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Leadership and Innovation

Class of 2023

Upper School

Cushman’s High School (9th – 12th grade) celebrates each student’s uniqueness and recognizes the power of young people to make a significant positive impact in their communities and beyond.

At Cushman, students are empowered to be co-creators of their education, joining their teachers and parents in a partnership that fosters their ability to become “innovators of change” and make a difference in our society.

Our curriculum has been thoughtfully designed to appropriately challenge our students as they grow through the critically important teenage years. Through increasingly challenging and varied course offerings, we allow individual students to move at their own pace and level while focusing on a favorite discipline or sampling a range of new experiences. We believe challenging academics in a vacuum are far less effective than providing learning experiences that are relevant and meaningful with regular, hands-on lessons. Our small class sizes and partnerships with the surrounding international community ensure that real “action” positively impacts their education.

At Cushman, we feel that child’s high school experience should challenge them to develop the critical thinking, reading, and problem-solving skills that prepare students for life beyond graduation, and for participation in the world.

The Cushman High School is located at:
4700 Biscayne Blvd
Miami, FL 33137

100%
Acceptance Rate to College
$5.5M
Merit Scholarships
24
Advanced Placement Courses
Jennifer Geimer

Jennifer Geimer

Upper School Director
Doug Romanik

Doug Romanik

Associate High School Director

Admission Inquiries

Ready to start your Cushman Upper School adventure? Access our Admissions Portal today.

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College Counseling

Powerful Programming

SAM is a required four-year course for all high school students. Its purpose is to have students identify and analyze major issues of our time, choose one they wish to tackle independently and deliver solutions that positively impact the society at large. This work inspires our students to find and share their voices on important timely issues … and ultimately become innovators of change.

Aside from their independent research, students listen to college lectures, and guest speakers who are invited to campus. SAM instructors ensure that students have the tools and skills necessary to conduct interviews with experts in the field, create a problem statement, and find ways to make improvements. Topics range from hunger, poverty, migration, and Climate Change to human trafficking, body image, teenage mental health and gender identification. The end result is a more informed and engaged teenager who has produced a tangible platform that demonstrates how he/she can make a difference!

Community Service

Service-learning is built into our curriculum at every level, from their earliest years in Primary School through Upper School. Within our school community, this includes caring for the campus through stewardship, taking on specific roles in the community, and providing leadership through peer mentorship and support. It also means learning more about the needs of the greater international communities around us and partnering with outside organizations to help make meaningful changes in people’s lives.

Immersion in DAT is required in 9th and 10th grade and helps students complete their comprehensive SAM projects. This two-part course develops students as innovators who seamlessly unite the concepts of design, art, and technology to achieve great results. The exposure instills the necessary 21st-century mindset and skills needed to identify a topic, pose questions, research, analyze and effectively communicate ideas and solutions. This course also lays the groundwork for the use and integration of technology, presentation skills, design thinking, and compelling communication capabilities that will empower students to be effective leaders throughout high school, college and into their careers.

We aim to further develop our high school students into strong oral and written communicators. A series of ever-evolving classes focus on writing skills, speaking abilities, research and analysis. This work prepares them for success at the college level and to interview and enter the competitive job market after college. Our communications programming includes:

Professional Communications – College Essay & Resume Writing, Interview Skills, and Internship Preparation

Speech & Debate (training and competition)

Journalism

Yearbook

The Cushman Review – Literary magazine published by students of student work

The Cushman High School curriculum’s Legal Studies track begins in 9th grade with the core class, Law and Society.  Students learn about the legal foundations of our government and how our legal system impacts and influences current events. The Legal Studies track continues into 10th-12th grade with a variety of legal electives aimed at educating students in both the substantive and procedural areas of law, including oral advocacy.  These electives include Gender and the Law, Trial Advocacy, Criminal Procedure, and Business Law to name a few.

The field of computer science spans several core areas including innovation and design, programming, web design, social media, hardware systems, computer theory, scientific monitoring and software systems. This area of study is combined with Cushman’s design-thinking, art and technology (DAT) curriculum giving it a uniquely creative approach to emerging technologies. Computer science is used to benefit many in society and this programming helps advance our students’ Society and Me (SAM) initiatives to make positive contributions to the world.

The goal of this programming is to help students develop the skills required to interact with and understand people from all cultures and from all parts of the globe, bridging the gap of cultural and human understanding. Establishing this kind of global perspective in our students provides them with a better understanding of the world we live in, the many similarities shared among people and effectively lifts the veil of stereotypes or divisiveness that may exist between groups.

At Cushman, we believe all students should have the opportunity to learn the life skill of financial management in high school. Understanding some key components can make a huge difference in their futures. Some of areas covered include:

Cash Flow Management

Consumer Debt Reduction

Asset Protection

Long-Term Planning and Investing

Tax Planning

Performing Arts Programming – Students choose a piano, chorus, or theatre course in their 9th-grade year giving them exposure to the performing arts as a way to open their minds to creative expression. In addition to advancing the skills of our musicians and performers, this class also inspires an appreciation for the arts and serves as a departure from other rigorous academics to enhances their focus and problem-solving skills.

Asociación de Jóvenes por Venezuela
Band Club
Cadena Club
Cheerleading Club
Chess Club
Cooking Club
Creative Writing Club
Cushman Futbol Club
Dungeons and Dragons Club
E-Sports Club
Environmental Club
Etiquette Club
Fashion Club

French Club
Girls Who Code
Golf Club
GSA
International Film Club
Italian Club
Jewelry Club
Journalism Club
Lego Club
Model UN
Self-Defense Club
Spanish Club
Wellness Club

“Cushman holds a special place in our hearts, not only because our son has started his third year, but also because both myself and my husband attended the school. We have so many incredible memories of our teachers (many of whom are still teaching!) and varied experiences that left indelible marks on our childhood. We are looking forward to our son, Scout, growing, learning and developing into a caring individual in a place we know will cherish him as much as he will cherish it.”

– Amie Edmiston, Class of ’94