi Press Paula Campbell Roberts ’94 Modupe Akinola Robinson ’92 Terri J. Seligman ’78 Andrew K. Tsai

68 68

20471_Text.indd 68

8/6/15 10:20 AM

GENERAL CATALOGUE 2015 . 2016 Kindergarten – Class XII

610 East 83rd Street New York, NY 10028 (212) 744-8582 www.brearley.org

20471_Cover.indd 1

8/6/15 10:20 AM