A Historical Perspective

During the European Renaissance, Italian scholars saw the liberal arts as the key to individual growth, and to a free and just society. At the core of the liberal arts curriculum were history, moral philosophy, and eloquence, supported by letters, poetry, mathematics, astronomy, and music. Greek and Latin were studied to gain a better understanding of the great classical authors. Physical activity rounded out the training of the Renaissance man in a society known for creativity and the search for truth. The classical liberal arts curriculum was adopted in the sixteenth century by English boys’ schools to enhance the development of the spirit, mind, and body.

At MBA we find ourselves – Gentlemen, Scholars, Athletes – still following the basic educational goal of the old academies: training boys to become well-rounded, virtuous, and wise individuals who are personally fulfilled and able to lead and to serve. Like the academies of the Enlightenment, we embrace new knowledge and perspectives as they prove valid and useful to our aspiring young men.

Fortitudo per Scientiam . . . Strength Through Knowledge

This view of human potential is the lifeblood of MBA’s classical education. The skills at the core of classical training are as fundamentally important for today’s students as they have ever been. Investigation, discovery, and insight enable MBA graduates to become lifelong learners who readily adapt to the rapidly-changing world of the twenty-first century. While MBA’s curriculum remains rooted in the Western past that gave it life, it also promotes an inclusive global vision. For example, students who study Latin and Shakespeare are encouraged to study abroad through our International Exchange Program. MBA recognizes the benefit of a broad cultural perspective as we honor the common hopes and moral imperatives that knit humanity together.

MBA’s embrace of the broadest classicism provides the skills and awareness necessary for academic and professional success. More importantly, however, it prepares young men to be balanced, open-minded, and constructive citizens of the world.

Foreign Languages

The Department of Foreign Languages exemplifies the incredible impact that MBA’s classical education has in preparing students to meet the challenges of modern life. Clear communication and a grasp of the importance of studying cultures are built on the foundational study of Latin. That foundation, in turn, makes possible an impressive and thriving study of modern languages, including Spanish, French, and German. Programs in English and history are able to turn their attention to the modern world’s cultures because of the strong work students do in Latin. Students routinely encounter authentic texts and gain an appreciation for the literary legacy of the classical world.

The study of modern languages includes integrated programs leading to Advanced Placement study. Full use is made of a language laboratory and the most advanced pedagogical strategies to enhance the student’s development of the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. For the purpose of enabling the students to participate fully in the contemporary global environment, modern languages are taught with the five C’s in mind – communication, cultures, connections, comparisons, and communities. Travel-study programs to Italy, Greece, France, Germany, Spain, Bolivia, Guatemala, as well as exchange programs with Costa Rica and France, and extracurricular activities such as the International Club, increase a student’s opportunities to put his language skills to immediate use.

The passion and energy of our skilled language department faculty demonstrate the very qualities we expect from the students who graduate from MBA. They exceed expectations in helping students understand the languages and cultures they study, as well as the interdisciplinary connections and contemporary relevance of the subject matter. Active across the MBA campus in realms far beyond their classrooms, our language faculty forge relationships with students that last a lifetime.

English

Reading and writing are the foundational elements of our classical curriculum. They are the essential ingredients of lifelong learning and are inextricably linked at MBA. Our boys develop strong writing skills because they read well, and they read well because they understand and appreciate great writing. Impressive discussions of great literature are made easier by the single-gender environment and more meaningful by the small classes that MBA students and teachers enjoy.

A thoughtfully-designed and progressive writing program centers around regular theme writing. As boys move from the Junior School to the High School, the guidelines for theme writing are designed to promote a developmentally appropriate evolution in writing skills. Boys define themselves confidently in college essays, expressively in creative pieces, and clearly in all disciplines.

Advanced degrees and years of experience dominate an English faculty that is also infused with youthful vigor and idealism. Teachers model the behaviors they expect from their students: intellectual curiosity, stimulating conversation, and a lifelong love of learning. Clear instruction and meaningful relationships are the backbone of the English program at MBA. Students make frequent trips back to the campus to refresh the relationships they forged with the people who taught them to write well.

History

The History Department at MBA remains ever conscious that careful study of the past facilitates clear understanding of the present and effective planning for the future. The pace of change in the modern world requires our students to discover, analyze, reflect, and understand. These skills form the heart of the history program at MBA. History students acquire an appreciation for the past, a respect for social systems, and a sense of civic responsibility in a diverse and pluralistic world.

Encounters with civilizations as old as recorded history and as contemporary as today’s current events help students to develop the tools to understand and operate in their own world. Whether engaged in a survey of the intellectual, social, and political history of modern Europe or exploring ancient and medieval cultures, students are challenged to evaluate and analyze human behavior. The history department blends the old and the new in ways that offer students the chance to wrestle with challenges and evaluate events within their broader social, cultural, political, economic, and geopolitical contexts.

MBA’s history teachers form an intellectual community that understands and demonstrates its responsibility to others in pursuit of lifelong learning. Diverse backgrounds, views, interests, and experiences among the history faculty fuel lively discussion and debate across the campus. Students regularly interact with history teachers outside of class as they join discussions of current events on historical issues, finding their own voices in the exchange of ideas. The history faculty builds interdisciplinary connections with teachers from other departments, both within and outside of the department’s regular curriculum. In the process, students learn the significance and vitality of these connections and their importance in transcending traditional academic divisions in favor of a broader understanding of our world and the individual’s place in it.

Mathematics

In this digital age, complex data is captured and shared by advanced technologies that impact the way we live, learn, work, and communicate. To understand the magnitude of these innovations, our students must acquire a literacy and proficiency in mathematics.
Mathematics at MBA owes its strength to a well-planned curriculum and a dedicated faculty. The department places particular emphasis on a strong academic foundation while recognizing the importance of technology in human affairs. Using a traditional sequence of required and elective courses – including a strong AP program in calculus, statistics, and computer science – teachers provide each student with a sound knowledge of the discipline and the flexibility to apply that intelligence to future endeavors.

The faculty, heralding from both academia and the private sector, bring experience and innovation to the classroom. Three of our math teachers have over 100 years of teaching experience among them, while other faculty members have enjoyed successful corporate careers. While academic excellence is the hallmark of the MBA mathematics classroom, it is the relationships between teachers and students that inspire all MBA students to learn well. Interest in mathematics is forged on the anvil of strong teaching that considers student involvement vital to the intellectual exchange. Math comes alive as teachers display their own range of interests across campus, interacting with students in all areas of MBA campus life.

Science

MBA’s state-of-the-art science building strikes a prominent pose atop the campus hill. Ten fully-equipped laboratory classrooms, a research laboratory, botanical areas, and a large lecture hall provide MBA students and teachers with all the resources they need to confront the challenges of the natural and modern world. Drawn from the scientific method with emphasis on observation of scientific phenomena, laboratory experimentation, field studies, and first-hand experience, MBA’s science curriculum offers a foundation for advanced scientific study that is exemplary.

In the study of biological, chemical, and physical sciences, students learn to think critically through problem solving and experimentation – developing an increased respect for the natural world along the way. Having developed a strong foundation in each of the sciences, students will understand the connections among scientific disciplines, as well as the relationship between science and mathematics.

In addition to the disciplines of biology, chemistry, and physics, advanced level electives are offered. Students learn to apply their fund of knowledge in the discussion of issues that pertain to astronomy, the environment, and genetics. With such compelling upper level classes offered, it is no wonder that over 90 percent of the student body choose to take advanced courses.

MBA is home to an innovative faculty whose outstanding credentials are complemented by extensive involvement in the campus life of the students, from athletics to bowling to the Student Council. Their care and dedication are evident whenever a student walks on campus. Boys develop a deeper appreciation for science because of the relationships that are forged with the teachers outside of class.

Visual & Performing Arts

The Visual and Performing Arts Department brings together four distinct yet complementary disciplines: visual art, music, theater, and speech. Each of these four shares the qualities of expression, understanding, and interaction. Students learn the skills of personal discovery that allow them to connect with their own inner thoughts, empathize with the inner thoughts of others, and form meaningful and productive expressions of both. Each of the four programs in this department forms an important pillar upon which a well-rounded MBA education is based.

“While I am working in my art class, I find myself applying skills that I’ve learned in other classes – critical thinking, problem-solving, and scientific experimentation.” - Will Bundy (’05)

The work of this department dominates life on campus, and the faculty members epitomize the well-rounded involvement that is the hallmark of the MBA graduate.

Visual Arts

Expression in the visual arts offers students a chance to broaden their horizons and learn lessons often obscured by the hectic pace of modern life. More than anything else, the visual arts instructors at MBA take seriously the role of the arts in educating the whole boy. Two large art studios and a dedicated art history classroom provide the physical space for the artistic journey of the mind. The visual arts teachers are among the most beloved members of the MBA faculty, and they regularly enlighten the entire faculty and staff with their observations, presentations, and perspectives. An incredible gallery displays professional and student work year round. Graduates of the MBA Visual Arts Program have made impressive contributions to the artistic, photographic, and cultural history of Nashville, and their work is on display throughout the community. For most students, the visual arts experience deepens their understanding of themselves and the lessons they learn in other parts of the curriculum. Visual arts plays a central role in the MBA student’s overall experience and demonstrates the breadth of the school’s attention to a well-rounded, classical education.

Music

At MBA music occupies a permanent presence on campus and at campus events. Students take turns participating in and listening to the performances of our chorus, jazz band, orchestra, pep bands, and numerous ensembles. Student football players often sing the national anthem before games. Debaters and wrestlers work together to master lively jazz pieces in the band. Mathematicians and scientists enjoy expressing themselves artistically in the chorus. A wide range of student-produced music forms the backdrop for almost every campus event; the level of participation in music among our student body is extraordinary.

MBA offers a rigorous academic program in the study of music, complemented by new listening rooms in the library. Advanced Placement Music Theory and Music History courses help advanced students hone their musical skills while offering opportunities fo

"It is great to teach in a school where the talents of a young musician are as celebrated as the talents of a great athlete." - Dr. David Cassel, Chamber & Orchestral Music

r all students to deepen their academic understanding of the art form. The real strength of the program is found within the faculty. Devoted to their students and their craft, MBA’s three full time instructors and other assistants work tirelessly to promote a love of music and the pursuit of excellence in its production. Like all MBA teachers, the influence of these committed individuals does not end when the music stops. Instead, these dedicated professionals also serve as athletic coaches and activity sponsors, demonstrating for students the balance inherent in an MBA education.

Theater

The Theater Program at MBA teaches students to develop creative solutions to complex problems. By facing the challenges of performance, students develop sensitivity to the interpersonal relationships inherent in the collaborative process and thereby grow as individuals.

From the onset, teachers emphasize character and collaboration in the classroom. Beginning with the Greeks’ understanding of character as moral fiber, students consider and discuss how the work of both drama and life is about building character. Likewise, when Sanford Meisner tells his theater students that “an ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words,” he reminds actors to “walk their talk” on and off the stage. Perhaps the most distinctive aspect of theater as an art form is that it is a collaborative effort. Every contribution is important and necessary for a successful opening night. In classes and rehearsals, teachers emphasize cooperation and sacrificing personal ego for the greater good of the team and for the excellence of the performance itself. The greatest test of the success of a play is manifested in how well the cast and crew have worked together to produce the show.
MBA’s thespians produce four different shows each year, including a musical collaboration with Harpeth Hall and an evening of student-directed one-act plays. Named one of the top theater programs in the nation by the American High School Theater Festival, the MBA Players will be producing one of their dramatic hits at the Fringe Theater Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Debate

Public speaking brings together skills honed in all academic disciplines. MBA offers an integrated approach to speech training, ensuring every student many opportunities and venues in which to develop his skills. From school assemblies to class presentations to pep rallies, students take turns at the podium and in the audience, speaking and listening to their peers. Every 9th grader uses the Freshman Speech Contest as a forum to share his personal convictions and interests with classmates and teachers. The speech curriculum, offered as an academic enrichment in the Junior School and for course credit in the High School, centers on persuasive arguments, audience analysis, and poised presentations. Students with a strong foundation in public speaking find such skills useful in leadership positions in high school, throughout college, and in the professional world.

The Debate Program was established as MBA’s first extracurricular activity in 1914, yet debating societies were in existence here as early as the 1890’s. Echoing MBA’s sense of history, tradition, and academic excellence, the debate team continues to earn national recognition year after year.

Working together, coaches and team members build research skills, sound arguments,

"Our coaches are among the best debate minds in the nation. They devote time and effort to ensure that we have fun – even as we develop serious argumentative and analytical skills." - Tripp Rebrovick ('05), Harvard ('09)

and confident presentations. The dedicated coaches, who are former debate champions, appreciate the commitment every team member makes in terms of time and effort. The sense of common purpose and intellectual challenge (as students travel on weekends and prepare arguments en route) far outweigh the fact that no course credit is earned. MBA has dedicated a separate building for the express use of the debate team, demonstrating further how MBA as a community values the program.

Interscholastic competition in debate encourages discipline, focus, and cooperative problem-solving skills. MBA students match wits with bright minds from across the country, and become part of a national community of friends whose talents are enhanced by one another’s performance.

Athletics

Athletics at MBA offer a healthy balance of fierce competition, team sportsmanship, and respect for the opponent’s effort and talent. The athletic program emphasizes goal setting, physical conditioning, preparation, and ultimately, performance. At all levels of play, students learn to appreciate victory from the perspective that the possibility of defeat is always present. Lessons learned through athletics, such as discipline, self-confidence, preparation, and teamwork, are never limited to the sport itself. Preparing for the “big game” helps student-athletes to prepare for other challenges in life. Boys who consider themselves unathletic often find that they learn from sports in ways they never thought possible. We understand that not every student will be a varsity athlete, but we want everyone to experience the lessons learned through athletic competition.

Nearly half of the student body participates in nine interscholastic programs. MBA values the scope and quality of an athletic program that produces champion athletes who are equally proud to be considered gentlemen and scholars. Student-athletes maintain a balanced perspective by their participation in music and theater, their leadership in service, and their pursuit of academic excellence. To complement interscholastic athletics, the intramural and fitness programs are designed to promote spirited competition and lifelong conditioning. Ultimately, the sense of community that comes from athletic competition is rooted in the power of practice, perseverance, and teamwork. As both participants and fans, the entire MBA community comes together to celebrate the Big Red spirit.

A Tradition of Athletic Excellence

MBA athletic teams have produced state champions and earned national recognition in:
	• football • basketball • baseball • riflery • track • cross country

MBA’s 7th and 8th grades compete annually in HVAC championships in football, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, wrestling, baseball, swimming, tennis, and cross country.

The MBA Wall of Athletic History documents a century and a half of athletic excellence.

Dedicated Coaches & Teachers

MBA coaches on the field are also teachers in the classroom. Knowing boys as both

"Whether writing themes late at night or training early in th emorning, I have develped a work ethic will serve me well in college and beyond." - Jay Pilkerton ('05), Yale ('09)

students and athletes, coaches un-derstand how best to instruct and inspire them. Many coaches have played high-level team sports and appreciate the mental and physical demands of the game. Two certified athletic trainers and a full time staff member, trained in the prevention, evaluation, and rehabilitation of sports injuries, are on hand to work with all MBA student-athletes.

The athletic program, driven by a spirit of competition and sportsmanship, is an opportunity for students to experience challenge and humility whether celebrating victory or accepting defeat. Through life lessons learned, MBA maintains a tradition of balance and excellence.

Athletic Facilities

• 3500-seat football stadium • eight-lane synthetic 400-meter track • ten asphalt tennis courts • two gymnasiums with hard- wood basketball courts • 5000 sq. ft. weight room, managed by three full-time conditioning coaches • wrestling room • lacrosse and soccer fields • two athletic fields and a baseball diamond designated for the Junior School • newly renovated baseball field and stadium • updated locker rooms