Course Catalog Maymester 2024 May 24 - June 6, 2024
NORFOLK ACADEMY
MAYMESTER 2024
Faculty and students on Hiking the Appalachian Trail, May 2023
NORFOLK ACADEMY MAYMESTER 2024 Each May, sophomores and juniors will embark on experiential learning opportunities locally, nationally, and abroad. Maymester programming includes leadership and career training, reciprocal exchanges, and cross-curricular courses designed by Upper School faculty and partner organizations. These immersive offerings introduce students to academic content, before providing immersive projects and learning experiences, with time for reflection and growth. Our aim is to prepare our students to be engaged global citizens. Upper School students heard about their Maymester options on Thursday, November 2nd. Students will rank each of the local programs and then have the opportunity to rank overnight travel programs if they are interested. Norfolk Academy will make every effort to place students in a top-ranked course, but we cannot guarantee any placements.
Applications will be due by Monday, November 13th at 3:15 p.m. The application will require you to provide the following: One essay response that addresses your specific interests An additional essay for juniors reflecting on their 10th grade experience Name of a teacher/coach who would be willing to speak favorably on your behalf (Note: You do not need to supply a formal recommendation letter at this time, just the name of a potential recommender.) We will make every effort to communicate final decisions in early to mid-January. Please feel free to reach out to Sarah Goodson, Jack Gibson, or a specific Program Coordinator with questions.
MAYMESTER 2024 NOTES ON PRICING & VACCINATIONS All prices listed in this booklet are estimates. For programs that require air travel, estimates are based on airfare quotes at the time of printing and may change. The refectory will provide lunches for students remaining on campus for all or part of the program. The following travel programs will include most meals: Along the Border Hiking the Appalachian Trail NA in France NA in Germany NA in Peru NA in Spain Other travel programs will not be all-inclusive and will require students to travel with money for some meals. Program coordinators will communicate these specific requirements prior to travel. Program Coordinators may have guidance concerning pocket money for souvenirs or shopping. These expenses, however, are completely discretionary. Precise costs will be made available once admissions decisions are communicated.
COVID Vaccinations: Currently, no programs require COVID vaccinations. While we do not expect this to change, it could based on international regulations. pn
KEY
The following symbols will be used throughout the course book to provide you with more information about important considerations and expectations for each course.
AIR TRAVEL This course requires air travel.
ACTIVITY LEVEL This course includes rugged travel. Camping, hiking, or other physically demanding activities will be involved.
LANGUAGE PREREQUISITE Enrollment in one of our world languages is required for participation.
OVERNIGHT TRAVEL This course will require overnight travel. Dates of travel are included. We have a no deviations from travel policy so students must be available to depart and return with the group.
Oguz Aycilek and Owen Kulow ‘25 in Materials Science, May 2023
LOCAL COURSES Internships: Exploring What You Want to Be When You Grow Up Applied Nutrition Science Digital Media Production in Sports Wellness: Mind & Body
INTERNSHIPS: EXPLORING WHAT YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP From resume writing and interviewing skills to aligning your career with a sense of purpose, this program is designed to introduce students to the world of professional work. Through alumni panels and guest speakers, we hope to highlight a variety of professional paths to inspire students to think about who and what they want to be when they grow up. Students will spend one week participating in internships sponsored by friends of Norfolk Academy in fields such as medicine, veterinary medicine, law, business, education, and philanthropy. Additional fields are also possible based upon student interest. This program is open only to juniors and students are expected to provide transportation to and from their internship.
PROGRAM FEE:
PROGRAM COORDINATORS:
THERE IS NO COST ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PROGRAM
WENDY LIVINGSTON & SEAN WETMORE
pn
APPLIED NUTRITION SCIENCE We are excited to offer this course on nutrition to empower students to improve their personal physical and mental health. Students will hear from registered dietitians, learn how to identify unhealthy fad diets, and apply researchsupported eating habits. The course will instruct how to select nutritious foods and use them in preparing a meal. There will also be an emphasis on athletic performance and methods for optimizing nutrition to meet performance goals. While this is a local program, we will be traveling most days. There will be day trips to local farms, university labs, and an opportunity to learn how to prepare a meal from culinary professionals.
PROGRAM COORDINATORS:
ROBERT CALL & MIKE PFAFF
PROGRAM FEE:
THERE IS NO COST ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PROGRAM
DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCTION IN SPORTS In this Maymester, students will explore the world of digital media production in the realm of sports. During the course, we will learn about a variety of digital media and work on the skills needed to create compelling video clips and captivating graphics. We will have handson workshops to learn about the art of storytelling through visual components and look at specific aspects of the process, like shooting techniques and video editing. Students in our course will develop a portfolio of introductory digital media skills and gain exposure to a variety of professional paths in sports content development, media production, multimedia integration, promotions, and communications. We will travel around Hampton Roads to meet with professionals in the field, as well as to capture and create digital content. Local professionals will provide valuable insights from their experiences and share their perspectives on working with sports teams and organizations. Anyone interested in sports media or graphic design will benefit from the exposure to the local digital media production world.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR: STEVEN GOLDBURG
PROGRAM FEE:
THERE IS NO COST ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PROGRAM
WELLNESS: MIND & BODY What are the ingredients for a happy and healthy life? How can we find peace and purpose in a world that is presently facing so many dire problems? In this course, the answer will begin with putting down our phones and tuning out the constant barrage of noise, images, and information that too frequently control our attention. With guidance from faculty and local experts and through careful exposure to health-centered teachings and instruction – one activity at a time – students will develop sound habits of mind and body while cultivating healthy and supportive interpersonal relationships. The goal is to help students find serenity, joy, and fulfillment in their lives while recognizing how their lives have value for others. Daily practices will include guided mindfulness sessions, spending time in nature, reading, practicing conversation, writing letters, exercising, playing games, and creating art. We will open our minds to various ways of living purposefully through local field trips to museums, centers for learning and volunteering, and other uplifting sites of interest. Each student will complete a project on an artistic endeavor of the student’s choice, and the focus of the project will be on the process and its benefits rather than the product itself.
PROGRAM COORDINATORS:
MEGAN HALLBERG, AMBER JENKINS, & ARI ZITO
PROGRAM FEE:
THERE IS NO COST ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PROGRAM
NArt Gallery Students at the Muscarelle Museum of Art at William & Mary with Steve Prince, artist in residence, May 2023
OVERNIGHT TRAVEL PROGRAMS Along the Border The Archaeology of Greece and the Making of a Modern European State The Civil War: America’s Second Fight for Freedom ECO: Exploring the Climate Obstacle Hiking the Appalachian Trail NA in France NA in Germany NA in Peru NA in Spain Poverty in America The Stories and Structures of Great Britain Urban Architecture of Hampton Roads and Chicago
ALONG THE BORDER While the debate over immigration in the United States rages on, the tight-knit community of government and nonprofit agencies continue to adapt to the ebbs and flows of migration over the border near El Paso. In this program, students have a chance to see first-hand the government agencies responsible for controlling the border, including the U.S. Border Patrol and the Mexican Consul in El Paso. We will also meet the leaders of a network of nonprofit agencies in El Paso, which provide shelter, food, legal aid and other services to illegal migrants who pass through El Paso. Students will also have a chance to meet with peers at a partner school in El Paso, some of whom wake at 4:00 a.m. to cross the U.S.-Mexican border and arrive at school on time. El Paso has been ranked the safest large city in the U.S. for four consecutive years, in front of New York City and Austin. Its standing as one of America’s safest large city is due in large part to the cooperation between all the different organizations, government, non-profit and businesses.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR: DAVID KIDD
Overnight Travel May 30 - June 5
PROGRAM FEE: $3,200
THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF GREECE AND THE MAKING OF A MODERN EUROPEAN STATE The primary objectives of this course are to engage students in historical & archaeological research in Greece
Overnight Travel May 24 - June 4
and to explore how antiquity has been mobilized to create an identity for the modern Greek state. Students will experience
the
archaeology
participating
on
an
active
of
Greece
firsthand:
archaeological
excavation
meeting world-leading experts and receiving in-depth behind-the-scenes tours of sites and museums. Particular emphasis
will
be
historians
study
placed and
on
present
how their
archaeologists data
to
and
create
compelling stories about the ancient world conserving and presenting artifacts curating museum exhibitions and more. Throughout this course students will also be exposed to the richness of modern Greek culture experiencing its fantastic cuisine warm community and beautiful landscapes while also engaging with more complicated themes like the recent refugee crisis, economic instability and geopolitical tensions.
PROGRAM COORDINATORS:
CATHERINE MCCALLUM & JACKSON VAUGHN
PROGRAM FEE: $4,500
Overnight Travel May 28 - May 31
THE CIVIL WAR: AMERICA’S SECOND FIGHT FOR FREEDOM This course is designed to immerse students in an experiential education of the Civil War and its context in American history. Through travel to Civil War battlefields including Manassas, Antietam, Gettysburg, and Petersburg, as well as the American Civil War Museum in Richmond, students will experience what it meant to live during the Civil War and why and how the bloodiest war in American history was fought. Students will begin with a day of in-class preparation, spend a few days on the road, and return for a concluding wrap-up of their experience.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR: JOHN LINDBECK
PROGRAM FEE: $500
Overnight Travel May 28 - May 31
ECO: EXPLORING THE CLIMATE OBSTACLE Ever wondered what that whole climate change thing is all about? Ever asked yourself what the heck greenhouse gas emissions are and why we’re trying to prevent them? Ever questioned why deforestation in Brazil or coral bleaching in Australia matters to us here in the Hampton Roads? In a world where we regularly hear terms like “climate change”, “renewable energy”, and “carbon offset”, it can be hard to grasp what exactly sustainability is and why we should care about it. This course offers a crash course on climate science, the human behaviors causing climate change, and the many methods we use to limit our impact and improve our resilience. Students will have the chance to gain an appreciation for the natural environment through an overnight trip to some of Virginia’s most scenic mountains, as well as a few local day trips to state parks in our area. They will also
have
an
opportunity
to
visit
some
local
companies
and
organizations that are making meaningful progress towards limiting our impact on the environment. Students should expect to spend time learning about the complex climate system in the classroom, hiking up challenging
terrain
in
the
woods,
paddling
through
waterways,
meeting with industry experts, and learning about adaptation plans for the Tidewater.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR: GARRETT BIRD
PROGRAM FEE: $500
Overnight Travel May 27 - June 3
HIKING THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL Hiking the Appalachian Trail is a 60-mile backpacking journey on a section of the Appalachian Trail that runs through
Shenandoah
National
Park.
Students
from
all
experience levels learn the fundamentals of backpacking from pitching a tent to trail nutrition to packing their pack, then hike and camp on the trail in segments, approximately 3-4 days at a time. Final projects are either creative works - journaling or student-choice art projects - or scientific works,
documenting
tangible
changes
along
the
trail
associated with climate change. The program consists of both classroom and field instruction.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR:
KELLY DEWEY, AUSTIN DUNN
PROGRAM FEE: $1,700
NA IN FRANCE As part of our long-standing exchange with Saint Dominique in Neuilly-sur-Seine (Paris), NA families will
Overnight Travel May 24 - June 5
host students from Saint Dominique from March 30 April 13, and NA students will travel to France from May 24-June 5 during the Upper School's Maymester. While in France, students live with a host family and enjoy visiting sites around Paris and Normandy. This year, the French Cultural Exchange is open to ALL 10th and 11th grade students. There is no Frenchlanguage requirement.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR: WARREN WARSAW
PROGRAM FEE: $3,200
NA IN GERMANY Overnight Travel May 24 - June 11
We are pleased to announce the fifty-first edition of our German Exchange. Once again, we will be able to host students from Copernicus Gymnasium in Hamptons Roads this year. The Germans will be in Norfolk from March 17 – April 3, 2024. In Germany, students will live with a host family in Löningen, enjoy visiting sites throughout the country,
German Language Students
and attend classes with their German counterparts.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR: CHRIS NELSON
PROGRAM FEE: $3,200
NA IN PERU This year NA will be launching a Spanish language
Overnight Travel May 27 - June 4
immersion program in the Sacred Valley of Peru. Through host family stays and cultural opportunities such as a visit to Machu Picchu, this program, for Spanish students only, will give students an opportunity to hone their Spanish skills and to gain an authentic feel for Andean culture and life. This program will depart for Peru on May 27th and return to Norfolk on
Spanish Language Students
June 4th.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR: GRAYSON BRYANT
PROGRAM FEE: $3,200
NA IN SPAIN We are excited to offer the opportunity for our Spanish language
students
exchange
with
to
participate
Fontenebro
in
a
Overnight Travel May 24 - June 5
reciprocal
International
School
in
Moralzarzal, Spain. NA students will travel to Madrid in May 2024 and host students from Spain in the fall of 2024. When in Spain, our students will visit many historical
and
cultural
sites
in
Madrid
and
the
surrounding areas, live with a host family, attend classes,
and,
most
importantly,
have
plenty
Spanish Language Students
of
opportunities to improve their language skills.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR: TAYLOR WINN
PROGRAM FEE: $3,200
Overnight Travel May 28 - May 31
POVERTY IN AMERICA: LIVING AT OR BELOW THE POVERTY LINE ON THE EASTERN SHORE OF VIRGINIA What is the experience of someone living at or below the poverty level? Through a series of classroom activities, guest speakers, and work days on the Eastern Shore, students will begin to understand the challenges faced as people work to support their families and maintain their livelihood. As part of this Maymester experience, students will travel to Exmore on the Eastern Shore to work with Habitat for Humanity. Our team will partner with the family for whom the house is being constructed, working side-by-side, to make a tangible impact on their lives. We will work on the Eastern Shore from May 24th - May 31st, staying overnight for that week. The following week, we will take two day trips to finish our work! We will conclude our program with reflection on our experience.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR: MARY TODD GLASCOCK
PROGRAM FEE: $500
THE STORIES AND STRUCTURES OF GREAT BRITAIN Experience the best England has to offer: Wimbledon to
Wembley
to
Warwick
Castle,
Shakespeare
to
Overnight Travel May 28 - June 5
Chaucer, and Oxford to Canterbury. We will explore the history of people, places, and things of England in a 7-day experiential learning adventure designed to be interactive and fun. The most notable authors and the history behind their stories. The famous castles and the behind the scenes takeaways. Plus an in-depth look at two of London’s most famous sports venues.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR: KEVIN DENSON
PROGRAM FEE: $4,200
URBAN ARCHITECTURE IN HAMPTON ROADS & CHICAGO Students will spend the first part of this course learning
Overnight Travel May 31 - June 5
and researching about how science, architecture, and art
influence
investigate
life
city
in
an
planning
urban
setting.
process
and
They
will
procedures
involved in the modernization of an urban center, as well as the role of private architecture firms in the building and designing process. Students will then travel to the Chicago area and participate in a wide variety
of
experiences
ranging
from
architectural
observations to public transportation navigation to learn about the history and architecture of the city of Chicago. The main mode of learning will be portrayed in a sketch book that all students will use while in Hampton Roads and Chicago.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR: JOHN CRAIG
PROGRAM FEE: $1,700