Nightingale Is the Place Where Your Daughter Can Become the Best Version of Herself
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Nightingale is the place where your daughter can become the best version of herself. ÷is is the place where academic ÷is is the place where we rise to excellence meets joy in learning. meet your daughter’s heart and mind, where the support from ÷is is the place where we harness her teachers is surpassed only the power of educating both the by the support from her peers, mind and heart to inspire girls where our commitment is to to go beyond barriers and effect guiding the limitless energy and positive change in their world. originality of her ideas into the fullest realization of her success. ÷is is the place for meetings of minds, for opposing positions, ÷is is Nightingale-Bamford. for academic strength and creative explor ation, for well-formed arguments and strong voices. ÷is is the place that welcomes questioning discoveries and challenging opinions, reveling in the conclusions and contra dictions, honoring the extraordinary power of girls. 2 THE NIGHTINGALE–BAMFORD SCHOOL 3 “CentraltoNightingale’smissionisa visionofstudentsasjoyfullearnerswho havetheintellectualdepthandcourage tobecriticalthinkers,compassionate citizens,andagentsoftheirownlives. Aseducators,weguidestudentstoward thisvisionwiththeexpectationthat they,inturn,willusetheirtalentsto championequityforthebetterment ofall.Wedothisbystayingtrueto theboldpromiseoftheNightingale experiencetoeducatethemindandthe heartinequalmeasure.Thishasbeen thecasesinceourfoundingandwill continuetobesolongintothefuture.” Paul A. Burke Head of School 4 THE NIGHTINGALE–BAMFORD SCHOOL 5 “Opportunities forgrowtharepresented inmultiplevenues:inamathclass,ina sciencelaboratory,inthewoodworking studio,orintheblackboxtheater.The LowerSchoolteacherssharenotonly theirdeepcontentknowledgeeffectively, buttheyknowhowtochallenge,motivate, andinspireourstudents.Theteachers worktogethertocreateanenvironment whereeverygirldevelopsastrongsenseof belongingtohercommunity.Eachyear thestudentsexpandtheirknowledge andskills,layingafirmfoundationfor alifelongspiritofinquiryandloveof learning.” Rebecca J. Urciuoli, PhD Head of Lower School 6 THE NIGHTINGALE–BAMFORD SCHOOL 7 “The MiddleSchoolatNightingale-Bamford isnotsimplyapassagebetweenLowerand UpperSchool,butratheradestination inandofitself—aplacewherehardwork, perseverance,joy,andlaughtergohandin hand.Thoseofuswhoworkwithgirlsat thiscriticalageaimtopreserveandrespect theintegrityofthisveryuniquetimein life.Meetingourstudents’academicand social-emotionalneedsisourtoppriority, andweworkdailytoachievethebalance betweenscaffoldingtheirlearningand supportingtheiremergingindependence.” Claire Lecomte du Nouy Head of Middle School 8 THE NIGHTINGALE–BAMFORD SCHOOL 9 “In theUpperSchool,Nightingalegirls takefullownershipoftheirlearning. Excitingandchallengingcourseoptions andactivitiesempowergirlstopursue theirindividualpassionsandcontinue touncovernewones.AtNightingale, itis“cool”toloveschool.Studentsrelish intellectualcuriosityandopen-mindedness, andtheydelightinourschoolculture ofparticipation.Championedbytheir classmatesanddedicatedteachersinthe UpperSchool,Nightingalegraduatesare strong,determined,andcompassionate citizens.” Andrea Kassar Head of Upper School 10 THE NIGHTINGALE–BAMFORD SCHOOL 11 12 THE NIGHTINGALE–BAMFORD SCHOOL 13 It all begins with teaching. MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU These notes come from one of our advanced physics classes, outlining some of the sophisticated work our Upper School students do and highlighting Whether she starts in the Lower, Middle, or Upper School, the problem-solving and math integration essential in the sciences. every girl at Nightingale comes to be known through every age and stage, every talent and trial. She works with teachers who celebrate that no two girls are alike, teachers who tailor their work to meet her individual needs, teachers who exhibit at the Whitney, publish acclaimed biographies, and win international poetry prizes. Teachers who never stop learning. She also comes to know herself and all that she is capable of. We create a place where she can learn to speak her mind and her heart—a place where she can gain the knowledge and insight to have something to say and the confidence and courage to say it. We start nurturing the courage to take intellectual risks from the very beginning. In Lower School, girls as young as five become accustomed to standing in assemblies and sharing their thoughts on open-ended questions: What does it mean to stand up for someone? What is courage? These same students become the young women with the confidence and ability to compete at Harvard as our championship debate team does every year, arguing both sides of resolutions such as “The United States federal government should adopt a carbon tax.” In Middle School, we ask students to look beyond pre-packaged essay structures. We give them the freedom for more authentic probing in their writing. When our Upper School students write personal, portrait, anecdotal, and issue-based essays, they not only learn from classic writers like Hawthorne and Shakespeare but from contemporary writers like Didion and Sedaris. They push to find their own voices and a structure that offers a fresh, compelling perspective. 14 THE NIGHTINGALE–BAMFORD SCHOOL 15 DEBATE TEAM ADVICE Our Upper School debate team is known for their strong, All this preparation and practice means that when confident voices and well-researched arguments, and they participate annually in a number of local, regional, Nightingale girls go to college, they are consistently and national tournaments, including the New York State the leaders in class discussions and the strongest writers. Forensics League Championship Tournament and the Harvard National Forensics Tournament. Members of No matter what field they pursue, from media to medicine Middle School debate also have the opportunity to compete at the local and regional levels. Below, some to academia, they are the ones who have the ability to express advice from our debaters. their ideas dynamically, both in person and in writing. 1 The breadth of our academic program BE ASSERTIVE prepares girls for a world where solutions NOT ARROGANT require connections across disciplines. 2 In the Lower School, when everything is new, breadth means exposure to a rich variety of ideas, styles, disciplines, KNOW YOUR and ways to explore and understand the world. To study JUDGES our home city of New York, students in Class II dive deeply into a yearlong interdisciplinary project that draws on math, 3 language, history, art, and literature; girls in Class III bring the same multi-lens approach to understanding the rights DO YOUR RESEARCH and responsibilities of people in a democratic society. 4 You’ll often hear Upper School students say that their Nightingale education makes them both well-rounded and DRESS AS focused. That’s because each girl develops a solid foundation in YOU MEAN TO BE English, mathematics, history, science, and at least one modern language. At the same time, she intensely pursues her own PERCEIVED paths of study through a range of electives, from Shakespeare’s Tragedies to Advanced Statistics; from Astronomy to Life 5 Drawing; from Modern Theater in America to Economics Now. BEAT THE BOYS As one of our students once said, “A Nightingale girl can quote The Aeneid by heart—in English and Latin—and easily 6 slip physics and American history references into everyday KEEP CALM conversation. We conduct scientific research, act as curators at the National Gallery, and still rollerblade into a faculty AND DEBATE ON volleyball game waving blue pom-poms.” 16 THE NIGHTINGALE–BAMFORD SCHOOL 17 WISE GUIDES More than 100 teachers, specialists, coaches, and professional staff bring extraordinary expertise, intellect, enthusiasm, and humor to their roles at Nightingale- Bamford. Together we create an environment in which every girl can excel. LE Hartmann, PhD Rebecca Urciuoli Sherwyn Smith Hai Dan Fan Panayotes Dakouras, PhD Kira Lynn Harris, MFA History Faculty P’19, P’23, PhD English Faculty Class II Homeroom Head of Classics Dept. Art Faculty Head of Lower School The 2012 recipient of Teacher by day, With patience and a In addition to leading Ms. Harris teaches art in the coveted Woodbridge Throughout her tenure at screenwriter by night, supportive nature, the classics department, all three divisions, as well teaching award, Nightingale, Dr. Urciuoli Mr. Smith teaches English Ms. Fan helps Class II Dr. Dakouras teaches as advanced art history. Dr. Hartmann teaches has held many positions, in the Middle and Upper students navigate an Latin in both the Middle A professional artist who American history in the including Lower School Schools, including a increased academic and Upper Schools; exhibits regularly, her Middle and Upper teacher, learning popular Upper School workload, introduces advises the Latin Club work has been shown at Schools. Outside of the specialist, director of screenwriting elective. them to the wonders of and the Opera Club; and such impressive venues classroom, Dr. Hartmann counseling, interim Outside of the classroom, New York City through directs the Independent as the Studio Museum in advises our Upper School co-head of Middle Mr. Smith serves as a numerous field trips Study Program. His warm, Harlem, the Museum of debate team, which School, and associate faculty advisor to Upper throughout the boroughs, open, and inquisitive Contemporary Art in Los has grown tremendously head of Lower School. School students. and works with them nature also makes him Angeles, and the Whitney and experienced With