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    ABOUT ACADEMICS

    At the end of four years at BHSEC Cleveland, students have completed the first two years of an undergraduate liberal arts education, earning up to 60 college credits and an Associate in Arts degree from Bard College, as well as a high school diploma from the State of Ohio.

    In the college program – the third and fourth years, or Year One and Year Two – students take a full college course load in the liberal arts and sciences. All classes are taught by college faculty who are active and accomplished in their fields. Classes are inquiry- and discussion-based, encouraging active engagement with professors and peers. All students in the college program take a two-year interdisciplinary seminar sequence, one class a semester. Through critical reading and interpretation, students engage with seminal texts from antiquity to modernity across the humanities.

    In the high school program (9th and 10th grades), a more structured, high school curriculum is meant to help students ease into college coursework. All high school classes are taught by the same college faculty that teach in the college program, and classwork incorporates similar critical reading, writing, and thinking techniques. Alongside a robust network of academic support resources, the high school classes help students more adequately prepare for the demands of their rigorous college classes in the last two years.

    rigorous college classes in the last two years.

     

    WRITING & THINKING WORKSHOP

    Every fall semester at BHSEC begins with The Writing & Thinking Workshop, a five-day intensive learning experience that provides students in every grade level with interesting exercises in critical reading and writing upon which they can build in their regular courses. Conceived by Bard College president Leon Botstein and based on the principle that strong writing and close reading enrich and enliven the classroom experience in all disciplines, the workshop sets the stage for the kind of interdisciplinary, intensive work students will tackle during their time at BHSEC.

    Faculty members from all disciplines lead workshop sections of about fifteen to eighteen students in short writing activities, critical reading exercises, and group discussions about the texts at hand—a shared selection of traditional and contemporary poetry, plays, essays, fiction and non-fiction from several disciplines—developing a common vocabulary that will serve students well as they continue to grow as readers, writers, and thinkers.

    Whether engaged in a ten-minute “focused free-write,” or debating the meaning of a line of poetry, students not only work with faculty and with each other to build their critical language skills, they also experience what it means to participate in an intimate intellectual community. They learn to take initiative, speak up, and think differently while listening to alternative ideas, presenting personal work for feedback, and providing thoughtful criticism on others’ work. By the end of the workshop, students produce a piece of polished prose that can become a tool for reflection, skill assessment, and continued development.

    COLLEGE REQUIREMENTS

    In their last two years at BHSEC, students are encouraged to explore a variety of fields and to build their skills as independent thinkers, as critical readers, researchers and writers, and to prepare to transition smoothly into a four-year college of their choice.

    Requirements for the Associate in Arts Degree
    Students must earn 60 college credits with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 during the two years in the college program; they must also fulfill the following distribution requirements and complete all Ohio Diploma requirements in order to receive the Bard Associate of Arts Degree:

    • All four semesters of the Seminar sequence
    • Two semesters of college science, including laboratory experience
    • Two semesters of college math, starting with the appropriate core course
    • Two semesters of college foreign language or language and culture
    • Four semesters of social science and/or literature electives
    • Three credits of performing or visual arts while enrolled in the college program

     

    ADVISORY

    Advisory is an integral part of the BHSEC curriculum. Students are required to attend and actively participate in advisory during their entire 4 years here. 

     

    High School Advisory

    9th Grade: During the 9th grade year, BHSEC students are introduced to advisory. The focus of this year is culture building, skill acquisition, social-emotional learning, and beginning the process of exploring possible colleges and careers for post-BHSEC life.

     

    10th Grade: During the 10th grade year, BHSEC students begin to shift focus to  matriculation, the culmination of their high school career and an ushering into the Bard College curriculum. While students still focus on social-emotional learning, skill acquisition, and culture building, a bit more focus is placed on college readiness. Students will participate in a formal reflection process, mediated by the students themselves and faculty, that highlight their success and areas of growth.  Students who meet all expectations will be welcomed into the college program and celebrated at a formal Matriculation Ceremony the next fall.

     

    College Advisory

    Year 1 (11th Grade): Year 1 is the most important year for students in the post-BHSEC planning process. Students begin to do more targeted college and career exploration. Needs, wants, ideas, and ideals are explored during this year.  Visits and workshops form colleges/universities and businesses/organizations are hosted throughout the year. BHSEC also hosts an annual 3-day college visit for eligible students where they can engage with college students and staff to begin to narrow their list of “ideals” and prepare for the college application season during Year 2/senior year. 

     

    Year 2 (12th Grade): Year 2 is the final year for BHSEC students. During this year, advisory focuses on the final college application process. Students will formally submit applications, families will be walked through completion of the Free Application For Student Aid (FAFSA), and assistance will be given focused on applying for and understanding other financial aid sources/references.


    Stephanie Hogue (shogue@bhsec.bard.edu) is our CTO and available via email for all questions related to college and career planning.