Bayside Academy’s Upper School prioritizes a holistic education grounded in the core values of our school. Upper School students expand their footprints on campus by taking advantage of the myriad opportunities afforded to them and forging their own path through a dynamic, evolving course of study that has become a hallmark of the Bayside Upper School experience. In and out of the classroom, students develop the integrity, character, empathy, critical point of view, and personal responsibility indicative of the Bayside learning community. Through an array of extracurricular experiences, students discover passions and are encouraged to pursue them. The Upper School learning experience arms our students with the moral fiber and intellectual dexterity necessary to succeed after graduation.
The Upper School faculty challenges students to innovate, collaborate, communicate, problem-solve, and critically reflect as they continuously redefine personal success in the pursuit of goals. Our administrators walk alongside our faculty and our students on the mutual journey toward lifelong learning. We believe in the value of productive struggle and the merit that grit holds in an ever-changing society. Consequently, our students are encouraged to use their voice and push themselves beyond their limits in a way that doesn’t sacrifice overall wellness or a healthy balance of happiness and high achievement.
Our Upper School functions within a unique Depth of Knowledge (DOK) schedule. This hybrid schedule, created in 2019, allows for intentional teaching and learning, prepares students for the future, and creates a student-centered environment which allows for more in-depth study. This blended schedule utilizes two traditional 7-period days along with three DOK days. Grounded in evidence-based research, this schedule provides longer periods of time for students and teachers to investigate learning objectives and key topics more effectively. Simultaneously, the schedule mimics a typical college schedule structure of long and short classes each week: 75-minute DOK classes, conference time, and co-curricular activities are utilized three days a week, while the other two days follow a traditional seven-period day with 45-minute classes.