Buffalo Seminary

[EduCativ]

Buffalo Seminary is an independent day and boarding high school for college-bound girls. Founded in 1851, SEM is located in the historic Elmwood Village neighborhood of Buffalo, New York, and is registered on the National Register of Historic Places. Our five student and faculty residences are renovated historic homes adjacent to our school building.
At SEM, girls from diverse backgrounds – united in their ambition for an outstanding and challenging education – can find a comprehensive program that prepares them well for college and lifelong endeavors. We believe in standards but not standardization. Because we are an independent high school, SEM is exempt from state testing requirements. Instead, seated at Harkness tables or in labs, students have honors and AP classes and explore diverse electives, including astronomy, computer science, journalism, and women's literature.
SEM students are taught and encouraged to stretch beyond themselves. With 33 student-run clubs, 17 athletic teams, and a community service board, girls are in charge. Girls discover meaningful connections to the SEM and broader communities, learn resilience, are relied upon. In short, they lead.
SEM fosters a multicultural, global perspective. Our small classes facilitate expression, understanding, and tolerance. Due to our small size, girls regularly sign-up for sports they have never played (i.e., fencing, field hockey), activities they have never tried (i.e., chess, Model UN), and language trips. We can take advantage of our city and our region - we go to museums and the theater, on architectural field trips, and ski nights.
While technology and innovative thinking are woven through our curriculum, traditions are the underlying material. From all daily all-school Morning Meeting and singing our Alma Mater, to our Academic & Social Honor Code, to the spirited fun of our 100-year-old Hornet/Jacket competitions, SEM has long been committed to creating a respectful and dynamic community for both students and faculty.
SEM will be a leader in secondary education for girls – a school distinguished by the quality of its faculty and innovative academic program, its tradition of leadership and character development, and its supportive, inclusive environment that helps each young woman grow and flourish in her way. The extraordinary diversity of talent, experiences, and backgrounds in the SEM community will ensure that each of its graduates finds her voice, becomes an active and engaged citizen confident in her abilities, resilient in her outlook, and respectful of the world around her.
Buffalo Seminary graduates are prepared to make their way in a rapidly changing world. In our small classes, guided by dedicated faculty, our students expand their knowledge, skills, and capability. Around our Harkness Tables, they develop the confidence to think about, write, debate their point of view, and listen and respond to their peers' perspective.
They are not afraid to address the entire school at the morning meeting. They lead clubs and organizations they sing and act, and they compete on the sports fields and learn how to win and accept losses graciously. SEM students are involved - they give back to their communities and forge authentic and lasting connections to people and organizations and their missions.
Research confirms that girls experience success and gain confidence that lasts a lifetime when they attend an all-girl school. Our alumnae speak fondly of the talented teachers who encouraged them and of the great friends they made during their time at SEM, who remain a part of their lives. SEM graduates can be found throughout the United States and worldwide, who are leaders, scholars, and committed to serving the communities where they live.
Our academic program prepares every girl not just for the rigors of college but also for the sheer joy of lifelong intellectual curiosity. SEM's interdisciplinary curriculum emphasizes academic scholarship, service to the community, leadership skills, physical and emotional well-being, creative expression, and personal integrity. At SEM, our students learn how to approach a complicated academic subject or a new activity with vigor and confidence. They are not afraid to take risks or to challenge themselves to excel.
Throughout her years at SEM, each student is expected to develop core competencies in all five major disciplines, giving her a solid foundation in the humanities, the sciences, and the arts. She is also encouraged to pursue Honors and Advanced Placement courses in areas of particular strength. Advanced electives during junior and senior years cover a range of topics, and independent study opportunities can be arranged for self-motivated scholars.
Our dynamic and knowledgeable faculty will always be the cornerstone of superior education at SEM. Our small and selective nature ensures the faculty's ability to mentor students and personally commit to a girl's success. Thanks to experienced teachers who teach by allowing students to learn from each other as much as they learn from them, each SEM student benefits from opportunities to express her perspective. SEM's Harkness tables and the seminar-style discussions foster ensure every student's voice is expressed and heard.

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