Course Offerings

There was a time when letter writing was an essential part of everyday life. It was necessary to conduct all the matters of one's life - transacting business, proclaiming love, planning revolutions, and plenty of gossiping. This course will be part history and part revival of the dying art of the missive. Notes and postcards of the past will be shared and discussed, epistolary fiction will be introduced, and literary articles on this genre will be discussed. After exploring the unique challenges and creative possibilities of composing letters, students will write and mail their own letters. Instructor: Nicolas Gomez

From Rumi to Kerouac, from Earhart to Eriksson, we have access to an incredible archive of travel writing through the centuries. In this course, we will examine the writing of numerous pilgrims, wanderers, and globetrotters, exploring their diaries, letters, works of fiction, and poetry. Students will participate in classroom discussions on literary technique, authorial motivation, and historical context, culminating in a student portfolio of their own travel writings and responses to these voyagers, which will be presented to peers on the last day. Instructor: Nicolas Gomez

10 am Chess Club is a community for new and experienced students in grades 3-8 to learn and play chess together. In Spring 2023, students will learn how to play Standard chess, including endgame skills, tactics, opening principals, and special moves. We discuss the history of chess, World Chess Champions and their distinctive styles, how to read/write algebraic chess notation, online chess resources, chess tournaments, and many different ways that people play chess around the world. For example, students can learn Atomic, Antichess, Bughouse, California, Crazyhouse, Chess960, Chaturanga, Chaturaji, Duck, Three-Check, 4-player, and more. Students may also invent their own chess. Instructor: Cary "Coach Ray" Easterday

11 am Chess Club is a community for new and experienced students in grades 3-8 to learn and play chess together. In Spring 2023, students will learn how to play Standard chess, including endgame skills, tactics, opening principals, and special moves. We discuss the history of chess, World Chess Champions and their distinctive styles, how to read/write algebraic chess notation, online chess resources, chess tournaments, and many different ways that people play chess around the world. For example, students can learn Atomic, Antichess, Bughouse, California, Crazyhouse, Chess960, Chaturanga, Chaturaji, Duck, Three-Check, 4-player, and more. Students may also invent their own chess. Instructor: Cary "Coach Ray" Easterday

This class is designed to teach students the ins and outs of both 3D design and 3D printing. We will be using TinkerCAD, the best introductory program to learn how to design in 3D, and Creality Ender 3 Pro printers, to learn how to operate and care for a 3D printer. We will go through the step-by-step process to bring ideas to life! This is about more than just 3D design, however; it's about how to design things within the capabilities (and limitations) of 3D printers. We will cover designing with constraints and designing with products in mind, how to post-process and clean up prints, and we'll cap it all off with a final project for students to show off what they learned! Instructor: Brian Jaffe

This class is designed for students who want to learn the basics of 3D design and 3D printing. We will cover the ins and outs of designing in 3D, using TinkerCAD (a free online program) as the main source. This is about more than just 3D design, however; it's about how to design things with the capabilities (and limitations) of 3D printers in mind. We will go through the step-by-step process to transfer files to a printer via a slicer and learn how to operate a 3D printer using Creality Ender 3 Pro printers. Each student will have a final project that we will print in class. This is a great way to jump into the fastest-growing and most fascinating technology in the world, 3D printing! Instructor: Brian Jaffe

It's difficult to know what you believe. It's even more difficult to explain why you believe what you believe; this course aims to help students figure out why they believe what they believe. Should you pull a lever diverting a runaway train that is going to kill five people, instead transferring it onto a track that is only going to kill one person? If distance is divisible into infinitely many parts and humans cannot move infinitely, then how is movement itself possible? Each week students will examine a thought experiment/problem from the history of philosophy to better understand why they believe what they believe. Highlights include Zeno's paradoxes, trolleyology, arguments for the existence of God, the demarcation problem, and the problem of induction. Instructor: Townsend Rowland

Different animals have different brains to suit their environment, shaped by their animal ancestors. In this class, we'll explore how animals navigate their environments, get food, and interact with other animals. By comparing different animal brains and watching animals in their natural habitats, we can better understand the diversity of the animal kingdom. Students will compare hundreds of animal brains through online brain atlases. Finally, we will discuss cutting-edge laboratory techniques such as optogenetics and neuroimaging. Students will be able to explain how brain regions interact to give rise to observable behaviors. Instructor: A. J. Balatico

In this course, students will learn the fundamentals of analyzing arguments, gathering evidence, and expressing their ideas in speech and in writing. They will discover the uses and abuses of logical fallacies, how to distinguish different kinds of argument forms, and how to compose effective lines of questioning in both formal and informal debates. This course will culminate in a set of short debates, in which students, working with a partner, will develop their ideas on a controversial topic borrowed from today's intellectual environment. Instructor: Josh Eskew

Chess Club (K-2) is a community for new and experienced students to learn and play chess together. In Spring 2023, students will learn how to play Standard chess, including endgame skills, tactics, opening principals, and special moves. We discuss the history of chess, online chess resources, chess tournaments, and ten different ways that people play chess around the world. For example, students will learn how to play the original 1,500-year-old chess from India called Chaturanga, including pieces called the "Elephant" and the "General." Students may also invent their own chess variants. Instructor: Cary "Coach Ray" Easterday

Speaking comfortably and confidently in front of an audience is a skill relevant to many aspects of life. This course will cover the fundamentals of public speaking, including voice projection and intonation, speech writing, effective gesturing, and audience engagement. The course is designed to be a fun and lively online forum where all are welcome to engage and comfortably learn how to speak eloquently and with greater ease. Instructor: Jennifer Stephens

Throughout history, some of the most clear, creative, and analytical thinkers have been scientists. Eratosthenes was able to measure the circumference of the earth within 1% of its modern-day value over 2000 years ago. He didn't have satellites, telescopes, or Google to help him out. How did he do it? This course goes over the history of Western science, from ancient times through the 1900s, to ask how and why famous historical scientists came up with their breakthrough ideas. Through simulations based on crafting, drawing, discussion, and more, we'll answer the same tough questions that scientists throughout the ages have grappled with. Students will learn more about the scientists that shaped the modern world, but more importantly, how to think and approach novel problems like a scientist! Instructor: Townsend Rowland

Both contemporary and historical writers have recognized the power of classical mythology to fascinate and inspire young readers. In this course, students will discover the world of Greek and Roman mythology through age-friendly, guided readings of carefully selected retellings of major episodes of writers like Homer, Virgil, and Ovid. They will also learn about how contemporary writers and filmmakers have borrowed mythological story structures to keep the classical legacy alive and fresh for kids and adults alike. More importantly, students will have fun as they investigate the strange and interesting literary worlds of the past. Instructor: Josh Eskew

Should we have school dress codes? Should students be assigned homework? This course offers an exploration into oration with students learning how to support their ideas and argue effectively. Debate is a fun, engaging way for students to practice public speaking, develop sound logic and reasoning skills, and build confidence and self-esteem. Students also learn to express their opinions assertively in a respectful manner on many relevant issues and topics. Zoom breakout rooms allow students to work in teams as well as engage one-on-one with the instructor. Instructor: Jennifer Stephens

Effective writers and speakers know that command of the language begins with command of its grammar and the principles of rhetoric. Students in this class will study effective speaking and writing, ranging from the essays of the Founding Fathers to the speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr., to learn from the great masters of American prose style. Along the way, they will learn how to parse and diagram sentences, recognize common grammatical mistakes, and deploy stylistically and rhetorically effective vocabulary choices to express their ideas in the most persuasive way possible. Instructor: Josh Eskew

In this class, students will learn the high-level and logical thinking of programming, called computational thinking, and basic knowledge of computer science and digital resources in daily life. Each week, the students will learn the concepts through collaborative activities and solve programming tasks through online games. In the end, students will learn how to design, implement, and test programs and build their own animation as the final project. Instructor: Ching-Ying Sung

In this class, students will learn the secrets of designing visual digital artifacts. Every week, the students will play games or make creative artifacts to better understand how to create effective, easy-to-use applications. We'll use examples and hand-on activities to explore the "black boxes" in digital devices and interactive games to discover, analyze, and design digital products. Students will explore how the design of hardware and software, user interfaces, and databases interact to make a simple application. Instructor: Ching-Ying Sung

Ever wonder what it's like to participate in a trial? Introduce evidence? Question witnesses? In this course, students will participate in a mock trial. Each session explores a new set of case facts so students who have participated previously will enjoy a new courtroom experience. This introduction to law will include lessons on rules of evidence, cross examination, and courtroom decorum. We've offered this course online before and it was a resounding success! Students will be a part of every aspect of the trial so come prepared to act as advocate, witness, and jury! Instructor: Jennifer Stephens

The modern world is filled with controversial, confusing, and often frustrating claims about science. How much of a problem is climate change? Are vaccines really safe? Should creationism be taught alongside evolution in schools? This course can't answer those questions, however, it aims to help students cut through the scientific noise so they can think about and evaluate contentious claims for themselves. Each week we will examine a different event in the history of science to learn how scientists dealt with controversy during their lifetime. Through this examination, students will learn critical thinking skills and gain historical perspective to better understand the world we live in today. Students will look at past scientific controversies through simulations that include drawing, discussions, brainstorming, social games, and more. Instructor: Townsend Rowland

We will design and build robots to be as fast and agile as they can be to finish obstacle courses as quickly as possible. From doing figure eights around cups and chairs to relay racing with another robot, we will balance time spent building the robots with getting driving practice. Constraints such as time or limited parts will make it so teams need to think creatively about trade-offs. Students will work together to design and test possible solutions and they will spend time practicing driving and controlling their robot. No previous robotics experience is required. Instructor: A. J. Balatico

From public radio features to TED talks and animation, students will explore a variety of multimedia stories from diverse thinkers to inspire their work as storytellers. Students will explore what it means to be "media literate" through the analysis of digital media and creation of their own stories. The focus of this course is twofold: (1) to develop critical thinking skills around narrative within a digital context and (2) to create original written stories that integrate techniques from fiction, non-fiction, poetry, documentary, and personal narrative. Each class will open with an example of powerful multimedia storytelling, which students will discuss and analyze, and then students will write their own piece inspired by the example. Students will be invited to volunteer to share their work and respond to their peers. Instructor: Kristin Leong

From counting pixels and frames and applying fundamental physics, we will figure out how fast, how strong, and how durable our favorite superheroes are! Each class, we will review heroic feats in comics, shows, movies, and video games in order to learn about mathematical ways of describing these moments. Instructor: A. J. Balatico

This class will expand on the essential components of writing and lay the foundation for composing great fiction of any length. Students will construct their own story elements, plot a long fiction story, and strategically select the short story they want to tell from those plot points. We will also utilize constructive feedback as a means of working with other writers to brainstorm and improve. By the end of this class, students will know how to breathe life into characters and their journeys, and how a single story arc can have so many stories to tell. Instructor: Megan Holman

This course aims to expand students' genre awareness for successfully handling reading and writing tasks across genres. Students will be challenged to evaluate rhetorical choices, literary devices, structure, and message delivery in some compelling literary texts (like short fiction and poetry) as well as thought-provoking informational texts (like essays, research reports, news reports, and audio-visuals). They will learn skills and strategies to evaluate genres and craft genre analysis essays. The course will culminate with each student producing and presenting their own genre analysis report. Instructor: Jeevan Karki

The goal of this course is to expand students' capabilities to design and craft short fiction based on their interests. They will read, evaluate, and explore storytelling through analysis of short stories from a variety of genres, including comics, science fiction, fantasy, and literary fiction. They will be challenged to design their fiction innovatively based on the story arcs and components of short fiction. Students will also review story lines and story drafts of their peers to help each other create better stories. The end of the course celebrates students' achievement through a "read-aloud" of freshly baked stories. Instructor: Jeevan Karki