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Curriculum, Coffee, and Community: Brewing the Future

Curriculum, Coffee, and Community: Brewing the Future

Curriculum and programming are hot topics at Carrollton, and what better way to learn about them than over a freshly brewed cup of coffee and a pastelito (or two), all while building community amongst the adult members of Carrollton’s Upper School. 
 

This year, parents of Grades 7 through 9 were each invited to a series of Curriculum Coffees to discuss the next steps in their daughter’s academic careers.  Topics included the look ahead to our soon-to-be expanded college counseling program, an introduction to our academic advising program, and the wide variety of curricular offerings for our students in Grades 9-12, tailoring the discussion for each grade level audience.


Grades 7 and 8 were treated to a slice of the curriculum for the next school year. In addition to its traditional core curriculum, students in Grades 7 and 8 will now enjoy the opportunity to taste electives, choosing from courses in the Visual and Performing Arts and Robotics, Engineering and Computer Science (RECS). The choice of electives will allow the students to explore new areas and dig deeper into their interests. Parents from Grades 8 and 9 reviewed Carrollton’s graduation requirements and the importance of completing them early on. With space on their schedules, students would be able to choose courses of interest. 


Curriculum, however, is about more than just what happens inside the classroom. Programming delivered by our college counselors and academic advisors is as much a part of the curriculum as English and math. Both sides of the Office of Academic Resources work with Carrollton families to shepherd students and parents through course selection, pre-college and college applications, academic coaching, and self-advocacy, especially when learning to communicate with teachers. We also can’t forget about the extra-curricular offerings available to our students. From athletics to performing arts to solar cart races, there is something for each of our students to sink their teeth into. 


Coffee and sweets were equally acceptable at evening events, where our parents and students from Grades 10 and 11 were presented with deeper information regarding the college counseling process and academic pathways.  Parents in Grade 11 heard first-hand information from Annie Shea, a representative from Vanderbilt University,  who discussed the changing college application environment from the other side of the process. Carrollton’s college advising process was outlined before family meetings where they will discuss college and career interests to start off the process. 


Parents and students from Grade 10 were invited to an evening full of information on Carrollton’s academic pathways. Currently, students in Grades 11 and 12 enjoy the opportunity to enroll in Carrollton’s IB Diploma Program, AP coursework, or other innovative coursework specific to Carrollton’s Upper School. Students are welcome to align their pathways with one or more of these programs as they continue to fulfill graduation requirements and select coursework that supports their interests and future college plans. 


The IB Diploma Program is seeing the return of courses like Psychology SL, Marine Science SL, and Sports, Exercise and Health Science SL. It also welcomes a new structure by introducing Philosophy HL. Students entering into the full IB Diploma Program will be able to satisfy their Religious Studies graduation requirement through IB Philosophy and allow time in their seven-course schedule for a more in-depth study of Theory of Knowledge (a requirement of the full diploma program) and the honing of research, inquiry, and reflection skills through IB Research and Inquiry, also being introduced for the 2024-2025 school year. 


Advanced Placement presence has also expanded through course offerings and exam availability. The 2023-2024 school year brought on AP Physics C: Mechanics, and sitting for the AP Precalculus exam joins AP English Language and Composition and AP English Literature and Composition as exams students can take because the rigor of their Carrollton coursework has prepared them to do so. In addition, innovative programming through a variety of Advanced Topics (AT) and honors-level courses has brought about niche areas where both teachers and students can explore and share their interests.  This school year, Honors Dance Kinesiology and Introduction to Athletic Training, both semester offerings, were introduced, and the popularity of AT Biomechanics, Human Anatomy, and Physiology sparked the return of the Sports, Exercise, and Health Science course mentioned in our IB Program. 


The Grade 10 evening closed with schedule samples outlining how students could maximize their academic schedules through a full IB Diploma Program or a schedule boasting course selections from all three pathways. To highlight the success of our alumnae, members of the classes of 2022 and 2023 were asked to share their academic programming while at Carrollton and how this programming helped prepare them for their current college journeys. Who else would be better able to tell the story?


For more information on Carrollton’s curriculum, please contact Mrs. Caroline Gillingham-Varela at cgillingham@carrollton.org or Dr. Michelle Larrea at mlarrea@carrollton.org.