 | Campus < Academics Overview Mission of the School
The purpose of the school is to develop in its students, under
Christian principles, a high sense of honor and moral integrity, a deep
respect for sound scholarship, a full acceptance of responsibility, a
love of excellence, and a will toward personal sacrifice in service to
others. It is likewise its mission, based on these ideals, to develop
its students into leaders, to train its students toward a useful
contribution to the democratic society in which they live, and to give
them thorough preparation for the best colleges and universities
consistent with their individual potentials.
The abiding concern of Woodberry Forest School is the personal growth
of its students. To this end, the school attempts to provide a broad
experience with balanced emphasis on the academic, artistic, physical,
and spiritual development of its students. In so doing, the school
believes that well-conceived challenges together with support and
encouragement will instill self-confidence and a striving for
continuing excellence throughout life. Woodberry Forest is committed to
helping students become individuals whose sense of values and capacity
to reason effectively will allow them to deal with important
intellectual, ethical, and social problems and to lead rewarding
private lives. In keeping with this objective, the faculty is more
concerned with teaching students how to think than what to think.
As a community the school fosters an atmosphere of civility and
cooperation, urging its members to treat one another with the respect
and consideration they hope to receive in return. The underpinning of
that effort is the Honor System, which is not so much a rigid code as
it is a way of life that is fundamental to the decency of the Woodberry
Forest community. The school seeks to maintain a secure and healthy
environment for its students to go about the process of growing and
learning, in the hope that every student will come to think of
Woodberry Forest as a second home.
The Curriculum
The curriculum of Woodberry Forest School prepares boys for college by
providing a thorough foundation in the major disciplines. Students who
complete the required subjects have the opportunity to pursue their
individual academic interests. The academic program strives to be
simultaneously lively and rigorous, emphasizing sound work habits,
thorough preparation, individual expression and initiative. Our
approach to learning encourages independent thinking by teaching
students to assimilate course materials, analyze information, and
formulate conclusions.
There is an emphasis throughout the
curriculum on writing and self-expression to help students become
articulate communicators. The goal of the academic program is to
cultivate intellectual curiosity and develop skills that will be
valuable to students throughout their lives.
Daily homework
assignments play a fundamental role in helping students understand
course material. For that reason, the daily schedule allows students to
study undisturbed through required study periods each evening except
Saturday. Students are expected to carefully prepare for classes, and
their preparation is tested through discussion, classroom exercises and
exams.
Masters are available to students each day during
consultation periods that are part of the daily schedule and outside of
class by appointment. Faculty members encourage students to seek
additional help whenever they encounter difficulties.
In
addition to serving the needs and abilities of individual students, the
curriculum also provides for their special interests and talents. Our
program is well-balanced, frequently reviewed, and revised when
necessary to serve student needs.
Parents receive academic
reports six times a year and faculty adviser comments four times a
year. The progress of each student is thoroughly reviewed by individual
teachers and faculty advisers at the end of each trimester prior to
sending reports home.
Sectioning
Students are
sectioned according to ability in most departments. Advanced students
may take honors courses where they will cover more material than those
in regular or basic sections. This system gives each student the
opportunity to develop his capacity to the fullest. Students are not
permitted to accelerate or graduate a year early by accumulating extra
credits. Students whose performance puts them in the top five percent
of their fifth form class or the top fifteen percent of their sixth
form class are inducted into the Cum Laude Society. Membership is based
solely on academic standing. The Woodberry Chapter of the society, the
high school equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa, received its charter in April
1952. |
| | Print a Copy of the Curriculum Guide
10/27/2006
|
|