BCD - What Sets BCD Apart

Well-rounded, classical and enriched curriculum prepares students for rigorous secondary school curricula and college.
Learning is a collaborative partnership between parents, students, faculty, and advisor. Close personal communication between the school and families is a cornerstone of BCD.s philosophy.
Curricularly-integrated educational travel programs for middle and upper grade students to China, France, Everglades, and Washington, D.C. bring students out into the world to live the academic experience.
Students gain fundamental skills for successful learning: research, critical analysis, organization, listening, speaking, and writing. These skills are presented not as separate subjects divorced from academic content but rather as integral parts of specific curricular areas.
Co-curricular programs, including a sports program, drama productions, French lunches, Latin Lunch, outdoor education weekend activities, Robotics club, Community Service club, Student Council, Ski Fridays, dances, band and choruses, and field trips provide an enriched academic experience.
Off-campus field trips to the Berkshire Museum, Normal Rockwell Museum, Audubon Center, American Indian Institute, Whale Watching, Boston Science Museum, Clearwater Sloop, Sturbridge Village, New York State Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Hancock Shaker Village, Mass MoCA, Clark Art Institute, and New England Air Museum support student learning and the various units of study.
Award-winning film program is offered to students starting in grade 7 and culminates in student film festivals and submissions to international film festivals.
Music classes use the Orff Schulwerk approach, which emphasizes experiencing music concepts through movement, voice, and playing percussion instruments. Middle and upper school students also have the option to take instrumental music, band, and chorus.
Studio art classes include instruction in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, stained glass, pottery, printmaking, and woodworking.
Performing arts productions include a fourth grade French play, fifth and sixth grade plays, and seventh through ninth grade plays and film production.
After-school sports begin at grade 4 (optional) and become mandatory at grade 5. After-school sports include lacrosse, basketball, cross-country and Alpine skiing, and soccer.
Students are introduced to French in Pre-kindergarten and continue to immerse themselves in the French language and culture throughout their BCD education. Students receive Latin instruction starting in grade 6. BCD.s middle and upper school students consistently receive highest honors on the National Latin Exam.
After-school enrichment programs are available to students starting in Kindergarten. These programs include Knitting, Movie Making, Mad Science, Tennis, Gymnastics/Tumbling/Fitness, Arts and Crafts, and Pony Club.
Integrated community service activities develop students. sense of responsibility to themselves, to the school community, and to the community at large.