Life Skills
Each ninth grade student and tenth grade student new to the School takes a Life Skills class. While these courses do not bear credit, they are required in the curriculum to ensure our students are well-prepared for the choices they will encounter in life both now as teenagers and in the future.
Life Skills is a general human development course required for all ninth grade students. It explores topics including relationships, sexuality, substance abuse, stress management, and effective communication. The course texts include The Six Most Important Decisions You Will Ever Make by Sean Covey, as well as multimedia discussion tools. Students are expected to engage fully in class discussions, as well as complete in-class writing assignments and opinion papers. This course meets for nine weeks (one trimester) and is taught by the Upper School Counselor. All new sophomore students are required to complete the same course as Sophomore Life Skills.