How We Learn - Senior School Academics

Grades 9–12

You see your teenager's head bent over a book, fully absorbed, losing track of time as they dive into a subject that truly excites them. In Shady Side’s Senior School, this is a common scene.

We create an environment where your child is empowered to set and reach their own standards of excellence, exploring a world of choices designed to spark intellectual curiosity and growth. From ninth through twelfth grade, your child will engage with challenges that stretch their mind and experiences that shape their character, all within a community that values individuality and ambition.

Tech & Design

The Glimcher Tech & Design Hub allows students to explore 3D modeling, laser cutting, and more through hands-on, project-based courses. From mastering tools to solving real-world challenges with community partners, these electives foster innovation and technical skills.

Advisory & Clubs

Advisory sessions build meaningful connections with a trusted faculty mentor and peers, while also developing confidence and essential life skills. Clubs provide opportunities for leadership and collaboration across a wide range of interests.

Athletics

All Senior School students must complete two seasons of athletic activity each academic year. Athletic activity offerings are broken into two categories: interscholastic athletics and intramural activities.

Health & Wellness

Health and Wellness in grade 9 empowers students to prepare for, recognize, and analyze the challenges of becoming self-actualized and healthy young adults.

Performing Arts

Shady Side’s Performing Arts program offers students the opportunity to develop their musical and theatrical talents through dynamic, collaborative experiences. From instrumental and vocal ensembles to acting and music production, students refine their skills and express their creativity on stage and in the studio.

Courses: Concert Choir, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, String Orchestra, Electronic Sound Studio, Music Theory, Music Workshop: Guitar and Piano, Acting, Jazz Ensemble, Chamber Choir

Visual Arts

The Visual Arts program encourages students to explore diverse media, refine technical skills, and develop their artistic voice. Through hands-on studio experiences, students engage in creative problem-solving and self-expression in both traditional and digital forms.

Courses: Art Core, Architecture, Clay Lab, Digital Photography, Materials in 3D, Drawing and Painting, Analog Photography, Advanced Portfolio Studio Art

We Dive Deep Into Real-World Topics

On a warm spring day, a group of students is hanging upside down on a roller coaster, feeling the thrill of physics in action as they study the forces at play in amusement park design. This hands-on experience is part of an Immersive course in which the majority of instructional time is spent learning outside the traditional classroom setting.

Each May, Senior School students dedicate three weeks to exploring a single, interdisciplinary topic—whether it’s the physics of thrill rides, the social and economic impact of major sports franchises through a behind-the-scenes look at the Pittsburgh Steelers, or the ethics of AI with local tech innovators.

These courses enhance students’ capacity to launch their own companies, serve in local government, contribute to the city’s arts scene, or complete externships at design firms, museums, hospitals, or charities. At Shady Side, we develop fundamental study skills and scholarship at the same time that we aspire for education to be more than covering chapters in a textbook.

Aerobatic Robotics: Engineering Autonomous Aerial Vehicles

From Borders to Bridges: The Immigrant Experience in Pittsburgh

Community Real Estate Development

A River Runs Through Pitt: Biology, Literature, and Fly-Fishing

Data Stories: The Surprising Intersection of Art & Data

Getting to Yes: Navigating Negotiation

Healing the Steel City: Pittsburgh’s Legacy of Medical Innovation

AI Revolution: Shaping the Future of Society

Dive into the Immersives Course Catalog

Uncover Our Signature Experience