Berkeley Carroll students are global students. As part of its
commitment to preparing our graduates to thrive in an increasingly
interconnected world, Berkeley Carroll encourages Upper School students
(generally 11th graders) to spend a semester or year living and studying
in an alternative educational environment. The school also supports
educational programs that transcend the traditional walls of a
brick-and-mortar school. Following is a sample of some of the more
popular options. if students are interested in a program not listed
below, they should discuss the program with their grade dean.
SEMESTER PROGRAMS
An offshoot of the Milton Academy, the Mountain
School (www.mountainschool.org) provides high school
juniors the opportunity to live and work on an organic farm in rural
Vermont. How are the Berkeley Carroll students who have
attended the Mountain School affected by this experience? The academic
credits they accrue from their semester in Vermont transfer back to
Berkeley Carroll but the friends they make during their four months away
are theirs for life. Working and living collaboratively and being
responsible for live stock and crops -- these are experiences that most
city kids would never be able to have back home in New York City.
The Rocky Mountain Semester (www.hminet.org/RockyMountainSemester)
isn't for everyone. It's for those who want to combine academics and
backpacking, who want to travel through and study in the mountains of
central Colorado and the canyons of southeastern Utah, and who want to
hone their outdoor skills while sharpening their academic abilities. The
gorgeous terrain of the southwest is only a dream for most east coast
teenagers -- for those who have attended the Rocky Mountain Semester
it's their daily vista.
At the Chewonki Semester School (also known as the Maine
Coastal Program) each day integrates academics, work,
community, and learning about the natural world. A recognized model for
the sustainable management of natural resources, the program emphasizes
farming, working with one's hands, recycling, and a commitment to
renewable energy. Sustainability is as much a part of the the Chewonki
Semester School (http://www.chewonki.org/mcs/default.asp)
as is academics.
Located in California's beautiful Napa Valley, the Oxbow
School is a one-semester program combining visual arts with
academics. Studio time along with visits to museums, galleries, and
artist studios are built into a typical Oxbow day, which also emphasizes
time management skill building. The Oxbow student becomes thoroughly
enmeshed in activities he or she loves. http://www.oxbowschool.org/home.html.
Traditional academics, supplemented by a hands-on study of marine
biology, are the hallmarks of the Island School's
program (http://www.islandschool.org).
Located in Cape Eleuthera in the Bahamas, the Island School's program
emphasizes classroom work with that done in the ocean, tide pools, and
along the beach.
TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES
Travel is a great way for students to see the world while broadening
their worldview. Through Berkeley Carroll's partnership with the World
Leadership School (http://www.worldleadershipschool.com),
Upper School students have the opportunity to travel to venues as
diverse as Costa Rica and Kenya and the opportunities afforded by this
relationship far eclipse those gained from going on vacation. For
example, consider the Berkeley Carroll students who recently spent 10
days in Costa Rica. They studied biodiversity loss, honed their
leadership skills, and because they lived with local families while
working on their service project, established connections they might
keep for a lifetime.
PARTNERSHIPS
Since September 2010 Berkeley Carroll has been partnering with
NYU/Polytechnic Institute (http://www.poly.edu)
to offer a college level engineering/design course. This course is taught by NYU professors and takes place in their college
state-of-the-art labs. The first of many such partnerships, this course
will provide an amazing opportunity to take a course not usually offered
to high school students. Further, it will be excellent preparation for
college.
ONLINE COURSES
In partnership
with the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University (http://cty.jhu.edu/ctyonline/2010catalog.html), Berkeley Carroll offers online courses to its students. Our students will join with
others from around the world to take courses in computer programming,
Arabic, and Mandarin. Students who qualify for these courses will
receive Berkeley Carroll course credit on their transcripts.