Upper School
Director: Nura Yingling
Grade 12 Dean: John Davis
Grade 11 Dean: Candace Cone
Grade 10 Dean: Tolly Merrick
Grade 9 Dean: Jocelyn Camarata
Upper School Curriculum
by Discipline
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-class men and women score high on
national achievement tests and gain admittance to nationally
regarded colleges and universities.
| The administrative structure of 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 four Grade Deans,
supervised by the Director, arrange grade-based
activities and special projects, handle minor disciplinary
issues, and generally “keep a finger on the
pulse” of his or her group of students. Grade
Deans 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.
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Although most course offerings reflect traditional
lines of study, students are always encouraged to recognize
and explore the relationships between and among disciplines.
An integrated humanities approach links historical and
literary studies in every grade. For example, a comprehensive
understanding of Greek culture requires not only the
study of geography and history; one must read Homer,
Sophocles, and Socrates as well. Through this integrated
approach, Tandem Friends students develop the habit
of making connections between ideas in an increasingly
complex world.
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 Chincoteague Island
to explore nature through drawing, and provided services
such as tutoring, childcare and building construction
and maintenance to the Choctaw Indian Reservation
in Alabama.
- 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.”
- 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.
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.
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. Local
businesses provide internship opportunities for Tandem
students exploring career choices. Washington, Richmond,
and Baltimore are readily accessible.
For more information, see Upper
School Curriculum by Discipline
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