Distinctive FeaturesAcademic Excellence Building on a century-old tradition of academic excellence, the Upper School has been galvanized by the implementation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, which encourages students to think deeply, question critically, and engage with the world.Quaker Values Quaker Meeting for Worship is held weekly. Community members sit in silence, and if they feel moved to say something that will deepen the experience, they stand and speak. The practice of quieting the mind and opening the heart adds a spiritual dimension to the educational experience and encourages students to be thoughtful, active listeners. Commitment to Diversity Brooklyn Friends School cultivates an environment in which all people are respected and valued. The School strives to recognize, respect, and celebrate the differences and commonalities that shape the individual and collective identities of its members.Service Learning As a Quaker school, Brooklyn Friends has a focus on service learning that is practiced at every grade level. All 11th and 12th graders complete the IB Diploma Program’s CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) requirements .Afternoon Seminars Students may complement their regular coursework with challenging afternoon seminars in areas of special interest beyond the curriculum. The “Later at Lawrence” seminars meet once a week from 3:30 to 5:00 pm.

School and Student Body Brooklyn Friends School, founded in 1867, draws upon its Quaker heritage to educate students within the context of a challenging academic program and a caring, supportive community. An independent, coed day school, Brooklyn Friends enrolls more than 900 students from preschool through 12th grade, including 200 in the Upper School (grades 9-12). The student body reflects the racial, economic, ethnic, and religious diversity of New York City.

Upper School at a Glance

Upper School Courses & Requirements

Our MissionGuided by the Quaker belief that there is a Divine Light in everyone, Brooklyn Friends School cultivates an intellec-tually ambitious and diverse community that celebrates each individual’s gifts. We challenge our students to val-ue and embrace difference as they develop critical thinking skills and apply their knowl-edge and intelligence both in and out of the classroom. In this rich learning environ-ment, we inspire all members of our community to voice their convictions, to discover and pursue their passions, and to seek truth. Our grad-uates are compassionate, curious, and confident global citizens who let their lives speak in the spirit of leader-ship and service.

Faculty-Student InteractionStudents experience a new and deeper level of facul-ty-student interaction when they join the Upper School. As they become more inde-pendent and develop their own interests, BFS students form bonds with their teach-ers based on mutual respect. Such relationships are cen-tral to meaningful education-al growth. Our graduates tell us that they actively seek to develop similar connections with their college professors.

English 4 years required 9: Youth and Society 10: US Literature 11-12: IB English Literature (SL/HL)

World Languages 3 years required 9-10: Spanish 1/2/3 or French 1/2/3 Students may also study another language in addition to Spanish or French: Latin 1/2/3 or Mandarin 1/211-12: IB French Ab Initio / Spanish Ab Initio (SL) [for students who have completed French/Spanish 2] or IB French B / Spanish B / Latin (SL/HL) [for students who have completed Fr/Sp/Lat 3] or IB Mandarin Ab Initio (SL) [for students who have completed Mandarin 1 & Mandarin 2]

Students studying IB Spanish, French, or Mandarin may ALSO take IB Latin as an additional language.

Mathematics 4 years required 9: Geometry & Functions10: Algebra 2 and Trigonometry (Standard/Honors)11: Advanced Algebra

& Discrete Math or IB Mathematics (SL/HL)12: IB Math Studies (SL) or IB Mathematics (SL/HL)

Science3 years required 9: Biology 10: Chemistry or Honors Chemistry10: Computer Programming (elective)11: General Biology11-12: IB Biology (SL) or IB Biology (HL) orIB Environmental Systems & Societies (SL)IB Physics (SL) may be taken as a 2nd science course 12: Forensic Science

History4 years required 9: Western Civilization 10: Semester-long “Intensive Studies” - Art History 1 & 2, Latin America, Islamic History from Origins to the Modern Day, Genocide in the 20th Century, Modern African History, Modern India, International Relations11-12: IB History (SL/HL) [11: History of the Americas; 12: 20th Century World History]

Visual and Performing Arts3 years required9-10: Students choose from the following yearlong courses: 2-D Art; 3-D Art; Ceramics; Darkroom Photography; Digital Photography; Chorus; Chamber Ensemble; Jazz Band; Dance; Theatre; Print Making & Alternative Processes; Digital Media11-12: Students may also choose from the following two-year courses: IB Visual Arts (SL/HL); IB Theatre (SL/HL); IB Dance (SL/HL); IB Music (SL/HL)

Religion, Philosophy, Ethics 9: Quakerism [1 semester, required]10: World Religions [2 semesters, elective]11-12: IB Theory of Knowledge [3 semesters, required for IB Diploma candidates] or Philosophy [1 semester required in grade 11 or 12] or Quakerism 2 [1 semester, elective]

Other graduation requirements9-12: Physical Education 9: Study Skills [1 year] and Life Skills/Health [1 year]10: Service and Justice Seminar

International Baccalaureate (IB) courses are in bold

of IB students received thediploma over the past four yearsat Brooklyn Friends School

The IB Diploma Programat Brooklyn Friends School

IB Diploma Candidates Must: Choose 6 two–year IB courses, a minimum of one each from the Subject Groups. See list at right.Take at least 3 of the 6 courses at Higher Level, with the remainder at Standard LevelTake a 3-semester Theory of Knowledge course that culminates in a 1,600 word Essay and Oral PresentationComplete a 4,000 word Extended Essay, which is an independent research project on a topic of the student’s choiceFulfill a comprehensive Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) requirement

Subject Groups1: Language and Literature: English Literature 2: Language Acquisition: Spanish B, French B Spanish Ab Initio, French Ab Initio, Mandarin Ab Initio, Latin3: Individuals and Societies: History4: Sciences: Biology or Environmental Systems and Societies; Physics Physics may only be taken as an additional science, in place of an Arts course 5: Mathematics: Math Studies or Mathematics 6: The Arts: Visual Arts, Theater, Music, or Dance Instead of an Arts course, students may choose to take Physics or Latin

An IB World School, Brooklyn Friends offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program in 11th and 12th grades. Students may choose to pursue the full IB Diploma or take individual IB courses to earn certificates.

The ArtsThe arts are much more than an academic exercise in the BFS Upper School. They are a way of life and a passion to be shared and celebrated. Every year there are two major visual arts exhibits, a dance concert, six music concerts, and two full-scale theater productions. There are several other music, theater, and dance presentations, which are student-led and student-staged.

AthleticsFall Girls Volleyball (JV & V) Girls SoccerBoys SoccerGirls Cross-Country Boys Cross-CountryWinter Girls Basketball (JV & V) Boys Basketball (JV & V)Girls Indoor Track Boys Indoor TrackSpring Girls SoftballBoys BaseballBoys VolleyballGirls Outdoor TrackBoys Outdoor Track

College CounselingThe personal and specialized attention devoted to guiding our students in choosing a college that is right for them is a distinguishing characteristic of the Upper School program. Applicants from Quaker schools like BFS have a special appeal to colleges by virtue of their strong academic focus, high level of community engagement, and ease with relationships. Every year, BFS seniors gain admission to an extraordinary range of institutions that include Ivy League universities, top liberal arts colleges, as well as pre-eminent art schools and conservatories. Our graduates report back that Brooklyn Friends School has prepared them well for higher education and college life.

of the student bodyparticipates in athletics

Alfred UniversityAllegheny College*American University*Amherst College*Arcadia UniversityUniversity of Arizona*Babson CollegeBard College*Barnard College*Bates College*Beloit CollegeBennington College*Berklee College of MusicBinghamton University*Boston University*Bowdoin College*Brandeis University*University of British ColumbiaBrooklyn College of the CUNY*Brown University*Bryn Mawr CollegeBucknell University*Buffalo State College of SUNYBuffalo State University of SUNYCalifornia Institute of the ArtsUniversity of California, DavisUniversity of California, IrvineUniversity of California, Los Angeles*University of California, San DiegoUniversity of California, Santa CruzCarleton College*Case Western Reserve UniversityCentenary CollegeCentral Connecticut State UniversityChamplain CollegeUniversity of Chicago*City College of New York CUNYClark UniversityClarkson UniversityColgate University*College of Saint RoseCollege of the AtlanticCollege of the Holy CrossCollege of William and MaryCollege of WoosterUniversity of Colorado at BoulderUniversity of Colorado at DenverColorado College*Columbia College ChicagoColumbia University*Connecticut College*University of ConnecticutCornell UniversityCurry College*Davidson College*Dean CollegeDelaware Valley UniversityUniversity of DelawareDePaul University*DeSales UniversityDickinson College*

Drew UniversityDrexel University*Durham UniversityEarlham CollegeEckerd College*University of EdinburghElon UniversityEmerson College*Emory University*Evergreen State College*Fairfield UniversityFordham UniversityFranklin & Marshall College*George Mason UniversityGeorge Washington University*Georgetown UniversityGettysburg CollegeGoucher CollegeGreen Mountain CollegeGrinnell CollegeGuilford College*Hampshire College*Hampton UniversityUniversity of Hartford*Hartwick CollegeHaverford CollegeHigh Point UniversityHobart and William Smith CollegesHoward UniversityHumboldt State UniversityHunter College of the CUNYIndiana University at Bloomington*Iona College*Ithaca College*Johns Hopkins University*Juniata College*Kenyon College*Knox College*Lafayette CollegeLandmark CollegeLehigh UniversityLewis & Clark College*Long Island University, BrooklynLouisiana State UniversityLoyola University ChicagoLoyola University MarylandLoyola University New Orleans*Lycoming CollegeLynn UniversityMacalester College*Manhattan CollegeManhattanville CollegeMarist CollegeMaryland Institute College of Art*University of Maryland, College Park*Marymount Manhattan CollegeMassachusetts Institute of Technology*University of Massachusetts, AmherstMcDaniel College*McGill University

Miami University, OxfordUniversity of Miami*University of MichiganMiddlebury College*Molloy CollegeMorehouse CollegeMount Holyoke CollegeMuhlenberg College*New School - All Divisions*New York City College of TechnologyNew York University*University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill*University of North Carolina School of the Arts*Northeastern University*Northwestern University*Oberlin College of Arts and Sciences*Occidental College*Oglethorpe UniversityOhio State University*Oregon State UniversityPace University*University of Pennsylvania*University of PittsburghPitzer College*Pomona College*Pratt Institute*University of Puget SoundQuest University CanadaQuinnipiac University*University of RedlandsReed College*Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute*Rhode Island School of Design*Rhodes CollegeRichmond The American International College in LondonUniversity of Richmond*Rider UniversityRochester Institute of Technology*Roger Williams UniversityRose-Hulman Institute of TechnologyRutgers University-New BrunswickSaint Joseph’s UniversitySaint Mary’s College of CaliforniaUniversity of San FranciscoSanta Clara University Sarah Lawrence CollegeSavannah College of Art and Design*School of the Museum of Fine ArtsSchool of Visual Arts*University of ScrantonScripps CollegeSeton Hall UniversitySewanee: The University of the SouthSiena College*Skidmore College*

Smith College*University of Southern California*Spelman CollegeSpringfield CollegeUniversity of St AndrewsSt. Andrews UniversitySt. John’s University - Queens Campus*St. Lawrence UniversityStanford University*Stony Brook UniversitySuffolk UniversitySUNY AlbanySUNY Brockport*SUNY College of Environmental Science and ForestrySUNY Empire State CollegeSUNY Geneseo*SUNY Morrisville State College*SUNY New PaltzSUNY OneontaSUNY OswegoSUNY PlattsburghSUNY PotsdamSUNY PurchaseSusquehanna UniversitySwarthmore College*Syracuse University*University of TampaTemple UniversityTrinity College*Trinity College Dublin*Tufts University*Tulane University*Union CollegeUrsinus College*Utica CollegeVanderbilt UniversityVassar College*University of Vermont*University of VictoriaVillanova UniversityUniversity of Virginia*Wagner CollegeWake Forest UniversityWarren Wilson CollegeWells CollegeWesleyan University*Western Washington UniversityWheaton College MAWhitman CollegeWillamette UniversityWilliams CollegeUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison*Wofford CollegeWorcester Polytechnic Institute*Yale University*

Graduates of the Brooklyn Friends School Classes of 2012 through 2016 were accepted at the following colleges. An asterisk (*) indicates that at least one BFS alumna/alumnus currently attends that college or university.

College Acceptances

Brooklyn Friends School375 Pearl Street & 116 Lawrence Street

www.brooklynfriends.org