The college admissions process is not based wholly on numbers. Were that true, the nation’s most selective colleges would be able to admit three or four uniquely different freshman classes year after year, all of which have the qualifications -- on paper -- to be offered admission based on their SAT scores, grades, and other scores. Time after time, we are told by college representatives that the process is full of “intangibles” -- those qualities that colleges look for in applicants that make them special, that make them light up a room, and that make their applications jump out of the stack. We are proud to offer a program that truly cultivates those intangibles. What sets the Academy apart is the fostering of those qualities that make for a richer high school experience and in turn make for a more compelling college applicant.

Intellectual Curiosity
Our students develop and consistently demonstrate intellectual curiosity -- learning for learning’s sake -- which is a quality heavily weighed by colleges. This curiosity is fostered throughout our academic program and in conjunction with opportunities such as the Grade 9 London trip, the French Club Europe trips, the Arts Department trips to theatrical and musical performances and galleries and museums, and on-campus special assemblies and guest performances.

Summer enrichment programs, both international and domestic, are encouraged as well. Starting with the Summer Experiences Panel in the fall, when students discuss their summer adventures in a school-wide assembly, Upper School students learn about summer opportunities all year long and start to plan for the summer. At the Summer Opportunities Fair, students can learn about local, national and international programs.

Leadership
Our students hone their leadership skills both inside and outside the classroom, and the Academy expects that students become leaders at school and in their communities. Opportunities for leadership exist in many forms at the Academy -- in the academic program and through student government, clubs and cultural organizations, athletic teams, performing and visual arts activities, and community service. We also encourage our students to take leadership roles in the greater Staten Island community.

Respectful Citizenship
Nothing is more important to us than that our students become respectful citizens -- of their school, their families, their community, their city, their country, the Earth, and of self. Toward that end, the Academy teaches students to be respectful, not by demanding it, but by modeling and cultivating it through programs like the House system, the faculty’s open door policy, school-wide diversity programs, and trips and excursions designed to expose students to the greater community.