Academic Life

Mastery Program

Early depth and mastery in any arena provide important transferable lessons and build long-lasting confidence and self-esteem. Leading colleges and universities look for such key differentiators in their prospective students. Whether photography or physics, chess or cello, architecture or demography, poetry or playwriting, higher educational institutions are increasingly looking for students who have a demonstrated area of excellence and depth.

Beginning in ninth grade, the Avenues Mastery Program will expect every student to develop an area of depth and excellence in a self-chosen field of learning, whether art, music, literature, sports, science or history. Each student will select an area, subject or activity in which he or she has a passion and would like to develop depth and excellence. Every student will have a teacher-mentor who shares the student’s special interest and who will help guide him in enhancing his intellectual curiosity and deepening his base of knowledge.

The Mastery Program will culminate with each Avenues student completing a work product emblematic of the area that he has chosen. For some students this will be a thesis, for some an experiment, for others a publication, portfolio or performance.