High School

The high school at AOSR is made up of over 200 students in grades 9–12, from a wide variety of national backgrounds. High school courses are run on a block schedule with 4 periods of 75 minutes each day. Students take 7 or 8 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 Chinese language and culture, philosophy, art history, anthropology, sociology, computer graphics, and world religions.

High school class sizes average 12, 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 athletic program offers cross country, basketball, volleyball, soccer, wrestling 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 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 Model United Nations, National Honor Society, Yearbook and Student Council, 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, Brazil.

Field Trips

Throughout the year, our numerous and varied field trips enhance classroom learning. Students may visit archeological sites and museums to study ancient civilizations, attend lectures in mathematics at Rome's Auditorium, participate in educational trips to other countries or skiing trips to the Alps. Rome and Italy, with all they represent in history and art, are a constant source of inspiration and cultural 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 they can reach for their full potential.