Upper School
Gill's Upper School is a place where all students are deeply engaged, both in the classroom and through co-curricular activities.
We offer rigorous academic coursework, including AP and honors classes, and our teachers encourage students to continually challenge themselves academically. Faculty offer the support to enable students to thrive. That balance allows our students to offer their best work, grow in confidence, and act with integrity.
We are committed to being an engaging, inclusive, and supportive community. We know and value one another and respect the contributions that each person brings to campus. Our rich and varied academic program prepares students for top-tier colleges and universities, while still allowing for a balanced experience—with room to explore and discover new interests.
Spring Unit Program
A signature program for nearly 50 years, the Spring Unit Program provides two-week experiential learning opportunities each May, including immersive study, field work, and regional and international travel opportunities.
Student Life
Promoting the importance of co-curricular education, GSB provides Upper School students with exceptional athletic, fine and performing arts experiences, community service, and leadership opportunities.
Clubs & Activities
Opportunities abound for students to express themselves through the arts, participating in annual events and extended day programs, competing and learning via a wealth of extracurricular activities, and much more.
Athletics
Gill St. Bernard's has a long and proud tradition of excellence in high school sports.
The Arts
Our Performing and Visual Arts Programs help students discover their passions and more about themselves.
Our Campus
Discover the magic across our 208-acre campus.
Recent Upper School News
Upper School Director Dr. Joel Coleman
Dr. Coleman has served for decades as a teacher, coach, mentor, and administrator in independent schools along the Atlantic seaboard.
He has significant experience in school curriculum evaluation, faculty growth models, and the development and implementation of standards for teaching excellence. More importantly, he has mentored countless students, faculty, and families through daily triumphs and life-long challenges. He appreciates our communal duty to ensure that academic excellence is the bedrock of a Gill St. Bernard’s education. He believes that a school’s mission is a powerful agent for change in the lives of our families and our communities, and he has found a home at GSB because the school acts in accordance with its core values. He also is a proud GSB parent and ardent supporter of our teams and programs.
Teacher Spotlight: Ned Lincoln
As the Farm Manager for Home Winds Farm, Ned’s passion for sustainability is palpable in the fields, inside the barn, on the tractor, and in the classroom.
Director's Blog
Dr. Joel Coleman, Upper School Division Director, shares his thoughts and experiences with our community.
Explore Our Upper School Curriculum
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Acting Advanced
Building on the concepts of Acting I and Acting II, this semester-long course offers more in-depth training in the areas of emotion, character development, and motivation.
Acting I
This semester-long course introduces students to drama through theater games and activities.
Acting II
Students in this semester-long course work toward a more advanced set of goals.
Advanced Topics in Computer Science
This is an advanced course in programming application and computer science intended for students who have completed AP Computer Science A and would like to explore the subject in greater detail.
Algebra I
A full-year course, Algebra I, is an introductory level math course and is a prerequisite for Geometry.
Algebra II and Trigonometry
The full-year Algebra II and Trigonometry course follows Geometry in GSB’s math curriculum.
Algebra II and Trigonometry Honors
A yearlong course, Honors Algebra II and Trigonometry follows Geometry and is a prerequisite for Honors Precalculus.
Anatomy and Physiology
In this semester course, students study the anatomy (structure) and the physiology (function) of body systems in humans and other animals.
Animal Science
Students learn about a broad range of animal science topics.
AP 2-D Art and Design
AP 2-D Art and Design is a yearlong course that is not based on a written exam; instead, students submit portfolios for evaluation in early May.
AP Art History
The AP Art History course welcomes students into the global art world to engage with its forms and content as they research, discuss, read, and write about art, artists, art making, and responses to and interpretations of art.
AP Biology
This is equivalent to an introductory college-level biology course for biology majors.
AP Calculus AB
This course follows the syllabus for the AP exam in Calculus AB. As such, it is a rigorous, demanding course requiring a strong foundation in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and analytic geometry.
AP Calculus BC
This course follows the syllabus for the AP exam in Calculus BC.
AP Chemistry
This course is the equivalent of a first-year college chemistry course; it covers materials in-depth and provides a deeper consideration of both the theoretical and mathematical analysis of topics.
AP Computer Science A
This is a college-level, yearlong course that prepares students to sit for the AP exam.
AP Computer Science Principles
The AP Computer Science Principles course is designed to be equivalent to an introductory college computing course.
AP Drawing
AP Drawing is a course designed for the serious art student who is interested in an intensive investigation of art concepts, media, and techniques after taking an introductory level art course, Drawing and Painting and Honors Portfolio.
AP English Language and Composition
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about AP English Language and Composition
AP English Literature and Composition
A rigorous advanced-level humanities class, AP English Literature and Composition prepares students specifically for college-level English work.
AP Environmental Science
This course looks at the natural world and how human activity impacts it.
AP European History
This course surveys European political, social, economic, and cultural history from the Renaissance to the present.
AP French Language and Culture
Students further develop oral proficiency through oral reports that focus on cultural and historical topics.
AP Human Geography
This intensive course prepares students for the AP exam.
AP Latin
AP Latin concentrates on the translation, analysis, and interpretation of Vergil’s epic poem, the Aeneid, and Caesar’s commentaries, De Bello Gallico.
AP Microeconomics
This course provides students with the skills and knowledge necessary to understand and analyze critical topics in microeconomics.
AP Music Theory
This yearlong course takes advanced musicians with existing knowledge of music theory through the equivalent of a first-year college music theory class.
AP Physics I
This course is a response to the format changes made by the College Board in 2014, and it is based on the “Six Big Ideas,” or core principles identified by the College Board.
AP Physics II
This course follows the first-year AP Physics course and requires many of the same skills: mathematical competence, organization, motivation, and strong problem-solving abilities.
AP Psychology
This course is the equivalent of an introductory college course in Psychology.
AP Spanish Language and Culture
This rigorous and challenging course emphasizes the use of authentic Spanish for active communication, allowing students to reach advanced levels in their oral, aural, reading, and writing skills. Students engage in conversation by using advanced grammatical structures, literary analysis, cultural studies, and in-depth discussions of current events around the world.
AP Statistics
The AP Statistics course introduces students to the major concepts and tools for collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data.
AP United States Government and Politics
This course provides students with an analytical perspective on government and politics in the United States.
AP United States History
This is an intensive yearlong course that prepares students to read historical texts critically...
AP World History: Modern
In World History, students investigate significant events, individuals, developments, and processes from 1200 to the present.
Biology
This course provides a systematic approach to the study of biology.
Biology Honors
Topics covered in this fast-paced course include ecology, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, Mendelian and non-Mendelian genetics, bioethics, evolution, diversity of life, and animal and human anatomy, and physiology.
Biomedical Ethics
Has our ability to manipulate nature outstripped our capacity to make moral decisions about these techniques?
Calculus Honors
This course is designed for students who wish to take Calculus, but not in preparation for the AP exam.
Ceramics Advanced
Advanced ceramics will allow the further development and exploration into technical skill, personal style, and aesthetic choice within the medium of clay.
Ceramics Honors
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about Ceramics Honors
Ceramics I
Ceramics one focuses on the development of skills within sculptural and functional pottery creations to allow students to familiarize themselves with the medium of clay.
Ceramics II
Ceramics two focuses on the unification of sculptural and functional pottery creations to allow students to pursue projects unique to his/her/their interests and art style.
Character Education
The school’s commitment to its core values is integrated into daily life at Gill, as is a focus on character awareness and development.
Chemistry
This course emphasizes the periodic table of elements, the formation of compounds, and reactions that occur to produce new substances.
Chemistry Honors
This course emphasizes the periodic table of elements, the formation of compounds, and reactions that occur to produce new substances.
Choir Honors
Students who have completed the Concert Choir course and pass a proficiency evaluation are eligible to take Advanced Choir.
Comparative World Culture (CWC)
This course explores critical developments in world history, using resources drawn from the social sciences, history, and the natural sciences.
Computer Science Principles
Computer Science Principles is a semester-long course which builds a solid understanding of computer science.
Concert Choir
Concert Choir can be taken as a semester or yearlong course.
Creative Writing Advanced
Open to juniors and seniors who have taken Creative Writing and Portfolio Development, students in Advanced Creative Writing I craft a more extensive portfolio of fiction or poetry organized around a theme or common topic.
Creative Writing and Portfolio Development
This course is designed with the serious writer in mind.
Creative Writing Honors
Advanced Creative Writing II is open to seniors only.
Debating Social Issues
In this year-long offering, students research and debate social issues that shape the world in which they live.
Desktop Publishing
Students in this semester-long course learn the basic design principles involved in print publications, including the development of a theme or motif, layout and design, the appropriate choice of a font or typeface, the appropriate placement and use of images, and the importance of proofreading for both spelling and grammar.
Digital Illustration
Serving as an introduction to the study of digital illustration as a visual interpretation of words, concepts, and ideas, students will use a variety of Adobe software for illustration, technical drawing, composition, and implementation of created art into page layout.
Digital Literacy
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Digital Media Advanced
In this full year, students will expand on the technical and design skills they previously learned in Digital Illustration and Graphic Design.
Digital Media Honors
This course is designed for students who have mastered the required skills in Graphic Design and Digital Illustration.
Directing
In this semester-long course, students learn how to create an artistic vision of an existing play, how to serve as the coordinator of a cast of performers, how to manage the schedule of a production, and how to be the single director of a staged performance.
Discrete Mathematics
This introductory semester course in discrete mathematics is designed for strong math students, particularly those also interested in computer science.
Drawing
In this semester-long course, students learn numerous skills and techniques for representational drawing, focusing on and capturing what they see and using value, shading, and contrast to create a sense of form.
English 10: American Voices
What does “American” mean, and how has the answer to that question changed and developed over the course of America’s history?
English 10 Honors: American Voices
What does “American mean,” and how has the answer to that question changed and developed over the course of America’s history?
English 11 Honors: Social Responsibility
This course focuses on the roles we play in our society as individuals and in groups and looks at how we interact.
English 11: Social Responsibility
This course focuses on the roles we play in our society as individuals and in groups and looks at how we interact.
English 12: Choices and Decisions
If we are the decisions and choices we make, then those decisions and choices have multiple implications for our place and meaning in the world.
English 12 Honors: Choices and Decisions
If we are the decisions and choices we make, then those decisions and choices have multiple implications for our place and meaning in the world.
English 9: Exploring Identity
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English 9 Honors: Exploring Identity
An introductory class to the study and analysis of literature, English 9 prompts students to contemplate how we form our identities.
Exercise Science
The focus of this one-semester course is to empower students with the capacity to obtain, interpret and understand basic health information and services, and apply that knowledge to make informed decisions in their daily life.
Financial Literacy & Data Analysis
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Forensic Science
This course is designed for seniors who would like to pursue advanced studies in science after successfully completing physics, chemistry, and biology.
French I
Students are introduced to the French language and culture.
French II
Although this course expects students to have a solid first-year preparation in vocabulary and grammar, the class begins with an active review of previous material before leading the student into more challenging material.
French II Honors
In this course, students are expected to have a solid first-year foundation in vocabulary and grammar.
French III
This course continues to review and reinforce communication skills through the integration of listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities.
French III Honors
This course continues to review and reinforce communication skills through the integration of listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities.
French IV
Students continue to develop and refine their language skills through increased exposure to more advanced grammar and vocabulary.
French IV Honors
Students continue to develop and refine their language skills through increased exposure to more advanced grammar and vocabulary.
French V Conversation and Culture
Open to students who have completed four years of French, this course is an alternative to AP French.
Geometry
This course usually follows Algebra I and is a prerequisite for Algebra II.
Geometry Honors
This course is designed to challenge students with strong mathematical backgrounds.
Graphic Design
In this semester course, the interaction of text and image and the fundamental components of graphic communication are introduced, and students develop and hone skills in working with text and image as they create solutions to a series of design problems.
GSB Student Internship Program
This program provides select eleventh- and twelfth-grade students an enhanced educational experience by exploring career opportunities.
Introduction to Physics
This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of and appreciation for physics while preparing them for higher-level science and mathematics courses.
Introduction to Psychology
This course offers an overview of the scientific study of both the behavioral and mental processes of human beings.
Latin I
Students are introduced to the fundamentals of Latin grammar.
Latin II
Students continue their exploration of the Latin language and ancient Roman culture.
Latin II Honors
Students continue their exploration of the Latin language and ancient Roman culture at an accelerated rate.
Latin III
Students continue the study of Latin grammar and vocabulary, translate increasingly complex material, and further their exploration of Roman culture and society.
Latin III Honors
Students continue the vigorous study of Latin grammar and vocabulary to be able to translate increasingly complex material, including several classic heroes and begin to study original works by Roman authors, including Pliny, Martial, Catullus, and Ovid.
Latin IV
Roman literature is a diverse and exciting field, and in this course, students have the opportunity to read authors such as Catullus, Ovid, Virgil, Caesar, Suetonius, and others.
Latin IV Honors
Roman literature is a diverse and exciting field, and in this course, students read diverse authors such as Ovid, Virgil, Caesar, Cicero, and others.
Multivariable Calculus
This advanced course is designed to further explore calculus topics after taking AP Calculus BC.
Music Laboratory
Music Lab is a one-semester, repeatable course in which student musicians will advance their existing musical skills and develop new ones.
Music Principles II
Music Principles II is a one-semester, intermediate course that builds on the concepts of the Music Principles 1.
Ninth-Grade Seminar
This is one of six required courses for freshmen.
Organic Chemistry
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about Organic Chemistry
Painting
In this semester-long course, students learn about the unique qualities of different types of paint, including watercolor, acrylic, and oil.
Photography Advanced
Students are taught an expanded range of digital printing techniques, camera functions, and photographic techniques.
Photography I
This course serves as an introduction to the historical, technical, and aesthetic responsibilities of digital photography.
Photography II
Students continue discussions of the historical, technical, and aesthetic responsibilities of digital photography.
Physics Honors
This class fosters in students an appreciation of, and interest in, this most fundamental branch of science.
Portfolio Development Honors
Honors Portfolio Development is a yearlong course for students who are serious about the practical experience of art and want to develop mastery in conceptualizing, composing, and executing their ideas.
Precalculus
A prerequisite for Calculus, students master topics that include recognizing parent functions; graphing functions (polynomial, rational, logarithmic, and exponential); solving quadratic equations and inequalities; solving systems of equations using matrices.
Precalculus Honors
This course surveys the areas of mathematics that constitute prerequisite skills for the study of calculus.
Programming II - Java
This year-long course is designed for students who have computer programming experience and are interested in a rigorous introduction to object-oriented languages.
Programming I - Python
Students in this semester course learn computational basics through programming or coding.
Research Across the Curriculum
All GSB graduates are skilled in research methods across disciplines and utilize a variety of information resources.
Robotics and Engineering I
Students in this semester course are introduced to the principles, history, and social implications of robotics and experience a hands-on introduction to robotics and engineering, enabling students to combine the skills of a mechanical engineer, project manager, and programmer.
Robotics and Engineering II
This semester course takes robotics further by concentrating on advanced topics.
Sculpture
This semester course helps students develop an understanding of the interaction of forms in space.
Social Issues through Film
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Spanish Conversations and Culture
This upper-level course focuses on communication skills and oral proficiency in Spanish.
Spanish I
This course stresses proficiency in all four skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—and provides an understanding of basic grammatical structures and patterns of communication.
Spanish II
This course reviews and reinforces communication skills through the integration of listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities.
Spanish II Honors
This course reviews and reinforces communication skills through the integration of listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities.
Spanish III
This course reviews and reinforces Spanish communication skills through the integration of listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities.
Spanish III Honors
This course continues to reinforce Spanish communication skills through the integration of listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities.
Spanish IV
Students read and analyze contemporary and classic literature from Spain and Latin America.
Spanish IV Honors
In this course, students continue to expand and refine their knowledge and communication skills through the study of more complex vocabulary and advanced grammatical structures at a rigorous pace.
Spotlight on Science
In addition to standard, honors, and AP courses for physics, chemistry, and biology, the Upper School Science Department offers many elective courses.
Spring Unit
For over 50 years, the Spring Unit has been the inspiration for the school’s motto, Schola Mundus Est: “The World is Our Classroom.”
Statistics
This course uses both a theoretical and experimental approach and provides students with a solid foundation in introductory statistics.
Studio Art
This semester-long, entry-level course provides an overview and introduction to the visual arts using a variety of art tools and materials.
Technical Theatre I: Technology & Design
This semester course develops knowledge of and experience in the technical (nonperformance) aspects of theatrical production.
United States History
Students explore the history of the United States from the pre-colonial era to the present day.
Woodworking Advanced
This yearlong course enhances the skills that students have previously acquired.
Woodworking Honors
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Woodworking I
This semester course introduces students to the wood medium, beginning with the basics of shop safety.
Woodworking II
Prerequisite: Woodworking I
World Language Independent Study
Students who wish to undertake or to continue the study of a language that GSB does not offer may contract with Language Education Resource Network (LEARN).
Apply
GSB welcomes applications from students who demonstrate academic potential and who are deemed likely to benefit from and contribute to the GSB community.
Tuition
We are committed to building a community of talented, passionate, creative, and thoughtful students from a diverse range of backgrounds independent of financial circumstances.
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