High School

The High School at AOSR is made up of over 220 students in grades 9–12, from a wide variety of national backgrounds. High school courses are run on a block schedule with four periods of 80 minutes each day. Students take seven or eight classes each year.

Academics

The High School curriculum is marked by two rigorous curricular pathways - the International Baccalaureate and the Advanced Placement Programs. These programs offer students an opportunity for deep academic inquiry and challenging material. The college preparatory courses include a range of offerings in mathematics, laboratory sciences, literature, world languages, history, and electives such as philosophy, art history, studio visual arts, anthropology, sociology, world religions, computer graphics, desktop publishing, video production, and web design.

High school class sizes average twelve students, offering substantial individual attention from our teachers. Our faculty focuses on the use of consistent assessment to gauge student understanding and to best focus lessons for student learning.

Over 95% of our students attend competitive universities after graduation from AOSR. A full time college counselor assists them in college application procedures. (See High School Profile)

For more information see our High School Program of Studies.

Activities

High School students at AOSR engage in a series of activities in addition to their academic work.

Our varsity athletic program offers cross country, tennis, volleyball, basketball, soccer and cheerleading, and our student athletes compete with pride and sportsmanship against their peers at schools across Italy and other countries in the Mediterranean basin.

AOSR students also have excellent access to pursue artistic endeavors. Students may join the Music Ensemble, sing in the High School Chorus, act in a variety of theatrical productions, including the annual Shakespeare festival, and create visual art through several courses, from painting to photojournalism.

A variety of clubs and extracurricular activities at AOSR, including the Environmental Club, National Honor Society, Student Council, Global Issues Network (GIN), and the French and Spanish Honor Societies expose students to leadership development, project planning and character building.

There is a premium on community service at AOSR and over 25% of our students participate in service efforts on and off campus. Examples of these activities include our recycling program, helping out in different areas of the school, and supporting a cultural center in the slums of Salvador Bahia, Brazi as well as volunteering with Retake Rome.

Field Trips

Throughout the year, there is a wide variety of field trips that take place to enhance classroom learning. Students may visit archeological sites in and around Rome, art galleries, and museums. Rome and Italy, with all they represent in history, art and culture, are a constant source of inspiration and offer a wealth of opportunities for our students.

Community

One distinctive characteristic of our High School is the deep sense of respect and tolerance that our students have for one another. At AOSR, we build community through frequent High School grade level meetings, friendly competitions between grades, spirit days, Wellness Days, class trips and assemblies. Students are remarkably welcome of new students and actively support one another in academic, athletic and artistic pursuits. In our school's true culture of caring and success all students can reach for their full potential.