EMMA WILLARD SCHOOL PROFILE 2019-2020 Founded in 1814, Emma Willard School is one of America’s oldest and most distinguished college preparatory boarding and day schools for girls. Known for its academic rigor, the school promotes intellectual curiosity and disciplined study habits through a broad JENNY C. RAO and challenging curriculum in the humanities, social sciences, sciences, mathematics, HEAD OF SCHOOL technology, and visual and performing arts. The school also taps into the rich resources [email protected] of Albany's Capital Region to provide extensive off-campus research opportunities, 518-833-1301 internships, experiential learning, and community service programs. Throughout its history, Emma Willard has been committed to enrolling a diverse student body from across the country and around the world. This commitment is supported by significant expenditures in financial aid. DR. MEREDITH LEGG Academic DEAN [email protected] Student Body: 360 students (225 boarding, 135 day) from 24 states and 36 foreign 518-833-1312 countries. 104 new students enrolled in the fall of 2019. Of the 360 students, 95 are students of color (according to guidelines established by the National Association of Independent Schools) and 84 are international students, and 64 have an alumna or current sister relationship to the school. There are 88 students in the Class of 2020. A KENT JONES financial aid budget of $4,645,712 enables 149 students (42%) to receive awards ranging CO-Director OF COLLEGE COUNSELING [email protected] from $1,000 to $63,990. 518-833-1305 Faculty: 53 teaching faculty (77% female, 23% male). 83% hold advanced degrees. 85% are full-time, 15% are part-time. An additional 10 houseparents serve as members of the ALYSIA MAJERAN residential faculty. CO-Director OF COLLEGE COUNSELING [email protected] Academic Program: The Emma Willard curriculum reflects the school’s traditional pursuit 518-833-1303 of excellence; capitalizes on the global nature of its student body; sustains a belief in the centrality of leadership, ethics, and service in adolescent education; and honors the woman’s perspective. Emma Willard offers a rigorous college preparatory program with ABBEY MASSOUD-TASTOR Advanced Placement® opportunities and upper-level electives in all disciplines. The school Associate Director OF year is comprised of two semesters, and most students take five or six academic classes COLLEGE COUNSELING per term. Classes meet up to four times a week in blocks of 50 or 75 minutes. Academic [email protected] requirements for graduation include a minimum of four years of English; three of history, 518-833-1311 foreign language, mathematics, and laboratory science (including biology and chemistry); and visual/performing arts. Students in all grades may pursue focused research projects CHERYL ACKNER through the STEAM Research Program and juniors and seniors may include a year-long ADMINistratiVE AssistaNT project in their schedule through the Signature Program. Emma Willard’s Practicum FOR COLLEGE COUNSELING AND program offers a wide array of experiential and enrichment opportunities that allow Academic Affairs [email protected] students to explore academic, career, service, or extracurricular interests. The curriculum 518-833-1310 is complemented by The Speaker Series, which invites accomplished and renowned experts in various fields to speak at assemblies and in classes throughout the school year. EMMA WILLARD SCHOOL Accreditation and Affiliations: Emma Willard School is accredited by the New York 285 PawliNG AVENUE State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS). Its affiliations include the National TroY, NY 12180 Coalition of Girls’ Schools, The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), the New York State T: 518-833-1300 Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS), the National Association of Independent F: 518-833-1892 Schools (NAIS), the College Board, and the National Association of College Admission www.emmawillard.org Counseling (NACAC). CEEB CODE: 335600 GPA and Class Rank: Emma Willard does not rank students or provide a cumulative grade point average as part of a student’s credentials. This practice is consistent with our founder’s belief that “education should seek to bring its subjects to the perfection of their moral, intellectual, and physical nature.” Believing that her vision encourages students to measure their strengths against their own potential rather than in competition against others, we do not report information that invites invidious comparisons of students. Grading: Letter grades are used with plus and minus notations to refine the passing grades of A (93-100), A- (90-92), B+ (87-89), B (83-86), B- (80-82), C+ (77-79), C (73-76), C- (70-72), D+ (67-69), D (63-66), D- (60-62), NC (<60). There is no grade of A+. “NC” (no credit) represents a failing grade. All arts courses are graded as CR/NC (credit/no credit) unless a letter grade is chosen by the student (for visual art courses only). Grading for 9th Graders: Students entering Emma Willard's ninth grade are graded on a credit/no credit basis for the fall semester. In the spring semester, freshmen receive letter grades that are reported on transcripts. Comprehensive final exams may be included in this spring semester grade. Because of this, there is no year grade recorded for ninth grade. If colleges require a final grade for the purpose of calculating a GPA, we suggest using the spring semester grades for this purpose. Credits: Ordinarily, a semester course equals .5 unit, a year-long course equals 1.0 unit, a semester-long AP course equals .75 unit, and a year-long AP course equals 1.5 units. Some arts courses carry a lower weight of .25 unit for a semester and .5 unit for a year. A student customarily carries 2.5–3 units per semester and 5-6 units per year. Each student must carry a minimum of 2.5 units per semester. Graduation Requirements: • Arts—Entering 9th graders must successfully complete two units of arts electives. One of these should be completed by the end of 10th grade; at least one course must be performing and at least one course must be a visual arts course. For entering 10th graders, successful completion of one unit of arts electives; at least one course must be performing and at least one course must be a visual arts course. For entering 11th graders, successful completion of one unit of arts electives with no distribution required among the arts. • English—Successful completion of four years of English. • History & Social Science—Three year-long courses in history and social science or their equivalents, including one year of United States history taken in 11th or 12th grade. Typically, freshmen and sophomores take four discrete semesters of history, beginning with Classical Mediterranean History in 9th grade and ending in 10th grade with Contemporary World History. In the spring of 9th grade and the fall of 10th grade, students choose from electives in African, East Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, Latin American, and European history. • Foreign Language—Successful completion of the third level of a single foreign language. This requirement may be waived for students for whom English is a second language. • Mathematics—Successful completion of the mathematics sequence through the third level, including Algebra I, Algebraic Geometry, and either Algebra II and Trigonometry or Algebra II and Trigonometry with Non-Routine Problems. • Science—Emma Willard's science sequence includes Physical Science: Foundations for Physics and Chemistry, one year of chemistry, and one year of biology. Students entering 10th or 11th grade must complete two units of laboratory science during their high school career: one year of physical science and one year of life science, determined on an individual basis. • Physical Education & Athletics—All students must take physical education classes or their equivalent in team sports or dance all year during 9th, 10th, and 11th grade. 12th graders are required to take 10 weeks of physical education classes or the equivalent. Students must also complete a swimming and water safety proficiency test prior to graduation. Course Listings and Units: Please visit emmawillard.org/academics/curriculum for a full listing and description of courses. English Support: Each year, Emma Willard admits a small number of international students who require English language support. This is offered only at the advanced level and as a complement to regular, grade-level English and history courses. In order to earn a diploma, students who participate in English support must complete all graduation requirements. School Policy on Reporting Discipline: Making mistakes is a natural, even necessary, part of a student’s personal growth and educational development, particularly in the early years of her secondary education. This is especially true in a boarding school environment such as Emma Willard’s where student behavior is monitored closely and consistently. While we acknowledge the need to report significant disciplinary events to colleges, we also believe that routine discipline is a developmentally appropriate tool to be used without fear of long-term consequences. Emma Willard therefore shares with colleges only disciplinary information about a student’s probation, suspension, or expulsion. Reports of such disciplinary action are made by answering “yes” to the appropriate statement(s) on the Secondary School Report and by inviting admission officers to call the student's college counselor