Student Life at Collegiate School | Programs for Grades 9-12

Leadership
Collegiate is a school in which boys are encouraged to become leaders and to serve their community. The students are expected to see that the success they strive for in their own lives is linked to the success of others. Over the course of a school year, Upper School boys may choose to participate in numerous clubs and organizations that offer opportunities for leadership. A number of juniors join the Peer Leadership program after completing a course in Group Dynamics, which is designed to develop basic counseling techniques. As peer leaders, seniors are given the opportunity to lead issue-oriented groups in which freshmen and sophomores participate, and are present at the freshman and sophomore class trips, leading small groups in various activities. Many students of color also participate in Jamaa, a dynamic organization within the school founded in 1969 and committed to issues of diversity. Older members of Jamaa take a leadership position in creating a supportive community for younger students of color. Student Government is a vibrant group, initiating social events as well as programs that improve the quality of life for students at Collegiate.

Various activities provide students with an opportunity to participate and sometimes compete outside the school community. Students in CENIC plan and organize a weekend conference for area high school students on environmental issues. The Model U.N. Club Club traditionally attends conferences at other schools as well as the annual Harvard U.N. conference. The Science Olympiad team has qualified for the state competition for more than ten years. The Debate Team competes successfully at tournaments throughout the Eastern United States. In addition, some students choose to take part in off-campus programs such as The Mountain School, The Island School, and the Maine Coast Semester. Exchange programs to Argentina, China, England, France, Italy, and Spain for all or part of a school year have also been offered to Upper School students.

Clubs
Over the course of a school year, Upper School boys may choose to participate in numerous clubs and organizations that offer opportunities for leadership, such as the following:

• Amnesty International
• Asian Cultural Society
• CENIC (Environmental Club)
• Chess Club
• CHispA (Collegiate Hispanic Association)
• Community Service Club
• Debate Team
• Gay-Straight Alliance
• Jamaa (support group for students of color and issues of diversity)
• Math Club
• Model U.N.
• Science Olympiad
• Student Government
• Sustainable Relief Coaltion
• T.R.A.C.K.S. (The Runners' Athletic Collaborative for Kenyan Students)

Publications

Upper School students produce a number of publications. The school newspaper, The Collegiate Journal, appears monthly. Prufrock, a magazine of the literary and visual arts, provides a forum for those interested in exhibiting their creative talents and opinions. Technically Speaking is a product of students focused on science, math, and technology. Two foreign language publications, Charabia and Herenzia, are written by students. The Truth highlights issues addressed by Jamaa, and The Forum publishes students’ essays and translations from Latin. Collegiate’s yearbook, The Dutchman, is largely the work of juniors and seniors and records each year from the point of view of seniors, combining humor and nostalgia with their history.

Community Service

Community service is an intrinsic part of the Collegiate experience. As part of its mission, Collegiate is committed to guiding boys to develop habits of caring for and helping others. Lower and Middle School students participate in group community service projects and community service is a requirement in the Upper School. The Lower and Middle School buddy program and Upper School Peer Leadership project give boys of different ages an opportunity to support one another. In all divisions it is common for boys to come up with their own ideas about ways to serve one another and the wider community. Often the selected service projects reinforce lessons being taught in the classroom. The result is a broad and varied range of activities and projects. In addition to the many ways that individual students work on behalf of others, the boys in the Upper School participate in a co-ed community service day with a Manhattan girls school. During spring break, a group of Upper School boys, along with faculty, participate in a service trip.

Interschool

Collegiate is a founding member of Interschool, a consortium of eight independent schools working cooperatively to develop programs and activities involving students and teachers from the participating schools. Programs sponsored by Interschool include an annual College Night for juniors and their parents, the tenth-grade trip to Frost Valley, and meetings of special-interest groups to exchange ideas and organize events. The Interschool member schools are Brearley, Browning, Chapin, Collegiate, Dalton, Nightingale-Bamford, Spence, and Trinity.