The School

Founded in 1925, Solebury School is a co-educational, college preparatory, day and boarding school for grades 7 - 12, with a post graduate year option. Boarding begins with students in ninth grade. Students attending Solebury live locally, nationally, and internationally. Small classes, dedicated teachers and personal attention make Solebury's education distinct. The school is located on a 90-acre campus, nestled in the rolling hills near New Hope, Pennsylvania, a car ride from Philadelphia or New York City.

Solebury's Mission

Solebury School creates an environment of educational excellence that prepares students for success in college and beyond. In the Solebury community, we strongly value intellectual challenge and academic achievement, creative and independent thinking, mutual respect between students and teachers, deep respect for each individual, and diversity.

Challenging and Innovative Academics

We believe that all young people love to learn, and we view it as our responsibility to develop a challenging and creative curriculum that makes this curiosity a lifelong trait. We push students to investigate, to question and to make connections between disciplines. Our academically demanding curriculum, high expectations and the dedicated, personal involvement of our teachers ensure that every student is prepared for higher learning.

English as a Second Language Program

Solebury's English as a Second Language (ESL) Program is committed to improving students' English skills and facilitating their social and academic development in the United States. The goal of the program is to prepare students for entry in to an American college or university with little or no ESL support. Solebury offers a full-year and summer ESL program, which encourage development of English speaking, listening, reading comprehension and writing skills. Concentration on vocabulary expansion and improved pronunciation helps the student understand the English language and feel comfortable in day-to-day conversation.

• The English Foundations Program is a one year immersion program designed for 9th graders to develop initial competency in speaking, reading, writing, and listening. By the end of the year, students in the program will have adjusted to the community and become proficient enough in the language to begin the first of the three levels of Solebury's English as a Second Language Program the following September.
• Beginning level ESL students are required to take ESL Communication Skills, ESL Basic Skills, ESL Geography and ESL Conceptual Physics. They also earn credits in non-ESL courses, usually in Mathematics, Computer I and the Arts.
• Intermediate level students usually take ESL Reading, ESL Writing and ESL World History. They may also earn credit in non-ESL courses usually in chemistry or biology, math and the arts
• Advanced level ESL students take ESL US History, ESL Introduction to World Literature I and II, ESL Advanced English Skills (TOEFL), and may also take non-ESL electives in Mathematics, Social Studies, Art, Health (if they entered Solebury before the 11th grade), Computer Programming, and a regular English elective in the spring term.

Many Opportunities to Expand English Language Skills

To enhance the ESL student's educational experience at Solebury, and to ensure numerous and varied English language exchanges per day, a number of structured activities are provided to complete their daily schedule. All ESL students participate in Solebury's athletics, arts, music, and activities programs. They are also assigned American conversation partners with whom they meet weekly and then record their responses in a journal.

Many of our international students have joined the International Committee, which meets every two weeks and plans and executes all international events. It is a chance for students to take leadership roles in the community.

Each year, our international students organize a wonderful Asian New Year party. All Solebury School students and faculty are invited to this event where the Asian students prepare delicious Japanese, Korean, Chinese, or Vietnamese dishes, decorate with an Asian theme, and provide Asian music, games and fun.

The international students also plan a senior dinner, where the younger students honor the graduating seniors. The younger students prepare all of the food, plan activities and games, and in a traditional ceremony, honor the seniors with small gifts of appreciation.

Solebury School's Japanese, Taiwanese, and South Korean students had a chance to exercise their conversation skills when they were invited to visit a local Pennsylvania elementary school to teach the sixth grade class about their culture and language. The entire sixth grade was about to begin a unit about Asia and what better way to learn about another country's culture than to talk with people from that culture. Our Asian students happily taught the younger students some of their language, shared some of their foods, candy and toys. They also helped the students create origami boats.

Our Chinese students worked with a local New Jersey elementary school that offered Chinese language classes to its American students. Solebury School's Chinese students met with these students and served as conversation partners. This helped the Chinese and American students to strengthen their pronunciation and conversational skills.

Experienced Teachers

Solebury's English as a Second Language Program is taught by professional teachers experienced in teaching English international students. All Solebury faculty members are sensitive to the students' needs to adapt to living in the United States. The International Student Advisor assists ESL students with visas, passports, homestays and any other logistics specific to a population traveling so far.

College Acceptance for ESL Students over the last three years (2007 to date, 2006, 2005, include Babson College, Boston University, Brandeis University, Drexel University, Fordham University, George Washington University (ED), Indiana University, Indiana University, Bloomington, Iowa State University, Irvine Valley College, James Madison University, Lehigh University, Michigan State University, New York University, Northeastern University, Oxford College of Emory University, Pennsylvania State University, State University of NY, Binghamton, Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Purdue University, State University of NY, New Paltz, Rutgers University, Syracuse University, University of Southern California, University of Denver, University of Illinois, University of Rochester, University of Wisconsin, Worcester Polytechnic Institute