The Nueva School 131 E. 28th Ave., San Mateo, CA 94403 650-235-7100 nuevaschool.org

Upper School Profile 2018–19

School Advanced Curriculum Since 1967, the Nueva School At the heart of Nueva’s program Facts and Figures has delivered an innovative, is an advanced, interdisciplinary Class of 2019 enrollment 75 award-winning learning experience curriculum with significant emphasis Upper School enrollment 379 designed to meet the needs of on self-directed learning, collabora- academically gifted learners. tion, and primary research. A typical Student-to-faculty ratio 5:1 Over the past 50 years we have student course load is 7–8 classes Average class size 14 become internationally recognized per semester. Seniors typically take Students of color 57% for our unique curricular approach, 7 classes. Students receiving which inspires the passions, purpose, financial aid 22% and potential in each student while In scope and depth, all courses offered range from college prepara- Admitted to four-year igniting a lifelong love of learning. colleges 100% tory to college-level. The majority Nueva’s Upper School, launched of core courses meet or exceed in 2013, is a re-imagination of high the rigor of Advanced Placement school. In many ways more like a courses; Nueva does not designate university than a traditional high Honors or AP courses. National Merit school, Nueva offers broad-based Class of 2018 The academic program builds interdisciplinary studies coupled Semifinalists 7 a robust foundation in the major with deep explorations into specific Commended 30 areas of interest. disciplines, supports deep inquiry into topics of individual interest, Hispanic Scholar 2 Nueva is accredited by the Western and provides explicit instruction in Total 37 Association of Schools and Colleges methods of thinking and reasoning. Total % of class 47% and is a member of the Advanced electives and independent Association of Independent Schools. courses of study allow students to move at an accelerated pace in the directions they choose. Test Scores Students Class of 2018 Nueva attracts inquisitive, high- mean mid 50% performing students from the greater Faculty ACT 33 32–35 San Francisco Bay Area who have Over 80% of our upper school SAT* been drawn to the possibilities and faculty hold advanced degrees. EBRW 747 710–790 challenges of launching a new Many have taught at the university high school. level and have been recognized by Math 747 710–790 local, state, and national organiza- These socially minded intellectual SAT Subject Tests tions for leadership, excellence, entrepreneurs, researchers, and Math II (57)** 724 650–800 and innovation in teaching. artists — a senior class of 75 students English Lit. (46) 709 670–760 who possess a high degree of agency and self-direction — *All scores converted to new SAT scores **Number of test-takers enjoy hard problems, risk-taking, and peer-to-peer learning.

Diane Rosenberg J. Gavin Bradley Director of College Counsel- Erika Rojas College Counseling Head of School ing [email protected] Operations Manager [email protected] Stephen Dunn Paul Gallagher Associate Director of College Upper School Division Head Counseling [email protected] The Nueva School 131 E. 28th Ave., San Mateo, CA 94403 650-235-7100 nuevaschool.org

Grading Applied Learning

Nueva intentionally discourages Nueva supports in-depth inquiry, Defining Elements of a academic competition among research, and experimentation Nueva Education our students. We do not calculate through programs that extend class rank and do not offer and deepen the core curriculum. Design Thinking academic honors, prizes, or Students learn and develop an Quest Projects, an annual require- valedictorian status. ment, enable individual, mentored approach to problem-solving in To facilitate meaningful assessment pursuits in areas of passionate which they identify pressing and of students’ skills against absolute interest. Recent projects include practical needs and problems, benchmarks, students receive both developing a public health initiative generate creative ideas, and standards-based grades and in- to address obesity in post-embargo introduce, test, and refne solutions depth written narratives focused on Cuba, designing and building a under real-world conditions. core learning competencies. Nueva jet-pack for human flight, and reinforces continuous feedback and writing a screenplay adaptation Science of Mind recognizes the need for students to of Hamlet. Students study foundational learn from their mistakes as they take principles of psychology and risks and tackle difficult problems. The Global Immersion Program provides students with broadening neuroscience, developing fluency Grade 9 courses are Credit/ academic and cultural perspectives. in social-emotional best practices No Credit. In Grades 10–12, the They have studied anthropology through peer feedback and highest grade is an A (no “A+” and history (), wildlife biology coaching. grades), which indicates the student (), land management has reached an Exemplary status (American West), military culture with regard to the standards for that (North Carolina), political caucuses course; a “B” indicates Proficiency; (Nevada), immigration (Mexico), What Is a Nueva Student? and a “C” indicates a Foundational and AIDS activism (New York). In their free time, Nueva students achievement of the standards. is a two-week intensive We do not weight grades. Intersession write programs and poetry, create that allows students to work, think, laboratories in their basements and It is Nueva’s policy not to report experiment, and lead in courses other worlds in their journals, borrow disciplinary infractions; our expecta- taught by local and international quantum mechanics textbooks tion is that students will self-report any experts in their fields. From surgical serious violations of school conduct virtual reality to constitutional law from their teachers, and stay up policy. Nueva’s college counseling to graffiti art, Nueva students late debating Dante. On a Friday office works with students to ensure describe this mid-year program evening, student-built robots cruise they provide colleges with appro- as an “intellectual party.” the halls, debates about global priate context for the students’ economics unfold at teachers’ decisions and their consequences. desks, and goggle-clad students

pursue supervised but purely extracurricular research.

Nueva was lauded by Pulitzer Prize–winning and New York Times best-selling author Thomas Friedman in his book That Used to Be Us as “what’s right in America’s schools.” The Nueva School 131 E. 28th Ave., San Mateo, CA 94403 650-235-7100 nuevaschool.org

Upper School Course Offerings 2018–2019

Math Literature and Arts: Design Thinking, 3 years required Communications Fine and Performing Engineering, and *Math 1, 2, and 3 is an integrated 4 years required 2 semesters required Computer Science math sequence in which students in the same subject Required Courses I-Lab Engineering and learn geometry, algebra 2, Fabrication Workshop trigonometry, pre-calculus, English 9: The Great Dialogue Performing Arts basic statistics, and functions. English 10: Landscapes of Self Fall Play Creature Comforts and Other Musical Theater (Intro/Adv) Programming and Data Analytics Math 1* English 11: American Literature Chorale (Intro/Adv) Functional Programming Math 2* A Cappella Soundwaves Electric Bike Building Math 3* Senior Seminars Music Design and Production Product Design (Intro/Adv) Calculus Adaptations: From Text to Screen and Stage (Intro/Adv) Computer and Digital Security Post-Calculus Options Fiction Writing Jazz Ensemble Intro to Computer Programming Multivariable Calculus The Immortal Gothic Genre Steel Drums Advanced Programming Mathematical Modeling “This World is not Conclusion”: Groove Workshop Workshop Algebraic Topology 20th Century American Poetry Mobile App Design Fine Arts Differential Equations Shakespeare in the World Object-Oriented Programming Drawing (Intro/Adv) Number Theory 20th Century American Drama Machine Learning (Intro/Adv) Graphic Design (Intro/Adv) Contemporary Narratives of Electives Slavery Mixed Media (Intro/Adv) Independent and Cryptology The Multitudes: Creative Writing Painting (Intro/Adv) Collaborative Study Statistics and Probability French Literature from the Sculpture (Intro/Adv) Hexagon and Beyond Independent and Interdisciplinary Arts Collaborative Study Parliamentary Debate Stained Glass Additional Electives Fabricating Your Artistic Vision Requirements Intro to Journalism (Intro/Adv) Yearbook and Online Media Nueva Quest: Pursuit of History, Social Sciences, Yearbook and Online Media Production Production In-Depth Mastery and Civics Speech and Debate 4 years required 3 years required Independent and Independent and Collaborative Study Athletics and Wellness Required Courses Collaborative Study 8 seasons required Global History I Global History II Interdisciplinary Studies American History World Languages 2 years required 3 years required Senior Seminars Lab Science Design Thinking American Government 3 years required Chinese 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Design Engineering Rise and Fall of Rome Required Courses Japanese 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 History and Philosophy International Relations Biology Spanish 1, 2, 3, 4 of Science Chemistry Electives Advanced Spanish Classes Science of Mind Capitalism in Crisis Electives Spanish Oral Communication 4 years required Interpreting Religions Modern Physics Spanish Literature (Intro/Adv) Economic Inequality Calculus-based Mechanics Society and Culture of Environmental Economics Bioorganic Chemistry Advanced Spanish: Deindustrialization and Drug Design Drug Trafficking and Human Neoliberalism in Modern America Rights in the Americas Experimental Biology Senior Economic Thesis Seminar Physics Research Our Americas How Not to Think Wrong Applied Molecular Biology Microeconomics Mechanisms of Cancer Macroeconomics Biological and Steel, Telescopes and Trains: Cognitive Neuroscience Recreating Science and Technology Neuroscience of Addiction Japanamerica: Japanese Interdisciplinary Courses Pop Culture Environmental and 50 Words for Snow: Earth Science Translation Theory The Nueva School 131 E. 28th Ave., San Mateo, CA 94403 650-235-7100 nuevaschool.org

College Acceptances and Matriculation Class of 2017/2018 Bold indicates matriculation by at least one student

Allegheny College Johns Hopkins University San Francisco State University American University Kalamazoo College San Jose State University University of Houston Amherst College Kenyon College Santa Clara University University of Illinois Baldwin Wallace University Knox College Sarah Lawrence College University of Miami Bard College Lawrence University Scripps College University of Michigan (3) Barnard College Lewis & Clark College Seattle University University of Minnesota Bates College Loyola Marymount University Sewanee: University of North Carolina Berklee College of Music Macalester College University of the South University of Oregon Birmingham-Southern College Marymount Manhattan College Skidmore College University of Pennsylvania (2) Boston College Massachusetts College of Art Smith College University of Portland Boston University (4) and Design Southern Methodist University University of Puget Sound Bowdoin College (2) Massachusetts Institute of St. Olaf College University of Redlands Brandeis University Technology (2) Stanford University (20) University of Richmond Brown University (4) McGill University Stevens Institute of Technology University of Rochester Bryn Mawr College (2) Middlebury College Swarthmore College (4) University of San Diego Bucknell University Mills College Syracuse University University of Southern California Institute of the Arts Mount Holyoke College The New School California (5) California Polytechnic Muhlenberg College Trinity University University of St Andrews State University New England Conservatory Tufts University (5) University of Sussex Carleton College of Music Tulane University University of Texas Carnegie Mellon University (3) New York University (4) Union College University of the Pacific Case Western Reserve Northeastern University (4) University of Alaska University of Toronto (2) University Northwestern University (2) University of California, University of Vermont Chapman University Oberlin College Berkeley (2) University of Virginia City College of San Francisco Oberlin Conservatory of Music University of California, Davis University of Washington Claremont McKenna College Occidental College (3) University of California, Irvine University of Waterloo Clark University Olin College of Engineering (4) University of California, University of Wisconsin Colby College (2) Otterbein University Los Angeles University of York College of Wooster Pace University University of California, Merced Ursinus College Colorado College Pitzer College University of California, Vanderbilt University Riverside Columbia University Pomona College Vassar College Connecticut College Princeton University (4) University of California, San Diego Washington University Cornell University Purdue University in St. Louis (2) University of California, Dartmouth College (2) Reed College Wellesley College (2) Santa Barbara Davidson College Rensselaer Polytechnic Wesleyan University Institute (3) University of California, Dickinson College Santa Cruz Wheaton College MA Drexel University Rhode Island School of Whitman College Design (3) University of Cambridge Durham University Whittier College Rice University University of Chicago (10) Fairfield University Willamette University Rochester Institute of University of Colorado Fordham University Technology University of Edinburgh Williams College (2) George Washington University Rose-Hulman Institute of University of Exeter Worcester Polytechnic Institute (2) Georgia Institute of Technology Technology University of Hartford Gettysburg College Yale University (2) Hamilton College Hampshire College Harvard University (2) The 149 members of the classes of 2017 and 2018 applied to 181 colleges, were admitted to 160, Harvey Mudd College and are attending 66 different institutions in nineteen states, the District of Columbia, Canada, and Haverford College (2) England. Adventurous and independent, nearly 75% of Nueva graduates choose to leave the state Ithaca College of California for college and over a third are the sole matriculant to their college.