Editors' note: The following is coped from the Schools site.
The Upper School Grade-Wide Read is a shared interdisciplinary, intellectual and community-building experience. While the actual reading of each grade level book happens over the summer, this program serves to launch students into their academic year, shape initial class discussions and assignments across the curriculum, connect to School-wide themes, and prepare students for the thinking they will engage in throughout the school year.
9TH GRADE READ
Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults by Robin Wall Kimmerer and Monique Gray Smith
Guiding Questions:
• What does it mean to be a member of and positively contribute to a community, specifically, as a high school student?
• How can you “explore your interests, develop your voice, and strive for your personal best” as you are in the process of discovering your identity?
• Where might your personal interests and identity enhance the community and where might they conflict with the community? How do we reconcile these conflicts?
10TH GRADE READ
Educated by Tara Westover
Guiding Questions:
• How do you see yourself in the context of their community and your world?
• In what ways does your self-perception match with how others perceive you and in what ways does it not?
• How can you become an “active learner, confident problem-solver, and critical thinker who work(s) both independently and collaboratively”?
11TH GRADE READ
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Gramus
Guiding Questions:
• How can you “engage your curiosity and expand your creativity” in order to broaden your perspective of the world?
• What does it mean to be persistent and how does one continue to persist?
• What are your ideals and why are they worth your time and effort?
12TH GRADE READ
Parable of a Sower by Octavia Butler
Guiding Questions:
• What does it mean to “embrace opportunities," take ownership of your life, and have license to solve your own problems?
• How can you “develop your intellect with character” while undergoing the stress of senior year and preparing for a significant transition in your life?
• How can you gain experience in building the community you want here at Brimmer so that you can someday take the “lead in the global community”?