Where curiosity becomes commitment
At Greenhills, Upper School is where students step confidently into who they are becoming. It’s a place where curiosity deepens into commitment, where questions grow more complex—and so do the conversations around them. Here, grades 9–12 aren’t just about checking boxes or collecting credits. They’re about discovering how learning can shape your world, and how your ideas can shape your community.
Learning with Purpose and Choices
Greenhills Upper School students dive deeply into subjects that matter to them. With more than 50 electives, advanced coursework across disciplines, and opportunities for independent study and research, students can chart a path that aligns with their interests while ensuring a strong foundation for college and beyond.
Whether it’s building a robot, performing on stage, investigating the physics of flight, or composing a portfolio of original writing, Upper Schoolers have the freedom to pursue big ideas, take intellectual risks, and discover what inspires them.
Students are at the center of everything.
Every decision we make begins with the same question: What’s best for students? From the way the school day is structured to the relationships students build with faculty, Greenhills is intentionally designed around helping young people learn deeply, stay healthy, and reach their full potential.
Our daily schedule was developed from the ground up to support the way students learn best. A later start, four longer classes each day, and an eight-day waterfall rotation create more time for meaningful discussion, hands-on learning, and sustained focus. Students spend less time rushing from class to class and more time engaging deeply with ideas, while a balanced workload helps reduce homework, lower stress, and create healthier evenings at home.
Advisory and Teaching Teams
Every upper school student is surrounded by a network of adults who know them well and are invested in their success. Each student is paired with a faculty advisor who serves as a trusted mentor and consistent point of contact for families throughout the year. Advisory provides time to build relationships, strengthen community, discuss important topics, meet as a grade level, or simply pause and recharge during a busy day.
Behind the scenes, each grade-level teaching team meets regularly to talk about every student—not just those who may be struggling, but those who are thriving as well. Faculty share observations, celebrate successes, identify opportunities for growth, and coordinate support across classes. It’s one of the ways we ensure that no student slips through the cracks, and that every student is continually challenged, encouraged, and inspired to become the best version of themselves.
Hallmark Programs
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Engage, Challenge, and Compete
Learning doesn’t end when class is over. Some of the most meaningful growth happens after the bell, when students discover new passions, pursue ambitious goals, and find a community of peers who share their interests. Whether they’re competing for a state championship, preparing for a national academic competition, performing on stage, or leading a service initiative, Upper School students are fully engaged in the life of Greenhills.
ATHLETICS
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Greenhills students compete as part of an athletic program that values excellence, character, and teamwork in equal measure. With more than 20 varsity sports and dozens of state championships, our teams compete at the highest levels of Michigan high school athletics.
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Along the way, students learn resilience, leadership, and what it means to be part of something bigger than themselves. Our coaches challenge athletes to pursue their personal best while building the habits and relationships that last long after the final whistle |
Extracurriculars and Student Life
Competition and collaboration extend well beyond the playing field. Whether students are passionate about robotics, ethics, debate and forensics, mathematics, science, writing, entrepreneurship, or serving their community, Greenhills offers countless ways to dive deeper into their interests. Academic teams, clubs, publications, affinity groups, and leadership organizations help students find their people while challenging themselves alongside peers who share their curiosity. Many of our programs compete—and excel—at the regional, state, and national levels, giving students opportunities to test their skills, represent Greenhills, and discover just how far their passions can take them.
| FIRST Robotics |
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| FIRST Robotics is a collaborative engineering challenge that functions much like a varsity sport. Students design, build, and program industrial-sized robots while contributing in areas like engineering, programming, marketing, design, and strategy, learning the value of teamwork as they compete on regional, national, and international stages. Our teams consitently compete at the highest levels, earning trips to the state and national finals, while being recognized for its character and FTC Robotics program’s tenants of gracious professionalism, and ‘coopertition.’ |
| National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) |
| Students with a passion for marine science can test their knowledge in biology, chemistry, geology, physics, technology, policy, and ocean history through this fast-paced academic competition. The program challenges students to think critically about our world’s oceans while inspiring future study and careers in STEM fields. |
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Model United Nations
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| Model United Nations gives students the opportunity to step into the role of diplomats, representing countries as they debate today’s most pressing global issues. Through research, public speaking, negotiation, and collaboration, students develop the confidence and perspective to engage thoughtfully with an increasingly interconnected world. |
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Alcove Student Newspaper
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Produced entirely by students, The Alcove gives aspiring journalists, photographers, editors, and designers the opportunity to tell the stories of Greenhills. Through thoughtful reporting and compelling storytelling, students inform, challenge, and connect the school community in both print and digital editions. |
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Evergreen Literary Magazine
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For generations, the Evergreen literary magazine has celebrated the creativity of Greenhills students through original writing and visual art. Led by a student editorial board, the magazine showcases everything from poetry and fiction to photography, painting, and illustration, creating a lasting record of student voices and artistic expression. |
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Yearbook
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| Students produce Forward, Greenhills’ annual yearbook, guiding the publication from concept to print. Along the way, they develop skills in writing, photography, design, editing, and project management while creating one of the school’s most treasured keepsakes. |
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STEM Society
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| STEM Society recognizes students who pursue a sustained commitment to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics throughout their upper school years. Students build a formal portfolio documenting their experiences, projects, and learning, culminating in recognition of their accomplishments as part of one of Michigan’s premier STEM programs. |
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National Science Bowl
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| National Science Bowl challenges students to compete in a fast-paced, buzzer-style tournament covering biology, chemistry, Earth and space science, physics, mathematics, and energy. The experience rewards quick thinking, deep scientific knowledge, and teamwork under pressure. |
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Forensics
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| One of the nation’s premier forensics programs, Greenhills Forensics gives students the opportunity to compete in public speaking, acting, storytelling, and interpretation. Through individual and team events, students become more confident communicators while competing successfully at the state and national levels. |
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Clubs
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| With dozens of student-led clubs—and new ones forming every year—there’s no shortage of ways to get involved. Whether students share a passion for chess, coding, music, politics, or something entirely new, clubs provide opportunities to build friendships, explore interests, and help shape the culture of the school. |
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Affinity Groups
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| Greenhills’ affinity groups create spaces where students with shared identities can connect, reflect, and support one another. Guided by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, these groups help foster belonging while encouraging thoughtful dialogue and deeper understanding across our community. |
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Create and Perform
The arts are woven into the fabric of upper school life, giving every student the opportunity to create something meaningful and share it with others. Whether they’re stepping into the spotlight for the first time or refining a talent they’ve nurtured for years, students find a community that encourages creativity, collaboration, and bold expression.
Students perform in plays and musicals, entertain audiences with our improv comedy troupe, and make music as members of our jazz bands, orchestras, and choirs. Others tell stories through photography, painting, ceramics, sculpture, drawing, and digital media, creating original works that fill our hallways and galleries with life. Throughout the year, performances, concerts, and exhibitions—including our annual Art Beat Showcase—invite the entire community to experience and celebrate our students’ creativity. Here, the arts go beyond extracurricular activities and become another way students learn to communicate, take risks, and discover what they’re capable of.
Known, Supported, and Ready to Lead
Every student is expected to engage and contribute, and every student has people who help them do it. As students gain confidence and independence, they also discover that leadership isn’t reserved for a select few. It’s something they practice every day, in classrooms, on teams, on stage, and throughout the community.
That growth is possible because our teachers know students by name, story, and ambition. They know when to ask a harder question, when to offer encouragement, and when to simply listen. They build classrooms where students feel comfortable taking intellectual risks, speaking up, and challenging one another with respect. High expectations are paired with genuine support, giving students the confidence to take ownership of their learning and become the best version of themselves.
By the time students reach Upper School, they are also becoming the leaders younger students look up to. They welcome new families as Gryphon Ambassadors, represent their classmates through Student Council, and create meaningful change through Student Leaders in Civic Engagement (SLICE). Others lead clubs, captain athletic teams, mentor younger students, direct performances, organize events, and launch new initiatives of their own. Leadership at Greenhills isn’t defined by a title. It’s measured by the positive impact students have on the people around them.
Prepared for What’s Next
College counseling at Greenhills is personalized, thoughtful, and begins well before applications are due. Our counselors work closely with students and families to navigate the college search with care and optimism, ensuring that each student finds the right school for them where they will continue to thrive.
Learn About College Counselling
