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Houston Private High School

For our 9th-12th grade students, we believe that student agency is important for authentic learning. Our teachers are guides, giving students the resources and pointing them in the right direction to find their way while being careful not to limit their pursuits and interests. Within our Houston Private High School, we promote collaboration and communication, depth over breadth, and genuine engagement. All of this is supported with intentional community building, a robust advisory program, and a personalized college counseling experience.

Houston Private High School

Inspiration for Success

Banff teachers are committed to both building relationships with their students and powerfully imparting their lessons. The strong sense of community that is created in the classrooms and all over campus is fostered by the supportive relationships that our teachers form with their students. In our High School classrooms, one will find inspired and inspiring teachers who focus on scaffolding the learning process to help students prepare for a lifetime of learning. We spend time on both the content as well as methods for learning the content. Our staff truly cares about the whole child, taking time to support content learning in addition to wellbeing.

A selection of core academic courses are offered each year with specific course selections made based on student demand, degree plan requirements and specific student needs. Dual Credit courses allow our most-motivated students to gain college credits while on campus, with many graduating our school with a full year's worth of college credits on their transcripts.

As part of our mission to "Educate the Whole Child," our Upper School students have a selection of electives that nurture the creative mind, allowing students to explore the world in which they live, and understand the importance of health and physical fitness.

Courses offer students the opportunity to learn computer-related terminology and use, the history and the development of the computer and the uses of the computer as an important tool in modern society. Course offerings include Web Design, Java, Python and other programming languages (with selected courses also offered at the AP level).

This course is for learning techniques and methods behind being a skilled performer. It focuses on foundational performance skills and scene study. Students delve into specific schools of acting technique and theory, directing, script analysis and scene study. While this course does culminate in a production as "Theatre Production" does, this class will have plenty of performance opportunities as we learn IMPROV, scene studies, monologues, and more. Two years of this course are required for those students wishing to graduate with a “Distinction in Theatre.”

The Banff School musical and drama productions are second to none. Staged in our fully equipped proscenium theatre, Banff strives to bring a professional quality to each show. The students have the opportunity to participate in several shows throughout the year to showcase their many talents. Students are instructed in the "triple-threat" core of theatre classes with instruction in acting, vocal performance and dance. Three years of this course are required for those students wishing to graduate with a “Distinction in Theatre.” 

Stagecraft courses concentrate on safety and proper use of theatre machinery paired with a solid training program in theatrical painting techniques, scenic construction, lighting techniques, sound execution, costume building and prop creation. Every theatrical production at The Banff School is run by the Technical Theatre students. By allowing them to gain this hands-on experience, we ensure the students leaving our Theatre program are properly prepared for college and professional-level theatrical work.

Art at Banff is a much-loved subject. Students gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the different types of art from the masters to modern contemporary works. Our studio work is geared towards the creation of a portfolio for each student. In early spring, the school is transformed into an Art Gallery for our "Visual arts Showcase" where students showcase their work for the year. 

The Banff School strives to provide varied sports and wellness activities each year. Housed in our fully equipped gymnasium, students are offered participation in such sporting activities as: basketball, volleyball, baseball, track, tennis and more. Many of these same sports are also offered in a competitive option such as our basketball and volleyball teams.

academics

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We equip our students with a college-preparatory, academic education, in a personalized and stimulating environment, which enables them to become independent, creative thinkers.