Trilok Upper School for Global Citizens
Trilok’s Upper School, which includes grades 9-12, is a progressive STEAM program, which includes science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. The Upper School utilizes the Cambridge International Scholars structure and curriculum, which is designed to be rigorous and to inspire student learning, with a focus on peace, environmental sustainability, and global citizenship. At Trilok, our mission is not just to prepare students for advanced studies, but to guide them towards becoming curious learners who seek out knowledge in their daily lives.
Cambridge International Curriculum
At Trilok we use the Cambridge International Curriculum, due to its comprehensive and global approach to education. It is incorporated into 10,000 schools, located in over 160 countries. Cambridge International Curriculum is internationally recognized, so Trilok students can go or apply their education anywhere they please. Trilok is one of only two schools in New York to utilize Cambridge international Curriculum, which greatly exceeds New York Next generation Standards with support materials that provide a flexible framework for teachers to build upon, with room for immense educator creativity. Middle and Elementary School Students also receive “Checkpoint” exams using the Cambridge Curriculum, which align with regents but prove more extensive, to indicate where a student excels and to determine gaps in their knowledge, to then assist on an individual level. In the Upper School, students will participate in IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) Exams. With Cambridge Curriculum, we create student-centered classrooms, with teachers as facilitators, to guide students to become passionate about learning and prioritizing their own education.
Global Citizenship
At Trilok, we are dedicated to creating and maintaining a learning environment that is open, inclusive and culturally aware. Our diverse staff and student body promotes our mission of varied experience and tradition, allowing our school to learn with and from one another. We place a strong focus on Global Perspectives, and students explore numerous and varied cultures through history, food, religion and holidays; in both coursework and frequent field trips and site visits. Trilok Upper School students have opportunities for travel in grades 9-12, as part of their coursework. Additionally, for Upper School students in particular, we plan to expand
student’s horizons through international travel, where they will learn about and experience the art, religion, customs and practices that they have studied in the world around them. For example, Trilok plans to bring Upper School students to India to visit Gandhi’s homeland, and to Peru for instruction in science, social studies and history, and Honduras for Spanish and aquatic studies, Cuba and Spain for Spanish language and cultural studies.
Life Skills
With our students, we place a distinct focus on developing life skills, utilizing a Gandhian philosophy of nonviolence and peaceful communication. We prioritize positive collaboration and communication in all of our work, and include courses in mindfulness, yoga and meditation, leading to an advanced awareness of the self, body and mind among students. One of our Upper School courses, Leadership and Visionaries, will focus on important leaders and activists for social change, such as Maya Angelou and Martin Luther King Jr. Students will learn to extrapolate these positive values of activism, justice and a commitment to social change, and apply them to their own lives.
Creative Arts
Trilok School’s partnership with Trilok Fusion Arts allows for our school to act as a home to numerous artists, who share their experience and skills with our student body. We aim to guide the unique, imaginative processes of each learner, by offering a plethora of arts classes, some of which include dance (modern, ballet, Indian dance, tap, and jazz), visual art (glassmaking, pottery, weaving and painting), music ( piano, drumming, and guitar), theater, creative writing, photography and film. We are dedicated to nurturing the self expression of each of our students, and providing them with instruction in various mediums to do so. Students collaborate to create biannual multimedia performances to showcase their work to the community; while, in the process, delving deeper into their individual artistic interests as well.
Library and Literacy
At Trilok, we are devoted to developing a community of active readers and writers, who appreciate and contribute to the written word. We offer a large variety of ELA classes, such as English Language Arts, English Literature, World Literature, AP English Literature, and electives such as Poetic Experimentation, Journalism, and Creative Nonfiction Writing. Our students read widely, and in doing so, learn the perspectives of authors from around the world. We are committed to reaching beyond the traditional, literary canon to include diverse voices, writers and perspectives. Trilok students visit our inhouse library daily, and every Thursday, we celebrate D.E.A.R (Drop Everything and Read) day, during which all students and staff immerse themselves in a book, fostering deep excitement about reading and literature among our students.
Green Values
Our entire staff and school is committed to demonstrating a philosophy of making, as opposed to buying, utilizing recyclable materials and environmentally friendly classroom practices. Every material in our school is recycled, such as the resources available in our Library. Trilok prompts an appreciation for the earth among our students by prioritizing outdoor time, field trips to bio-diverse spaces, and by spending time in the Trilok Garden. We also provide focused sustainability studies in our coursework, and the Trilok Garden supports this, as students learn to grow, harvest, cook, compost, and care for the earth.
Curriculum
Trilok provides a diverse course catalog designed to challenge students to think critically, as it compels and excites them. With small class sizes, capped at 12 students, each learner receives the individualized attention they deserve. Students are encouraged to become active participants in their own education, through discussion and hands-on, project-based learning, as they examine patterns, themes, and the practical applications of their work. In class, students collaborate often, and they have ample room to pursue personal interests at their own pace. Our high school provides a well-rounded education, but greatly surpasses this as students develop individualized tracks and explore their passions independently with strong guidance and support from our expert faculty.
Upper School Opportunities
Trilok provides a plethora of opportunities for students to travel, explore a personalized area of interest, give back to the community, and receive individual guidance. In ninth and tenth grade, students will participate in daily advisory that provides focused attention, advice, and counseling, becoming an open dialogue between students and advisors, used to assist them in their transition to the Upper School. Advisory evolves into mentorship, to assist students with upcoming changes, college preparation, career and resume guidance, and in their personal projects. Students will give back to their community through a variety of community service opportunities. Additionally, Trilok will provide SAT/ACT Prep and tutoring. Students receive focused attention to improve their test-taking skills, study skills, and time management skills, to become better learners. Each student will develop a personalized project, to explore an area of interest, through research and independent study. This project will be connected with an internship, organized through our partnerships in the Brooklyn community. This will permit the students to gain field experience and to see and interact with the work they can do beyond the classroom.
Click here to download UPPER SCHOOL CURRICULUM CATALOG