School : St. Andrew's-Sewanee School -Upper School

Country :

State/City : Tennessee

Average Tuition : $35000 USD

Average Living Cost : $10000 USD

Average Housing Cost : $15000 USD

Education Level :

GPA :

Age : 16~18

Additional :

St. Andrew's-Sewanee School is committed to providing students with the fundamentals necessary for lifelong success. Students are taught to take increasing responsibility for their own learning and to meet academic challenges via multidisciplinary and hands-on teaching styles. Class size ranges from 8 to 18, and the student-faculty ratio is 7:1. Students gain a level of self-reliance that gives them the confidence to care for others and their environment. We prepare students for the demands of college and life through a rigorous academic program that focuses on critical thinking and advanced writing. Believing in the value of a core curriculum, our curriculum emphasizes English, history, mathematics, science, foreign language, and the arts. Classes are focused on active learning with teachers facilitating as students seek answers to complex questions. Our block scheduling means that classes are long enough for meaningful learning. In 90 minutes, students can trek into the woods to monitor pond life, perform a play or have a full debate.

Named one of the eight most beautiful high school's in the South by Southern Living magazine, SAS is truly in a class by itself. The beauty and majesty of our campus and the mountain it sits upon cannot be captured in photos. Take the Virtual Tour and then come see the real thing. The Mountain (as we call it) is a sheltered, serene haven set on the edge of the Cumberland Plateau between Nashville and Chattanooga. Our school's 550-acre campus includes fields, forests, bluffs, and waterfalls. The Spanish colonial architecture gives you a feeling that you've slipped away to another world.

Upper School:

Upper School Course Descriptions

Arts: Performing and Visual Arts

St. Andrew's-Sewanee has long enjoyed a strong reputation for its arts programs. All Upper School students must complete an arts course for graduation. Classes are demanding in scope and expectation. Students are able to pursue instrumental, vocal, and dance studies through private lessons using instructional resources available on our campus. Students also may audition for the orchestra and other ensembles as well as theatrical and dance productions at the university.

English

Writing and critical reading are essential elements of the English curriculum. In their junior and senior years, students choose from 12 courses that emphasize college-level analysis and writing. Students who are not native English speakers take regular English classes along with any necessary ELL courses.

History & Humanities

Students are required to complete the following three history courses or their equivalents before graduation: History 9, History 10, and U.S. History. Classes make extensive use of original documents and regular analytical writing assignments including document-based essays. In History 10, students learn how to draw a map of the world and participate in simulation-based learning. U.S. History students complete a major research paper in the second semester. One-semester electives available to juniors and seniors involve a significant number of analytical papers and other writing assignments and use original documents, anthologies, and film in exploring the course topics.

Interdisciplinary Studies

Language

Two years of study in the same language (Chinese, Latin, or Spanish) at the upper school level are required for graduation. The modern language classes, Chinese and Spanish, are conversation based and generally conducted in that language beginning with the first year classes. Latin may include an oral component but emphasis is on language acquisition through reading. Students may continue study in the same language through advanced levels, either at SAS or at Sewanee: The University of the South. ELL courses are available for non-native speakers who require additional course work. ELL courses are in lieu of another foreign language but are taken concurrently with other subjects. Students who test out of ELL must fulfill the two-year foreign language requirement with a language other than English.

Mathematics

All students must successfully complete Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry to meet graduation requirements. The majority of students will complete four or five years of mathematics prior to graduation. Courses beyond Algebra II include Algebra III: Functions and an Introduction to Trigonometry, Statistics and Probability, Precalculus: Trigonometry, Precalculus: Math Analysis, Advanced Statistics, and Calculus. Students with a passion for mathematics are encouraged to participate in American Math Competitions and Math League Contests.

Religion

Prior to graduating, seniors explore religion as a phenomenon common to humanity and develop tools for the study of any religious tradition. They learn language and method for theological thinking with particular emphasis on the religions birthed of the Abrahamic tradition. Through seminars, essay writing, and research projects, students reflect on the theoretical material presented. At the conclusion of the course, each student articulates a personal creedal statement in light of a full year's experience examining the phenomenon of religion.

Science

All students must successfully complete Conceptual Physics, Chemistry, and Biology to meet graduation requirements. All science courses are laboratory based and emphasize observational and laboratory skills over rote memorization. Elective courses include Advanced Physics, Advanced Chemistry, Advanced Biology, and semester electives in Geology, and Forensics.

Wellness

Students are required to take Health and Fitness and Life Issues in the ninth grade. The class meets twice a week for 90 minutes. In Health and Fitness, the first half of the class takes place in the classroom, where students discuss various health topics. The second half of the class the students are active in the gym, weight room, track or many wonderful campus trails. The goal of the class is to instill in the students lifelong healthy habits of exercise, diet and decision making. Life Issues is a discussion-based class focusing on social and emotional well-being as well as exploring study skills and the way we learn.

Electives

Elective courses vary from year-to-year depending on student interest and faculty interest and expertise. Elective courses are listed under the departments in which they are taught.

Advanced Courses

In addition to the courses listed above, qualified students may take college courses for free and for credit at the nearby University of the South. In recent years, students have used this opportunity to take courses in Anthropology, Art History, Chemistry, Digital Art, Economics, French, German, History, Japanese, Latin, Math, Music, Politics, Russian, Spanish, Theatre and Women's Studies.