Departmental Overviews

Fitness and athletics offerings are a vital part of a total education essential for a healthy mind and body. The Fitness/Athletics program is designed to meet the varying needs of students. Within the program are numerous opportunities for decision making, challenge, confidence building, and teamwork.

The program engenders an appreciation of one’s own talents, as well as the talents of others. Students are exposed to skills in a wide variety of team and individual sports, and they develop an appreciation of sports as players and spectators. Throughout the program, students learn the value of fair play and sportsmanship.
 

The Mathematics Department cultivates mathematical thinkers who are prepared for the challenges they will face in a dynamic world. Students succeed when they are appropriately challenged; thus, we provide differentiated instruction. Collaboration, the utilization of technology, and investigative tasks are some of the tools used to encourage students to be resourceful, questioning, curious, independent, and confident mathematical thinkers. We seek to inspire students to build connections between mathematical topics, to other disciplines, and to the world around them. We encourage perseverance in problem-solving using iterative, logical, and creative thinking. Students investigate patterns, data, geometric figures, graphs, numbers, functions, and applications. Dana Hall fosters a rigorous program of study, but also ensures that every student has the support needed to succeed by providing the time, space, and resources to enhance their understanding.
 
Preparation for continued mathematics study at the college level is a goal of Dana Hall’s Upper School Math Department. The Math Department supports the use of the TI-84 calculator for all Upper School Mathematical Courses. Placement into math courses is made by the Upper School Math Department in collaboration with the student and their advisor. 

Dana Hall believes that our students have a place in the performing arts as the next generation of tastemakers. Students at all levels have a chance to develop their artistic voices and skills in several fields, including theatre, music, and dance. The ensemble experience is a hallmark of the work our students do, as is an emphasis on creating new work as composers, directors, choreographers, and designers. Students are required to enroll in a one-half credit course in the performing arts and are strongly encouraged to explore many offerings to develop their expression and understanding of the relationship among the arts.

A student who is interested in pursuing further education in the performing arts is encouraged to take several levels of a discipline in order to deepen her expression and understanding of that discipline. Performance opportunities range from informal showings to performances open to the public. Some classes meet during the school day, while others are part of the after-school program. Alongside traditional performances like plays, musicals, music recitals, and dance concerts, Dana Hall’s performing arts program also features ensembles and productions like the Dance Repertory Group, Chamber Singers, Flute Choir, String Society, and Theatre New Work Showing. 
 

Given the underrepresentation of women in many science-related careers, a strong high school education in the sciences is especially important for young women. Development of the students’ understanding of the natural world and their role in it, their ability to apply the methodology of science, and their awareness of societal concerns relating to science are fostered in Dana Hall’s science program.

Courses are designed to be challenging and encourage student responsibility, independence, and precision. The sequence of Dana Hall’s courses highlights the interconnectedness of the natural sciences and allows students to apply the knowledge and skills they have gained in previous years. Traditional classroom and laboratory work provide students with the sound background needed for college. All students are encouraged to pursue four years of science, especially those who are considering a highly selective college or a career in a science-related field.

The visual arts expose students to creative work from many different cultures, and they are an essential educational experience for all students. By developing skills in visual language and creative exploration, a student is encouraged to become a more accurate and sensitive observer of herself and the world around her.

Skills in art, as in all other disciplines, are learned through instruction, practice, and experience. With time and effort, all students are able to produce work of increasingly high quality. Courses are taught at the beginning to the advanced levels, offering strong sequences for portfolio preparation for college admission. The program is enriched by trips to museums, lectures by visiting artists, and exhibits in the Dana Hall Art Gallery.
 

The Middle School English curriculum is designed to teach students to be sensitive readers, thoughtful writers, and effective speakers.

Close reading and writing skills are emphasized through instruction in the use of textual evidence to support ideas. Students write frequently and are encouraged to embrace the process of revision in developing their ideas.

Creative writing opportunities invite students to reflect upon personal experiences as they explore various genres. Students learn to be more confident, articulate speakers through class discussions and public speaking activities. In addition, students learn and review grammar, mechanics, and vocabulary at each level.
 

Dana Hall’s athletic program is an integral part of the School’s curriculum, and as such, it provides opportunities for instruction, participation, and growth. The athletic program strives to promote healthy competition and embody the highest ideals of sportsmanship and respect. Students are encouraged to compete at the highest level that their ability and performance will allow. Accordingly, Dana Hall provides appropriate levels of competition for each athlete.

 The Fitness/Athletics Department meets the challenges of its athletic philosophy through the cultivation of the following values:

• achieving individual and team goals,
• diligent preparation, fair play, and self-discipline,
• exercise and competition that contributes to the development of an athlete’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being
• age- and skill-appropriate coaching and competition at every level
   

The Dana Hall Mathematics Department cultivates mathematical thinkers who are prepared for the challenges they will face in a dynamic world. Students succeed when they are appropriately challenged; thus, we provide differentiated instruction.

Collaboration, the utilization of technology, and investigative tasks are some of the tools used to encourage students to be resourceful, questioning, curious, independent, and confident mathematical thinkers. We seek to inspire students to build connections between mathematical topics, to other disciplines, and to the world around them. We encourage perseverance in problem-solving using iterative, logical, and creative thinking. Students investigate patterns, data, geometric figures, graphs, numbers, functions, and applications.

Dana Hall fosters a rigorous program of study, but also ensures that every student has the support needed to succeed by providing the time, space, and resources to enhance their understanding.

In the Middle School, all students are exposed to music, theatre, and dance in ensembles and in Performing Arts classes.

In the fifth and sixth grades, all students take the same classes. In the seventh and eighth grades, students begin to specialize and explore a specific performing arts area in more depth. In addition to the offerings below, students may choose to dance as a Fitness/Athletics option or be part of a cast or crew in the Middle School play or musical.

Performing Arts are also part of the Middle School curriculum through “plug-in” interdisciplinary classes in which Performing Arts teachers engage students in their other subject areas. In the Middle School, the Performing Arts program prepares students for the more specialized and intensive courses in the Upper School, and it offers students an appreciation of the skills and excitement of performing.
 

The study of natural science is an effort to observe and describe the world we see around us every day. The science curriculum at Dana Hall is therefore designed to develop observational, experimental, and problem-solving skills and endow students with the confidence to formulate and answer their own questions concerning the natural world.

Given the underrepresentation of women in many science-related careers, a strong high school education in the sciences is especially important for young women. Development of the students’ understanding of the natural world and their role in it, their ability to apply the methodology of science, and their awareness of societal concerns relating to science are fostered in Dana Hall’s science program.

Courses are designed to be challenging and encourage student responsibility, independence, and precision. The sequence of Dana Hall’s courses highlights the interconnectedness of the natural sciences and allows students to apply the knowledge and skills they have gained in previous years. 

Social Studies courses in the Middle School foster an appreciation of both Western and non-Western worlds.

In addition to the study of United States history, each student investigates a number of regions around the world. Students examine social and cultural developments, the history of political institutions, and the interaction of traditional and modern societies. Teachers ask students to read closely, think critically, write persuasively, present powerfully, and collaborate effectively.
 

The Middle School Visual Arts curriculum builds the students’ fundamental visual arts skills while fostering an appreciation for art and culture. Visual Arts classes encourage students to observe, think creatively, make decisions, problem solve, collaborate, create, analyze, and reflect throughout their art-making experience.

Students are offered additional opportunities in the Visual Arts through Art Club, as well as “plug-in” interdisciplinary classes in which the Visual Arts teacher leads students through projects that connect learning in the arts with the other subject areas. Student artwork is exhibited throughout the Middle School and there is a Middle School Art Show in the spring.
 

As Dana Hall strives to make its students true global citizens, the language program emphasizes the skills of language acquisition. To that end, in the sixth grade, students all take Latin Foundations of English, which sets the foundation for language learning. In seventh grade, each student chooses French, Latin, Mandarin, or Spanish as the language she will formally learn. She can then continue the study of that language in the Upper School or choose to begin a new language. Overall, students develop communication skills through frequent conversational activities, make global connections, and expand their cultural understanding of the world.