Amy DiChristina,
HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL
MEET our head of upper school
Amy DiChristina joined the Park community as Head of Middle School in July 2022, and is absolutely thrilled to be taking on the role of Head of Upper School. After moving to New York City in 2006, Amy began her career as a high school Social Studies teacher in Brooklyn, NY, working primarily in the Williamsburg and Bushwick neighborhoods. In 2013 she was a founding staff member at MESA Charter High School and eventually became their Director of School Culture. In 2016, the opportunity arose for her to work for The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History as the Project Manager for the Hamilton Education Program. For 4 years she was able to travel across the country working with teachers and school districts from over 20+ cities, bringing the musical Hamilton to life for students in Title I high schools.
Amy returned to her hometown of Buffalo in 2020. She holds a B.S. in Social Studies Secondary Education from SUNY Fredonia and an M.A. in Urban Education with a focus on Social Studies from Long Island University, Brooklyn.
If you have any questions about the Upper School, including the academic program, extracurriculars, and student life, please contact Ms. DiChristina at [email protected] or at 716-839-1243 x 244.
curriculum Overview
Our Upper School curriculum is grounded in our progressive principles, which provide an experiential, individually-focused, and collaborative learning environment with a special emphasis on college readiness.
Ours is a rigorous liberal arts curriculum requiring four credits in each of our five core disciplines - English, history, mathematics, science, and world languages. At the same time, our students are encouraged to explore their strengths through our wide array of elective offerings in both our core departments and in the arts, an approach that prioritizes each student’s pursuit of their passions and interests. Daily exercise has been an integral part of the educational program at Park. Park was one of the first schools in the country to understand that regular physical activity enhances a student's cognitive powers, ability to focus, stress management skills, memory, sleep, motivation and social/emotional development. At Park, daily exercise is structured into every student's day through a combination of gym class, interscholastic sports, recess and outdoor breaks.
In all disciplines, we stress key skills and competencies that will best prepare our students for their lives after Park: critical thinking and problem solving; clear, cogent expression in written and oral communication; diligence and work ethic; and collaboration and teamwork. These foster in our students the confidence and compassion necessary to serve and lead in the world beyond Park and to help create a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable future.
