Upper School Program of Studies 2009-10 (course descriptions by department/level; download for web view)

Upper School Program of Studies 2009-10 (download for print)

Please note: In each Program of Studies document, you will see a reference to the "FSC Logo"; we are proud to have our printed materials certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. The logo is not included in the download version of the documents, since we do not control how they might be printed.

The upper school program at Friends offers exceptional preparation for college (view the college list) and, as the culmination of a Friends education, for the challenges and opportunities of a future we cannot predict in a fast-changing world. Friends offers the International Baccalaureate (IB), a highly respected college-preparatory program that ensures international certification of quality across academic disciplines.

Our students learn how to engage complex questions intellectually--with multi-layered, open-minded, truly "global" thinking. They learn the academic and leadership skills to engage challenges in and outside of the classroom, with a sense of responsibility and confidence that they can act effectively. They learn how to listen and how to work with people of different points of view. And they learn that the faster the world changes, the more important their own foundation of values and ethics becomes.

The college-preparatory and, in some courses, college-level program--including requirements in the arts, athletics and service--provides both breadth and depth, with options for advanced and independent academic work. Opportunities for international study and service learning are important, and growing, features of the curriculum.

The middle/upper school campus at Friends is located on approximately 25 acres, including five athletic fields and six tennis courts, in the residential neighborhood of Alapocas, just outside the City of Wilmington. Two additional athletic fields used by middle and upper school sports teams are located on the lower school campus. The main school building is 175,000 square feet and houses a theatre/auditorium, seven science labs, three full-size gyms and a fitness room, three computer labs, and a Library Media Center with additional computer resources. For a brief visual introduction to the campus, please see the Middle/Upper School Slideshow.