Upper School

As in the lower school, projects and field trips augment classroom study and provide many opportunities for interdisciplinary learning. Fifth and sixth graders experience an in-depth, two-year water study and marine biology curriculum, which incorporates many field explorations and culminates in a weeklong environmental and biology trip to Cape Cod. Seventh and eighth graders explore history and art in a weeklong trip to Washington, D.C. Historical landmarks in the Hudson Valley are excellent resources for students as they investigate American history. The theater and symphony at the Bardavon, locally, as well as our proximity to New York City, provide rich opportunities for students to explore the arts. These learning adventures are exciting and highly anticipated traditions at Dutchess Day School.

“These learning adventures are exciting and highly anticipated traditions at Dutchess Day School.”

In odd-numbered years, the fifth and sixth grades study oceanography and marine biology in science during their spring curriculum. As a culmination to their classroom studies, students spend one week in May extending their studies in Cape Cod. The program is conducted by Nature’s Classroom, an experiential, outdoor environmental education program and takes place primarily at their facility in Yarmouth Port, MA. During that week, students participate in a variety of activities that integrate science with other disciplines while also visiting salt marshes, rocky shores, and tide pools. On one of the days, students also experience a whale watch on the open ocean near Stellwagen Bank off of Provincetown.