Bullis School is an independent, non-denominational, co-educational college preparatory day school for grades 2-12. The school enrolls 745 students and is located in Potomac, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C.
History
Bullis was founded in Washington D.C. in 1930 by Commander William Francis Bullis as a preparatory school for the United States Naval Academy and the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. The school moved in 1934 to Silver Spring, Maryland and began its four-year college preparatory program. In the 1960s, the school moved to its current location in Potomac, Maryland, and in 1981, became co-educational.
The school offers a 11-year college preparatory program for boys and girls in grades 2-12 with a faculty of 95 educators. The school is governed by an independent Board of Trustees.
Current profile
745 students: 47% girls, 53% boys; 29% minority students; 3.5% international citizens.
- Lower School enrollment (grades 2-5): 79
- Middle School enrollment (grades 6-8): 205
- Upper School enrollment (grades 9-12): 461
- Faculty: 95
Students are required to wear school uniforms. There is an honor code in place. The Head of School is Gerald L. Boarman, Ed.D.
Campus
The 104-acre (420,000Â m2) campus includes buildings for administration and staff and the Lower, Middle and Upper schools as well as:
- The Marriott Family Library and Technology Center.
- The Blair Family Center for the Arts, with a 750-seat auditorium, dance studio, and digital art and music labs. This building is solar powered.
- Kline Alumni Stadium with 2,000 seats and an artificial-turf field and 6-lane all-weather track.
- Athletic Center with 1,000-seat gym, three basketball courts, wrestling gym, strength and fitness center.
- Eight outdoor and four indoor tennis courts, outdoor basketball courts, two baseball diamonds, four soccer fields, field hockey, softball diamond, football practice field, and lacrosse field.
Academics
The Lower School and the Middle School emphasize preparation in English, mathematics, science, history, art, music, classical and modern languages, and computer literacy.
The Upper School college preparatory curriculum includes traditional and innovative courses. Requirements include four years of English emphasizing writing and literary analysis; three years of math; three years of laboratory sciences (biology, chemistry, physics); and three years of social studies (one of which must be U.S. history). Students are required to complete at least two years of one language at the high school level and must study that language through a Level III course. Students may choose from art and technology courses.
Honors and Advanced Placement courses and tests are offered in 18 subject areas. No student is allowed to take more than four Honors or Advanced Placement classes during any given trimester without approval from the academic dean.
Bullis' Global Studies program organizes student trips for students to experience new countries through service, language study, or a specific area of academic exploration.
Upper School students are required to participate in sports, publications and/or theater after school for two trimesters each year.
Arts
All Lower and Middle School students take classes in art and music. Middle School students participate in the performing and production aspects of a yearly musical. A school-wide Festival of Light is performed in December.
Upper School students meet Bullis' fine arts requirement through studio work and history survey courses in art, music, dance and theater. Beginning and advanced courses in painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, mixed media, chorus, music theory, acting, stagecraft and set design are offered.
Athletics
Competitive sports are introduced in Middle School. Upper and Middle School students participate in more than 60 interscholastic teams in a variety of sports with other area independent schools.
Upper School students participate in the IAC and ISL leagues. Fall sports include football, cheerleading, boys and girls soccer, girls' tennis, field hockey and cross-country. Winter sports include boys and girls basketball, wrestling, ice hockey and swimming. Spring sports include softball, baseball, boys and girls' lacrosse, boys' tennis, golf, and track and field.
The school mascot is the bulldog, and the school colors are navy blue and gold.
Extracurricular programs
In addition to athletics and arts, students may participate in student government, the honor council, publications (yearbook, newspaper and literary magazine), diversity club, academic clubs and teams, community service programs, and other clubs and activities.
Summer programs
Bullis' summer programs are open to all children and include academic summer school as well as camp programs in sports, nature exploration, arts and crafts, and special events and field trips.
Green energy
As a 3-12 school that uses renewable energy, Bullis ranks fourth in the US according to the EPA's Green Power Partnership. The school is powered by wind through the purchase of wind credits and the production of solar energy from 540 photovoltaic solar panels installed in December 2009 on the roof of the school's Blair Center.
Accreditation
Bullis is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the Maryland Department of Education. It is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington, the Association of Independent Maryland Schools, the Secondary School Admission Test Board, and The Black Student Fund.
Notable alumni
- Monique Currie, class of 2001 and player for the Washington Mystics
- Tanard Jackson, class of 2003, safety for the Washington Redskins
- Brian J. Rolapp, class of 1990, CEO of the NFL Network
- Seth Davis, class of 1988, CBS Sports anchor, analyst, and commentator
- Mitch Leventhal, class of 1976, Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs at the State University of New York.
- Doug Moe, former ABA All Star and NBA Head Coach, 1988 NBA Coach of the Year
- Steve Armas, professional soccer player for the Columbus Crew
- Rodney Wallace, professional soccer player for Portland Timbers
- Moise Fokou, class of 2004, linebacker for the Tennessee Titans
- Henry Rollins, musician (Black Flag) and author
- John A. Diehl, Professional Football player for the Baltimore Colts and Oakland Raiders
- Tom Brown (American football/baseball), Defensive Back for the Green Bay Packers under Vince Lombardi
- Princess Iman Pahlavi of Iran, daughter of former Crown Prince of Iran Reza Pahlavi.
- Caroline Queen, kayaker who competed in the 2012 Olympic Games.
- John Phillips, lead singer of The Mamas & the Papas.
References
External links
- Official website