Bobcat Stories

By Upper School Division Head Chip Miller and Middle School Division Head Jeff Snyder 

The tradition of senior portraits as a visual celebration of each graduate’s accomplishments across the school-age years dates back to the turn of the century. In those early years, students were photographed in formal attire against simple black or white backdrops. Over the last couple of decades, families have sought to capture their student in a way that reflects their growth, interests, and passions. As a result, these portraits often feature props such as musical instruments as well as natural backdrops that capture beloved locations. These choices reflect the ideal qualities they hope to portray.

Similarly, schools seek to articulate the qualities that define the ideal graduate by creating a Portrait of a Graduate document. These portraits can say a great deal about a school’s values. However, a portrait should go well beyond simply defining an ideal graduate. Describing what a student should know is far different than describing what they should know how to do, and describing what a student should know how to do is not the same as defining a school’s responsibility for helping students develop those skills. Ideally, a Portrait of a Graduate says as much about a school’s pedagogy as it says about a particular student, and at best, it articulates a school’s commitment to creating an environment in which any student can gain the skills and knowledge to become the best version of themselves.

On the heels of Bosque School’s reaccreditation process last fall, our department leaders facilitated important conversations within their respective academic and extracurricular departments to document the skills, concepts, and principles they hope students have acquired and developed by the time they graduate from Bosque. At first, some of these aspirations remained grounded in content-specific concepts, but together the department leaders began to identify the recurring, universal themes that emerged. This exercise led to meaningful discussion and self-reflection as we attempted to be both precise and concise enough that each throughline of the portrait could serve as a guidepost for teaching and learning at Bosque. Proud of the work that had been done, we returned to conversation across teachers in both divisions to ensure there was consensus around the descriptions our department leaders had settled on together.

As much as the completed Bosque Portrait of a Graduate below paints a picture of what we hope for all of our students as they graduate, most importantly, it will serve as a measure of aspiration and accountability as we ensure that the teaching and learning taking place across all grades is consistently infused with a developmentally appropriate progression of these concepts and skills. Together with our ECC Principles and Best Practices and our school’s overarching mission, our hope is that the Portrait will help us continue to improve our ability to educate and support all of our students as they continue to lead lives of intellectual curiosity, personal integrity, and compassionate contribution to a more just world.

 

Bosque School Portrait of a Graduate 

Prepared to think deeply, act purposefully, and keep learning.

Bosque School graduates are creative, independent, and passionate thinkers. They are deeply curious, intrinsically motivated to learn, and take responsibility for their own learning. They are self-aware and understand both the relevance of what they learn and their responsibility to continue learning and apply their knowledge within their communities.

Curious, Resilient, Lifelong Learners

Our graduates demonstrate a learner’s mindset, approaching new experiences and ways of thinking with curiosity and confidence. They build resilience and adaptability as they take on complex challenges and pursue original, authentic research. They are committed to lifelong learning and to creating meaningful change in themselves and their communities. They also give, receive, and reflect on feedback as an important part of continued growth.

Critical, Original Thinkers

Our graduates are critical thinkers who integrate theories, methods, logical reasoning, and evidence from multiple disciplines to develop solutions to complex problems. They use diverse modes of reasoning to explore academic questions and apply imagination and original thinking to both analytical problem-solving and the creation of artistic or scholarly work.

Thoughtful, Purposeful Communicators

Our graduates communicate effectively by actively listening, responding to, and building on the ideas of classmates and teachers. They analyze a variety of sources to identify arguments, evidence, assumptions, and rhetorical strategies and use that analysis to develop new understanding. They produce well-structured written work and oral presentations based on their own research. They lead seminar-style discussions and present research to both academic and public audiences.

Responsible, Engaged Leaders

Our graduates are socially responsible, engaging with their communities with integrity, empathy, and respect for diverse perspectives, worldviews, and backgrounds. They advocate for equity and inclusion, listen actively to understand multiple perspectives, and lead thoughtfully in complex or challenging situations. They develop a strong sense of place through meaningful engagement with local environments, communities, and cultures, acting as informed citizens and responsible stewards who consider the impact of their choices on others and the natural world. 

Ready for What Comes Next

Bosque School graduates are prepared for college, careers, and lives of purpose. They develop the self-awareness, resilience, and healthy habits needed to care for their own well-being, while learning to think independently, navigate complexity, and communicate with confidence. They move forward into the world prepared to keep learning, meet new challenges, and contribute meaningfully to their communities and the world.