The Upper School · Grades 8–12
An outstanding faculty, over 80% of whom hold advanced degrees, deliver a demanding, creative, and innovative college preparatory curriculum culminating in college level work in every discipline. Indeed, academic offerings in the Upper School most closely resemble those of a fine liberal arts college: introductory, honors, and 18 Advanced Placement courses are available in English, computer science, math, the sciences, history, the arts, and world and classic languages — Spanish, French, and Latin. Students who have the benefit of a North Cross Upper School education find their advantages to be many when they head off to the finest colleges and universities in the country: their ability to read critically, write thoughtfully, and speak clearly and convincingly make the transition to college life a seamless one.
Outside of the classroom, the Upper School co-curricular program is a mix of required and optional activities and events, all intended to expand student experience, increase community feeling and identity, and provoke intellectual, emotional and spiritual growth. All students attend Thursday assemblies to which the administration brings speakers, presentations and dialogue that ranges from science discovery to human rights. The Upper School also gathers as community for assemblies in the Commons before lunch for community announcements and advisory lunches where groups discuss a “Quote of the Day” intended to provide thoughtful reinforcement of the School’s mission or commentary on current events. Students are also required to perform at least 12.5 hours of community service per year, but many of them exceed that requirement. On the field, students are required to participate in at least three seasons of team athletics, though most students participate in more—some, in the same season. No try-outs are required, yet our teams consistently place for or win their conference and/or state championship titles. DeHart speeches, a series of independent research presentations by each senior class member throughout the year, expose the entire Upper School student body to diverse topics and opinions, much like mini-lectures. By the time a freshman graduates from North Cross, they will have heard over 120 DeHart lectures. Also unique to the Upper School are three graduation distinctions that students can achieve in the field of Global Studies, STEM, and Fine Arts |
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Stephen Belderes
Director of Upper School, Director of Summer Programs St. Andrews University—B.A. Fayetteville State University—M.A. Appointed 2006 Morris Award 2012 
For a complete listing of the courses for each grade, download our Program of Study.
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