Eleventh Grade Curriculum

In the eleventh grade, there is a substantial increase in academic and personal expectations and performance. These students begin to hone their analytical abilities, looking beyond and behind phenomena and ideas, asking the question “Why?” and looking for answers. This spirit of inquiry underlies the entire eleventh grade curriculum. For example, a cornerstone of this year is the medieval classic Parsival in which asking the right question – or neglecting to do so – profoundly influences the hero’s journey; the students identify with trials he has to go through to gain life experience. And on the Hamlet retreat, the question so magnificently articulated in the famous “To be or not to be” speech and other questions raised by the play are central to the discussions held throughout the week.