Academics

English, history, mathematics, and foreign language can all be found in our main building.

The organization of our spaces is intentional, flexible, and allows our students and teachers to create strong communities in each classroom. The horseshoe structure of our desks allows for the hearty discussion, and sometimes debate, to take place amongst peers and teachers. You will find this design mostly in our English and history classrooms.

Students' eyes are up, engaged, connected with one another. Faculty members act as facilitators, guiding, nudging that dialogue. Yet the expectation is that our students arrive to class ready to dive in and actively participate in their learning.

If a teacher feels laptops will benefit the daily lesson, work on an in-class essay, research a term paper, they're readily available. Burroughs remains focused and committed to discussion-based classes and our Socratic method of learning while using technology where and when it appropriately supports that learning.

We don't think asking our students to carry the same device around all day will positively impact their experience. We don't want them to be dependent on just one device.

In grades seven and eight, our English teachers lay the groundwork of our writing program by introducing foundational skills in literary analysis and persuasive and expressive writing, as well as exploring the elements of usage and grammar.

As students advance through the grade levels, they will engage in the ongoing refinement of their skills in writing, reading, speaking, and listening. Both in-classroom exchange and in writing instruction, our teachers guide our students to root their ideas in evidence. Open the book, find the passage, read it carefully, respond to it with integrity.

In our diverse community, we aspire to reflect and explore the various identities in our midst. We seek to understand ourselves, each other, and our world. Given that we live within a complex world facing challenges that frequently have their roots in the past, our history classes ask students to explore, analyze, and evaluate these roots by looking at earlier political, religious, economic, and social institutions.

Students thereby acquire knowledge and develop skills that they can use to create meaning about their own lives and about the times in which they live. The department's curriculum provides a framework and body of knowledge with which to organize an understanding of these aspects of our human endeavor.

Math classrooms are organized with a more traditional approach. Chalkboards, whiteboards, smart boards are used by students to remain actively engaged in their math experiences while providing a diverse learning environment.

The math curriculum allows students to challenge themselves, and we ask incoming students to take a Burroughs math placement evaluation so that we can start them off in the right class.

The general goals of the program are to provide all students with knowledge of the basic facts, principles, and methods of mathematics, and the computational skills needed to apply them.

We offer regular and accelerated courses at each grade level with ample opportunities for students to switch between them each year. For those students who love math, various clubs and extracurricular activities allow them to spend even more time with numbers.

Our seventh and eighth grade students are required to take a foreign language, and that could be in the form of French, Spanish, Latin, or German. Students do typically stick with their language of choice in high school. Russian, Greek, and Mandarin are elective courses offered to our students in grades 10 through 12.

Combining classroom environments that encourage consistent participation and lots of practice with language lab activities, cultural study, literary readings, our language coursework prepare students for both practical and professional communication. Opportunity to travel internationally is something available to our students, and typically, those destinations are determined based on a student's foreign language selection.

Academic support, as well as our counseling department, reside on the third floor of our main building. We recognize and support the various learning differences of our students and provide the resources and staff necessary to ensure that all of our students have what they need to thrive and succeed.

Our counseling department is set up in such a way that each grade level has an assigned counselor who will stay with those students for their entire six years at Burroughs. This builds strong relationships through consistency and continuity.

The Burroughs lunch experience is also a timeless tradition. It encourages community, enhances friendships, and exposes students to other children and faculty. The architecture of our dining room also represents our school well since we emphasize simplicity while also trying to promote a casual and comfortable environment.

Our seventh and eighth grade students are assigned a lunch table once a month, and at the head of each table sits a faculty member. It's clear to see that we enjoy each other's company.