Upper School

Director: Nura Yingling 

Upper School students are encouraged to discover and develop their own interests as they expand and deepen their studies in the traditional disciplines. As students progress from freshman to senior year, they enjoy greater flexibility in personalizing their studies by choosing from a broad range of electives and independent study opportunities. Students can also take advantage of an Advanced Placement program of college-level courses through which they may earn credit toward a college degree. Many Upper School men and women score high on national achievement tests and gain admittance to nationally regarded colleges and universities.

The administrative structure of the Tandem Friends Upper School is designed to best serve the academic and social, emotional, and developmental needs of its students. In addition to acting as faculty mentor and educational leader, the Upper School Director oversees the daily school experience of ninth through twelfth graders by arranging schedules, working to resolve conflicts and problems, directing Department Chair activities, and maintaining a visible presence in all areas of the School. The Dean of Upper School Students, supervised by the Director, arranges grade-based activities and special projects, handles minor disciplinary issues, and generally “keeps a finger on the pulse” of the students. The Dean of Upper School Students and the Upper School Director are also responsible for supervising academic advisors - faculty members who oversee the academic experience of approximately ten students by discussing quarterly grade reports with each individual advisee, and arranging student/parent/teacher meetings to discuss academic performance if and when necessary.

Students and faculty constantly initiate innovative ways to bring learning alive at Tandem Friends. Examples abound:

• Foreign language study is offered at every level, and a variety of programs weave foreign languages and cultures into the school’s daily routine. Foreign exchange opportunities place Tandem Friends students into homes abroad, and in alternate years, Tandem Friends plays host to foreign students visiting Charlottesville.
• The Emphasis program, a weeklong intensive alternative educational experience, allows students an opportunity to pursue interests in both traditional and non-traditional ways. Recently, students and teacher chaperones have traveled to Gettysburg to deepen their understanding of the Civil War, ventured to Florida to explore nature and science, and provided services such as Katrina relief in Mississippi, working at animal shelters, and tending to the homeless through the local PACEM program. They have built African drums, learned to make silver jewelry, and explored the customs and cooking of world cultures.
• The Freshman Rhetoric program helps students explore a variety of methods that writers use to influence and persuade readers. Through reading and studying various written genres, students will recognize how language can be intentionally crafted to affect the reader for a variety of purposes. Newsweek, assorted poetry, short stories and essays will serve as the basis of reading content. Students will learn how to write their own narratives, persuasive essays, op-ed pieces, analytical essays, and more. Writing and delivering speeches and debates will also be included in this new approach.
• Through the Sophomore Seminar Project, tenth graders investigate a topic of personal interest. The sophomore English teacher guides them through the research process, and assists them in the preparation of a formal fifteen-page research paper. Students present their topic to fellow students and parents as the culmination of their sophomore year, “academic rite of passage.” Click here for the 2010 list of Sophomore Seminar Topics.
• Juniors prepare a Junior Portfolio, a portfolio of written work comprised of assignments from English, science, history classes. This portfolio will help to create a sense of authorship and accomplishment, serve as a record of writing progress, provide an organized resource for opportunities beyond TFS, highlight junior year achievements in a way easily shared with parents, and create a tool for reflection. Juniors may also choose to include films, music and visuals in their portfolios.
• As seniors, students complete a Senior Project, an independent research endeavor that caps their Tandem Friends education. Students meet with advisors in their chosen fields of study, conduct guided independent work, and in the spring present their projects to the Tandem Friends community. In the past, Senior Projects have included original plays, boat building, choreographed dances, architectural models, and archaeological studies. Click here for the Class of 2010's Senior Projects.
• Senior Externship - After AP exams and before graduation, our seniors embark on another adventure designed to help them with career choices. The Senior Externship program pairs seniors with a business, organization, or individual mentor with whom they are interested in working. For two weeks, seniors dedicate 30 hours to gaining a closer, hands-on knowledge and understanding of their chosen field of study. Examples of past externship placements have included woodworking, horticulture, nursing, veterinary work, archaeology, photography, art museum management, outdoor recreation, culinary arts, and many more. Click here for the 2010 list of senior externships.

Tandem students are often selected for extracurricular enrichment programs, including the prestigious Governor's School in the humanities, the sciences, and the fine and performing arts, and the programs offered by the Center for Talented Youth at the Johns Hopkins University. Student writing from Tandem has appeared in national and local publications, and our students are frequent participants in the Virginia Festival of the Book and The Writer's Eye.

Tandem is unusually fortunate in having the resources of Charlottesville and the University of Virginia available. Students have access to a wealth of libraries, museums, and theaters. Advanced students have taken classes at the University of Virginia or Piedmont Virginia Community College as part of their high school program. Washington, Richmond, and Baltimore are readily accessible.