A Year in the Life:
Grade 9 at Rivers
The Grade 9 Experience
As the largest entry point for new Rivers students, Grade 9 brings together students from the Rivers Middle School and communities throughout the greater Boston area to create a diverse class of students from myriad backgrounds and bring to our community a wide range of talents and interests. The Grade 9 program challenges students to pursue excellence across our core curriculum as well as in a variety of athletic, artistic, and co-curricular endeavors.
The Academic Curriculum
The Grade 9 curriculum requires students to take classes in all academic disciplines, including the arts.
Biology is the traditional first-year science course at Rivers. Students begin the course by learning about the process of science, including how to design and execute experiments and collaborate effectively. Over the year, they apply these skills as they explore various topics in biology, including cells, genetics, medicine, and evolution. For math, ninth graders take Geometry, where they learn deductive and inductive reasoning as methods of investigating properties and problem-solving.
The Grade 9 English course is designed to develop students' writing and critical thinking skills while also introducing them to a range of literary works that explore the coming-of-age journeys of young protagonists—teenage characters questioning who they are and what they value. The Grade 9 World History course is organized in thematic units rather than chronologically. The structure allows students to examine the historical roots of issues and topics such as religion and ethics, or wealth and poverty, that are highly relevant in today's world.
Finally, every student is required to take a foreign language, be it Spanish, French, Latin, or Mandarin. In addition to building fluency, the language curriculum is designed to develop students' understanding of and appreciation for the cultures of the countries where the languages are spoken.
Click here to read more about the Upper School curriculum.
The Revers Center for Science and the Visual Arts
In January 2020, the 34,000-square-foot Revers Center for Science and Visual Arts opened its doors for classes. The state-of-the-art facility provides the school with spacious art studios, modern science labs, an engineering and robotics suite, and videoconferencing-equipped interdisciplinary classrooms that provide exciting new teaching and learning opportunities for students and faculty.
Visual & Performing Arts
Students in Grade 9 receive a full year in the arts, which may be in the visual or performing arts.
The visual arts program at Rivers offers students opportunities to explore a broad range of artistic disciplines and then to pursue one or more areas in depth. The department teaches creative problem-solving, fosters cooperation and collaboration, and encourages risk-taking in a variety of media, including drawing, painting, digital and darkroom photography, printmaking, ceramics, and sculpture. Through active participation, students develop creativity, visual literacy, and a honed awareness of the visual world.
Rivers offers performing arts ensembles and classes in a collaborative environment that provides for performance-based assessment and process-oriented learning. Students are encouraged to exceed previous levels of achievement, discover self-confidence, build self-discipline, and achieve self-awareness. As performers themselves, our teachers are models for active learning, risk-taking, and self-expression. The student-run coffeehouse, which takes place three times each year, gives all students the opportunity to perform in front of a supportive audience of peers.
The visual arts program at Rivers offers students opportunities to explore a broad range of artistic disciplines and then to pursue one or more areas in depth. The department teaches creative problem-solving, fosters cooperation and collaboration, and encourages risk-taking in a variety of media, including drawing, painting, digital and darkroom photography, printmaking, ceramics, and sculpture. Through active participation, students develop creativity, visual literacy, and a honed awareness of the visual world.
Rivers offers performing arts ensembles and classes in a collaborative environment that provides for performance-based assessment and process-oriented learning. Students are encouraged to exceed previous levels of achievement, discover self-confidence, build self-discipline, and achieve self-awareness. As performers themselves, our teachers are models for active learning, risk-taking, and self-expression. The student-run coffeehouse, which takes place three times each year, gives all students the opportunity to perform in front of a supportive audience of peers.
The Rivers School Conservatory Program
This program provides student musicians with the faculty, classes, and performance opportunities needed to cultivate their musical artistry while at the same time pursuing a rigorous and challenging academic experience—all on one campus.
The Conservatory Program is open to classical and jazz instrumentalists, vocalists, as well as musical theater performers in the Upper School and runs in tandem with The Rivers School’s academic and music curriculum. At the end of the regular school day, Conservatory Program students take additional classes in music theory, ear training, performance, improvisation, solfege, and independent studies and participate in Conservatory Program jazz, chamber, or vocal ensembles.
The Conservatory Program is open to classical and jazz instrumentalists, vocalists, as well as musical theater performers in the Upper School and runs in tandem with The Rivers School’s academic and music curriculum. At the end of the regular school day, Conservatory Program students take additional classes in music theory, ear training, performance, improvisation, solfege, and independent studies and participate in Conservatory Program jazz, chamber, or vocal ensembles.
Clubs, Co-Curriculars, & Travel Abroad
Rivers students are more than scholars; they are athletes, artists, musicians, community leaders, newspaper reporters, actors, and poets. And more than a few students are all of those things.
To broaden their horizons, Upper School Students are encouraged to get involved in a wide array of clubs and organizations, including BRIDGE, Debate, Model UN, GSA, Robotics, Rivers Givers, and Rivers Serves. Many students also get involved in one or more of the three student-run publications: The Rivers Edge, our award-winning newspaper; The Current, the school's literary magazine; and The Nonesuch, our yearbook.
In addition, students have the opportunity to participate in a number of travel programs that take them to such locations as Greece, France, Italy, Spain, Cuba, and China. These Global Education programs offer enrichment that goes well beyond tourism, equipping students with the tools they need to meet a more interconnected world and nurturing values of mutual respect, cross-cultural understanding, equity, and justice.
To broaden their horizons, Upper School Students are encouraged to get involved in a wide array of clubs and organizations, including BRIDGE, Debate, Model UN, GSA, Robotics, Rivers Givers, and Rivers Serves. Many students also get involved in one or more of the three student-run publications: The Rivers Edge, our award-winning newspaper; The Current, the school's literary magazine; and The Nonesuch, our yearbook.
In addition, students have the opportunity to participate in a number of travel programs that take them to such locations as Greece, France, Italy, Spain, Cuba, and China. These Global Education programs offer enrichment that goes well beyond tourism, equipping students with the tools they need to meet a more interconnected world and nurturing values of mutual respect, cross-cultural understanding, equity, and justice.
Community Engagement at Rivers
Community Engagement at Rivers encourages students to examine the social issues around them and invest in addressing those issues by volunteering their time in local communities.
Students learn about the challenges facing our local and global neighbors through grade-level and individual experiences. They also have the opportunity to participate in activities that engage them with people who have had different life experiences. Rivers has ongoing partnerships with nonprofits in areas such as education, housing policy, immigrant and refugee support, elder enrichment, policy reforms, and more.
Students learn about the challenges facing our local and global neighbors through grade-level and individual experiences. They also have the opportunity to participate in activities that engage them with people who have had different life experiences. Rivers has ongoing partnerships with nonprofits in areas such as education, housing policy, immigrant and refugee support, elder enrichment, policy reforms, and more.
Advisory
The advisory system is yet another way Rivers ensures that each student forms meaningful and long-lasting connections with the adults on campus. Serving as mentors, role models, and trusted confidants, advisors play a significant role in each student’s life at Rivers. Every Upper School student is assigned an advisor at the beginning of Grade 9 and Grade 11 and stays with that advisor for two years. The student-to-advisor ratio in the Upper School is 6:1, and advisors meet twice a week with their groups. The program is designed to provide additional support to each student in their academic and social-emotional growth, as well as foster more connections among students at each grade level.
Advisors also serve as a vital resource for parents. Each February, parents have a comprehensive one-on-one meeting with their child’s advisor to discuss the student's growth and experience within the Upper School program.
Advisors also serve as a vital resource for parents. Each February, parents have a comprehensive one-on-one meeting with their child’s advisor to discuss the student's growth and experience within the Upper School program.
Athletics at Rivers
Rivers believes that involvement in interscholastic athletics is a meaningful and integral part of each student's overall education.
Athletics at Rivers complements our rigorous academic program and provides another arena in which students can excel. The personal growth and achievements realized by our student-athletes provide them with a balance between academic pursuits, physical endeavors, and social interaction. The athletics landscape is broad and not limited to varsity teams alone, offering entry points across many ability levels, class years, and sports.
Rivers varsity athletic teams are highly competitive and have won 14 NEPSAC and Independent School League championships in the past four years. In the fall of 2019, the Rivers athletic facilities enjoyed a significant upgrade with the opening of a new outdoor athletic complex that features two multi-sport artificial turf fields used by football, field hockey, lacrosse, and soccer teams. Last year, 21 members of the class of 2025 went on to play at the collegiate level.
Athletics at Rivers complements our rigorous academic program and provides another arena in which students can excel. The personal growth and achievements realized by our student-athletes provide them with a balance between academic pursuits, physical endeavors, and social interaction. The athletics landscape is broad and not limited to varsity teams alone, offering entry points across many ability levels, class years, and sports.
Rivers varsity athletic teams are highly competitive and have won 14 NEPSAC and Independent School League championships in the past four years. In the fall of 2019, the Rivers athletic facilities enjoyed a significant upgrade with the opening of a new outdoor athletic complex that features two multi-sport artificial turf fields used by football, field hockey, lacrosse, and soccer teams. Last year, 21 members of the class of 2025 went on to play at the collegiate level.
Homecoming
During the fall celebration of Homecoming, our Red Wing school spirit is on full display. The weekend kicks off on Friday with a raucous all-school assembly during which students participate in the lively Red & White competition. On Saturday, the Rivers community gathers around the turf fields at the new athletic complex to enjoy a full day of varsity sports competition. The family-friendly event provides lots of fun for kids and adults of all ages.
The Journey Continues
Grade 9 is just the beginning of a four-year journey full of challenges, opportunities, and experiences that help students achieve their goals and reach their greatest potential. We welcome you back to campus to shadow a current student during one of our Revisit Days on Thursday, March 26; Monday, March 30; and Monday, April 6, 2026. Each Revisit Day will also offer a reception for admitted students and parents.
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Rivers admits academically qualified students and does not discriminate against students or families on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or ethnic or national origin in the administration of its educational programs, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic programs, and other school-administered programs.