The Cambridge School of Weston has been at the forefront of educational innovation since our founding in 1886. Our progressive pedagogy is rooted in the student-centered philosophy of John Dewey, who advocated active, experiential learning within a curriculum designed to accommodate the interests of individual students. In his eyes—and ours—education is not simply the acquisition of content and proficiency. It’s also a way for students to develop and refine the skills required to become informed, engaged, and effective participants in a democratic society. We believe that the world needs such citizens—individuals who not only have technical competence and skill, but who are also awake to their unique talents and who have developed ways to bring their distinctive skills and perspectives to what the world will ask of them.
Our program develops students’ ability to explore and engage with curiosity, courage, self-awareness, discipline, open-mindedness, and a sense of personal responsibility. Purposeful classroom experiences and assessments allow students to develop and practice independent thinking, critical analysis, imaginative problem-solving, productive collaboration, and constructive risk taking. Our curriculum uses primary resources and multiple perspectives, and emphasizes our commitment to human rights and social justice. We value the creative process and challenge our students to push beyond perceived limitations and to make their work personally meaningful.
We believe in the power of our approach to be TRANSFORMATIVE.
BY THE NUMBERS Grades
9-12
6:1 plus post-graduate
Student-teacher ratio
Average number of students per teacher per term
Students receiving Financial Aid
28
65 woodland acres, within easy
transportation, and major highways.
NYC
310 70% day / 30% boarding
29
Domestic students of color
CSW is nestled on BOSTON
reach of Boston and Cambridge, public
Number of students
30
%
CSW
%
14 Average class size
Faculty with advanced degrees
85
%
CSW students come from
60
Massachusetts communities
CSW is located
16
states
6
countries outside the United States
19
miles from an international airport
THE MOD SYSTEM depth, and intensity not found at any other high school. Within its 6x6 framework (six terms of six weeks crafting a schedule that prepares them for the rigor of college study, allows them to dig deep into current areas of interest, and invites them to explore new fields of study. Our academic office and advisors work closely with each student to make sure they meet our graduation requirements while taking full advantage of all that our extensive curriculum has to offer.
17
Courses that satisfy the social justice graduation requirement
Our program, known as the Mod System, offers breadth,
each), students choose from over 250 different classes,
Average number of classes an 11th-grader takes
Times per year students get a full narrative progress report with their class grade
6
Number of advisory meetings per mod
80+
Number of courses offered each year
250
12+
PACE
Promoting Awareness and Community Engagement
PACE (Promoting Awareness and Community Engagement) is a four-year developmental curriculum meant to intentionally develop competencies and skills in the following areas: Health & Wellness, Mindfulness, Social-Emotional Learning, Equity Literacy, and Service Learning. Every Wednesday afternoon, students engage in grade-specific programming that runs for the entirety of the school year.
5,000+ Service-learning hours engaged in each year
GET INVOLVED! Number of affinity, alliance, and interest groups
41 Elected student leadership positions
35+ Number of students who attend the Boat Dance
WILDERNESS TRIPS • Backpacking in the White Mountains, NH • Snowshoeing in the White Mountains, NH • Sea kayaking on the coast of Maine • Rock climbing overnight in Rumney, NH • Hiking day trip to Mt. Monadnock, NH • AMC Cardigan Lodge
PRETTY MUCH EVERYBODY
overnight trip, NH
WEEKEND ACTIVITIES Our weekend activities program provides exciting options for both day and boarding students. Weekend activities are provided at no cost to participants. Here is a small selection: • Canobie Lake Park • Franklin Park Zoo • Greater Boston Walk for Hunger • Professional sporting events (Bruins, Celtics, Red Sox, Revolution) • Museum of Fine Arts • New England Aquarium • Blue Man Group • Boda Borg • Battle of the Bands
136 weekend activities per year
Hammocks hanging at CSW right now
6
Number of home countries represented by flags in our dining hall
45
• Hypnotist • Boston Symphony Orchestra • Snow tubing • Ice skating • Community service trips (food banks, soups kitchen, community farms, etc.) • Halloween Dance • Indoor trampoline park
Sauces in regular rotation at the noodle bar
12
Galleries on campus
4
ATHLETICS INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORTS
RECREATIONAL SPORTS
Baseball
Cardio Boxing
Boys Basketball
Cycling
Girls Basketball
Dodgeball
Cross Country
Fencing
Field Hockey
Golf
Girls Lacrosse
Indoor Rock Climbing
Boys Soccer
Martial Arts
Girls Soccer
Recreational Frisbee
Boys Tennis
Recreational Soccer
Girls Tennis
Recreational Tennis
Girls Volleyball
Recreational Volleyball
Ultimate Frisbee
Running Strength Training Table Tennis Yoga Zumba
RESIDENTIAL LIFE
4
Dormitories ALEPH BARN TRAPELO WARREN
Students who live on CSW’s campus get to know this community through a uniquely focused lens. Boarding students have additional access to teachers, facilities, friends, and all of the resources and cultural opportunities Greater Boston has to offer. And with all that happens on weekends and after hours, there’s no shortage of excitement. Each of our four dorms has
300+
Restaurants within five miles of campus
its own unique character, traditions, and identity, and boarders and dorm parents regularly meet for family-style dinners, special off-campus trips, and bonding activities. As members of the residential community, our students also learn important life skills and gain self-confidence and autonomy within a highly intentional structure.
90 Campus Residents
Students
20
22
Adults
languages spoken by campus residents
LEARN MORE csw.org
Apply to CSW csw.org/apply Tuition and Financial Aid csw.org/tuition College Placement csw.org/college
45 Georgian Road Weston, Massachusetts 02493 781-642-8650
30% Post-consumer
csw.org
VOICES
We believe in the power of our approach to be TRANSFORMATIVE.
LEAVE THE ORDINARY BEHIND
While all students at The Cambridge School of Weston complete foundational graduation requirements across disciplines, CSW’s unique Mod System allows for unparalleled opportunity and choice for students to pursue deeper and more focused content in areas of interest and curiosity.
MEET SOME OF OUR STUDENTS The courses and activities featured in the following profiles are a snapshot of individual student journeys at CSW from a selected sampling of current students and recent grads. Here, in their own words, these students share insights on what they have valued most about their time at CSW — the connected relationships, intellectual risk taking, selfreflection, global citizenship, and challenging coursework that have characterized their learning experiences.
For graduation requirements, course offerings, and a more comprehensive overview of our academic offerings, please see the EXPERIENCES course catalog or visit CSW.org.
Want to meet more students? Visit CSW.org/voices
MEET STUART
Day Student | Boston, Massachusetts
COURSE SNAPSHOT + Drawing: Advanced Studio + Physics: Mechanics + Major Author: Toni Morrison + U.S. Native Americans + Rocking the School House: U.S. History of Education
+ Introduction to Linear Algebra + SNAP! Science Nerd Advisory Posse
+ Marine Biology, including off campus on Hurricane Island
+ Who We Are: Mapping the History and Science of Populations
+ Anatomical Illustration & I will not leave CSW with a handful of random facts memorized, but with the tools to approach problems and find meaningful solutions.
Expression
+ U.S. Black Studies + Advanced Writing Portfolio + LGBTQIA+ Literature + U.S. Constitution + Elements of Design for Production + Zoology
FAVORITE DINING HALL FOOD
“The goat cheese and arugula salad.”
CLUBS & ACTIVITIES Through the Marine Bio course, I was able to spend a week on Maine’s Hurricane Island doing research and hands-on learning. When I wasn’t studying snail behavior, I was exploring the intertidal zone, visiting aquaculture sites, learning about sustainability, and connecting with my peers.
+ Gender & Sexuality Alliance (leader) + Junior State of America (civic debate & politics; leader)
+ Poetry Club + Read This! (book club) + SNAP! Science Nerd Advisory Posse + Community Service Committee (leader) + Judicial Board Representative + Peer Mentor + Varsity Lacrosse + Varsity Soccer + CSW Wilderness Trips
FAVORITE SPOT ON CAMPUS
“The chemistry classroom overlooking the quad. I have had some of my favorite classes there and it has a beautiful view.”
MEET ANNA
Boarding Student | Concord, Massachusetts
COURSE SNAPSHOT + From Venus to Guerilla Girls: Women Redefining Self through Art
+ Spanish: Current Events in the Spanish Speaking World
+ History of U.S. Education + The Art of Prediction + Totalitarianism: Past & Present + Physics: Mechanics + Social & Political Theatre + Caribbean Literature + Hip Hop Dance + Math Modeling + Ethics of Science + Music Theory + Alexander the Great + U.S. Cold War & Vietnam + Big Book: Invisible Man
In the Discovering India course, I wrote a paper titled, Psychedelic Orientalism: The Beatles’ Relationship with India and Their Impact on the Western World. I dissected the Beatles’ stay in India, the press coverage of their trip, the use of Indian instruments and styles, and the rapid increase of the influence of Indian culture on the Western world in the decades following. It remains my favorite paper that I wrote at CSW.
COLLEGE
Smith College
FAVORITE DINING HALL ITEM
“The noodle bar. It’s a CSW staple. I’m obsessed.”
CLUBS & ACTIVITIES + Feminist Coalition + SNAP! Science Nerd Advisory Posse + Junior State of America (civic debate & politics; leader)
CSW has pushed me to abandon what is comfortable and easy.
+ Students Advocating for Life without Substance Abuse (leader)
+ White Students Against Racism + Racial Equity Task Force (student representative)
+ Dance Concert (choreographer/dancer) + Spring Musical + CSW Wilderness Trips
CSW is a community where I feel as though I can make mistakes and still be a valued member. This is essential as a young learner. Being able to dust myself off and move on is a skill that has completely altered the framework with which I approach the world. FAVORITE SPOT ON CAMPUS
“The bathtub at the end of the theatre wing. It’s framed by two massive statues and on a sunny day, because it is surrounded with windows, it is the brightest place on campus. All of the glass looks directly out onto the wetlands on campus.”
MEET L-J
Day Student | Arlington, Massachusetts
FAVORITE SPOT ON CAMPUS
“The quad! The campus is so beautiful. When the weather is warm, it’s nice to sit with my friends or work outside.”
FAVORITE DINING HALL ITEM
“Chicken fingers and French fries is always a good one.”
COURSE SNAPSHOT + Writing Foundations Workshop + Mandarin + Film Scoring + Global Dissent + Digital Animation + Chinese Literature + Music Theory + Overview of U.S. History + Language of Film + Dance, Media, and Technology + Elementary Functions + Modern Middle East + U.S. Black Studies + Physics: Mechanics + 3D Character Design
There was a moment where I was speaking with my advisor about what it means to be an artist. We talked about the technical versus artistic sides of film and what it means to be and become an artist. It was a conversation I was not expecting, but one I am so thankful to have had.
CSW has shaped me into someone who advocates for himself and values asking for help. It has taught me that my learning is in my own hands, and that it is important to put my skills to use and grow them.
CLUBS & ACTIVITIES + Asian Heritage Affinity + Film Club (leader) + Social Justice Day Planning Committee + Mixed Heritage + Diversity/IDEA Committee (leader) + Varsity Soccer + Varsity Tennis
MEET VICKY
Boarding Student | Guatemala City, Guatemala
I’ve met people here from so many different backgrounds, which has empowered and encouraged me to be an activist for social change. I’ve been able to have difficult but necessary conversations with people both inside and outside of school.
CLUBS & ACTIVITIES + Feminist Coalition + Assembly Coordinator (leader) + Jewish Culture Club (leader) + Sociedad Latinx + Peer Mentor + Dorm Leader + Culture Festival Planning Committee + Identity Exploration Day Planning Committee
+ Senior Night Planning Committee
COLLEGE
New York University
FAVORITE SPOT ON CAMPUS
“The beach (that’s not actually a beach) because I enjoy sitting on the rocks with my friends and watching how everyone has fun on the Quad.”
FAVORITE DINING HALL ITEM
“Pizza and Caesar salad.”
COURSE SNAPSHOT + Modern Middle East + U.S. Constitution + Economics of the World + Elementary Functions + Big Book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
+ 3D Printing & Design Solutions + Genetic Engineering & Molecular Biology
+ Unwind & Relax: Evening Yoga & Meditation
+ Wearable Art + Alexander the Great + Writing About Reading + U.S. Black Studies + Major Author: James Baldwin + Introduction to Psychology + Statistics
I love meeting up with my friends in the Barn dorm common room to play cards, and laugh, and enjoy each other’s company — even after we’ve been together for most of the day.
MEET ORION
Boarding Student | Trenton, New Jersey
COURSE SNAPSHOT + U.S. Constitution + Advanced Dance Technique + Twentieth Century Physics + Spanish Elective: Spanish Caribbean
The greatest strength of CSW’s academic program is exposure to different lifestyles, forms of artistry, learning styles, and methods of learning.
COLLEGE
University of Chicago
+ Latinx Literature + Major Author: Toni Morrison + Elementary Functions + World Religions + STEAM: Energy in Disguise + Shakespeare: The Tragedies + Latin America: Rebels and Revolutionaries
+ Zoology + Asian American Literature + U.S. Black Studies + Terrestrial Ecology
FAVORITE DINING HALL ITEM
“Lemon cream salmon.”
FAVORITE SPOT ON CAMPUS
“The common room of my dorm.”
CLUBS & ACTIVITIES + Junior State of America
(civic debate & politics; leader)
+ Men of Color + United Students of Color + Black Student Union + Diversity/IDEA Committee + Dorm Board Representative + Dorm Leader + Peer Mentor + Dance Concert (choreographer/dancer) + Graduation Planning Committee + Social Justice Day Planning Committee + Varsity Tennis
My time at CSW has allowed me to step into my Blackness. With the nurturing faculty and staff of color, I have become comfortable expressing myself in predominantly white spaces and being my authentic self.
MEET JACK
Day Student | Wellesley, Massachusetts
Every year I look forward to basketball season in Mods 3 and 4. I love when we organize pickup games after practice, during open blocks, or on weekends. It doesn’t matter if you are on JV, Varsity, or are there just for fun. Everyone simply wants to have a good time and get better.
COURSE SNAPSHOT + Multivariable Calculus + U.S. Voting & Elections + Spanish + Discovering India + Advanced Chemical Applications + Investigating Museums + Physics: Electricity + Astronomy + Music Theory + Introduction to Existentialism + Biology of Cancer + Physics: Mechanics + Statistics + Chemistry + Digital Photography
CLUBS & ACTIVITIES + Finance & Investment Club + Advisory Board to the Head of School + Varsity Basketball + Walk for Hunger Planning Committee
FAVORITE DINING HALL ITEM
“General Gao’s Chicken. It’s become tradition for me to check the weekly dining hall menu every Monday morning to look for it.”
The strong student-teacher relationships at CSW have allowed me to feel comfortable participating, asking questions, and trying new things academically.
FAVORITE SPOT ON CAMPUS
“The Fit. Whenever there is a period of free time, you can usually find my friends and me playing basketball in the gym.”
MEET FADILA
Boarding Student | North Caldwell, New Jersey
COURSE SNAPSHOT + Biology of Cancer + U.S. Youth Subcultures + Advanced Writing Portfolio + Genetic Engineering & Molecular Biology
+ Social & Political Theatre + Discovering India + Modern Africa + Climate Justice + Experimental Video + Totalitarianism: Past & Present + U.S. Black Studies + French + Physics: Mechanics + Understanding Hayao Miyazaki Through Literature
CSW has shown me that there is no right way to be a good leader and through that I’ve become way more confident in my leadership skills and less worried about if I fit into the stereotype of what a leader should look like.
FAVORITE DINING HALL FOOD
“General Gao’s Chicken.”
Biology of Cancer was probably my favorite science class. It solidified my interest in pursuing a career in medicine.
CLUBS & ACTIVITIES + Circle of Sisters (leader) + Black Student Union (leader) + CSW Board of Trustees
(boarding student representative)
+ Dorm Board Representative + Dorm Leader + Peer Mentor + Varsity Volleyball
FAVORITE SPOT ON CAMPUS
“The Fit.”
MEET WARREN
Boarding Student | Shanghai, China
The night we won the league basketball championships, our coach had to hurry us back to campus so that I could make my performance in the school’s annual dance concert. The adrenaline rush I felt at experiencing both of these amazing things in one night is something I will never forget.
COURSE SNAPSHOT + Calculus A & B + Hip Hop Dance + Human Rights in Motion + Drawing: Otherness & Social Justice
+ U.S. Civil War + French + Guitar Skills + Examining Media as a Mirror + STEAM: From Virtual to Reality + The Great American Short Story + British Romanticism & New England Transcendentalism
+ Choreography Seminar + Beat Making + Motion Art + BioConnections: Cells, Organisms & Society
CLUBS & ACTIVITIES + Varsity Baseball + CSW Wilderness Trips + Social Justice Day Planning Committee + Asian Heritage Affinity + Fashion Club + Junior State of America (civic debate & politics)
+ Poetry Club + Curriculum Committee (leader) + Diversity/IDEA Committee + Dorm Leader + Dance Concert (choreographer/dancer) + Fall Theatre Production (actor)
COLLEGE
Bowdoin College
I’d stopped playing the guitar but decided to take it up again at CSW. I was scared to get back into it after so long, but my teacher gave me so much courage and support. It became one of my favorite classes. FAVORITE SPOT ON CAMPUS “The Quad.”
FAVORITE DINING HALL FOOD “New York Steak.”
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
LEARN MORE csw.org Apply to CSW csw.org/apply Tuition and Financial Aid csw.org/tuition College Placement csw.org/college
Currently, 28% of CSW students self-identify as students of color (not including our international student population). As such, the students featured here do not reflect the overall diversity of our school community.
30% Post-consumer
csw.org
EXPERIENCES
We believe in the power of our approach to be TRANSFORMATIVE.
WHAT’S INSIDE DANCE.....................................................................................................................4 ENGLISH..................................................................................................................6 HISTORY...............................................................................................................10 LANGUAGE............................................................................................................ 14 MATHEMATICS...................................................................................................... 18
MUSIC................................................................................................................... 21 SCIENCE................................................................................................................23 THEATRE...............................................................................................................27 VISUAL ART..........................................................................................................29 PACE: PROMOTING AWARENESS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.................34
D BLOCK...............................................................................................................36 ATHLETICS AND FITNESS.....................................................................................37 CSW GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS.................................................................. 40
SAMPLE SCHEDULES...........................................................................................42
IMAGINE A BOOKSHELF filled with books and objects representative of your individual learning experience over time. First, there are the foundational works and textbooks on subjects such as physics, algebra, and writing. Then there are others—books you’ve chosen in pursuit of a specific interest in bioengineering, Chinese culture, sculpture, or 21st-century politics. Mixed in are the various explorations you’ve undertaken along the way, embracing the opportunity to try something new: studies in race relations, marine biology, improvisation in jazz.
THIS IS THE CSW EXPERIENCE. Our academic program, known as the Mod System, offers breadth, depth, and intensity you won’t find at any other high school. Within its 6x6 f ramework (six terms of six weeks each)—and with the guidance of faculty, advisors, and college counselors— you’ll choose f rom over 250 classes to craft a highly personalized schedule that prepares you for the rigor of college study, allows you to dive into current areas of interest, and invites you to explore new fields of study. The CSW academic experience expands and deepens as you progress through the grade levels. Within the 18 main blocks of a single year’s schedule, earlier grades focus on building core competencies and foundational skills while still leaving room for choice and exploration. Scheduling possibilities expand in the upper grades, when opportunities for elective courses increase, and you can more deeply delve into areas of interest, sharpen your focus in chosen subjects, and continue to try out new things. As you read through this course catalog, imagine what your CSW bookshelf might hold!
Please note: This catalog offers a representative sampling of CSW’s academic curriculum. Course offerings and descriptions are subject to change. 3
Advanced Dance Technique Students with considerable proficiency in dance technique will be placed in this fast-paced, dynamic, and physically challenging course.
All That Jazz This course is a jazz dance class taught to live music provided by CSW’s jazz ensemble. Students will expand their knowledge of jazz through the integrated study of movement and music composition. Dancers will focus on the rhythmic patterns that are created through the influence of such jazz genres as swing, blues, bebop, and jazz-fusion. Syncopated rhythms, body isolations, improvisation, high level of energy, and low center of gravity will be practiced as movement qualities that are direct derivatives of jazz music. Jazz ensemble will learn to perform jazz standards in a group setting. Emphasis will be on establishing a repertoire, building skills in improvisation, and performance.
Caribbean Dance This course offers an introduction to the popular dances performed throughout the Caribbean. The focus of the class is to understand the indigenous people who dance the rhythms of the New World islands, including Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Trinidad, and Puerto Rico. We begin with an anthropological approach to the dances using the research footage conducted by the late dance anthropologist Katherine Dunham. Students will learn both traditional/ceremonial and social dances of the countries mentioned above. Students will dance the Yanvalou from Haiti, and the Bomba of Puerto Rico, and the most popular movements such as the Rumba, Salsa, and the Bachata that come from the clave rhythm. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Choreography Seminar Choreography Seminar provides students with time to craft and rehearse movement and dances for CSW’s annual Dance Concert. Students may work alone or in groups.
DANCE
Cultural Studies in Dance
At CSW, coursework in the visual and performing arts carries as much weight and rigor and requires as much discipline as traditional academic subjects. We offer a broad range of courses in dance, music, theatre, and visual arts. Students are expected to have taken courses in three of these four disciplines by the time they graduate.
4
EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
In this class we will explore the relationship between “culture” and “dance” and the ways the study of one informs our understanding of the other. We will take a non-comprehensive survey of dance in varied geographic and cultural contexts ranging from East Asia through the Americas. Our readings, viewings, and discussions will examine how culture and history have shaped movement qualities all over the world. As a complement to these larger-scale considerations, we will use movement explorations to reflect on our individual relationships to place, history, and community. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Dance Concert Performance The Dance Concert Performance course is designed for all dancers who are potential performers for the annual Dance Concert. The dancer may be working on a group piece with another choreographer or creating a solo. All participants in this course are required to make all of the rehearsals called by their choreographer and to learn the movement on their own. It is up to the entire group with the choreographer to determine the actual times of the rehearsals and the weekly schedule. Each dancer is also required to be a part of the Selection Day process at which that specific dance may be considered for the concert. Once Selection Day has passed, the dancer is required to be part of the show’s overall stage production in some capacity (lighting, dressing room duty, theatre custodial cleanup, makeup and costume shop, etc.).
Dance Conditioning This class is for anyone who seeks to develop the flexibility and strength for which dancers are known. The course will incorporate some Pilates, yoga, and traditional dance exercises. Those who don’t study dance, but who want to get into shape, will be able to work in a very relaxed and non-competitive atmosphere.
Dance Media and Technology The integration of dance, media, and technology extends the language of choreography and performance, enabling artists to express themselves in new contexts. Through both theory and practice, this class introduces the emergence of new trends in the world of dance having to do with new technologies. We focus on “screen dance,” an experimental art genre started in the 1950s, which is burgeoning today with the proliferation of digital technology (lowcost cameras, editing software) and populist broadcast/distribution vehicles (YouTube). A “screen dance” is a dance that exists on the screen alone, and nowhere else. We also explore the integration of media with live dance performance using new technologies (video manipulation programs, 3D motion tracking/capture programs, the internet, and communication devices). Class time is split between the computer lab and the dance studio.
Dance Technique (Beg/Int/Adv) Dance Technique focuses on modern and contemporary vocabularies that enhance the artistic and physical prowess of the dancer. Students are placed in appropriate levels of beginning, intermediate, or advanced depending on their level of training. All three levels explore the same content of technique training but at different accelerated paces. Classes are designed to introduce the technical study of dance movement. The style and technique explored is determined by the individual instructor and the dance chair. Students new to CSW who desire to be placed in the intermediate or advanced level must receive the permission of the Dance Department chair.
The Haiti Project Work collaboratively with students from Haiti through dance.
Hip Hop Dance Explore the history, evolution, and physicality of hip hop dance styles. This course will raise awareness of the roots of hip hop dance and its transformation over the years through high energy, expressive movement, and the cultural impact it has had on the 20th and 21st centuries.
Independent Choreography This course is designed for the experienced dancer who is interested in deepening their skills as a dancemaker. Over the course of the mod, the student will work independently to develop their own choreographic voice. The instructor will meet with the student to determine the exact project and provide guidelines to reaching individual goals. The instructor will then occasionally drop in on the dancer’s rehearsals to observe the progress and discuss the process, offering suggestions to improve their approach to moving through space in relation to time and energy.
Motion Art This course is a creative movement class designed to introduce the novice dancer to dance in a comfortable learning environment while allowing the experienced dancer to further develop their choreographic tool box. Both novice and experienced dancers will explore and develop creative thinking skills, useful to the learning process. We will look at the different impetus of motion that can be initiated by the stimulus of sound and imagery, as well as external energy forces outside of the kinesthetic realm of the body. The course relies heavily on improvisation as a primary tool for finding one’s own authentic movement quality and is structured to liberate the way we move through space and communicate with each other by freeing up habitual patterns that may be restricting our unconscious and kinesthetic flow of energy. Throughout the mod there will be visiting guest artists who will guide us through their artistic lens to help us explore the dynamics of motion on varying levels.
Movement Improvisation/ Experiments in Movement This course introduces students to improvisation as a tool for creation and performance, and as a means to develop students’ creative problem-solving skills. The course utilizes improvisational exercises from various art disciplines (dance, theatre, visual art, music) and introduces students to principles of time and space. Through the course, students develop their awareness of self and the other, their sense of freedom and possibility, and a sense of their unique movement style. The course draws upon selected readings, class discussions, selected videos, and personal reflection. Dancers are asked to create constructive critiques of their own as well as each other’s movement qualities. Dancers must be open to creating a safe space for developing their
EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
creative voice. This is a movement class that will develop kinesthetic skills as well as creative and critical thinking. Students will also be introduced to contact improvisation.
Moving Yoga Dance This course compares the elements of dance movement to the practice of the yoga asanas. It is designed to introduce the student to the Vinyasa flow of yoga. The sun salutations A and B sequencing (asanas-positions) will be taught as a means to encourage students to open up, lengthen, and relax their physical body and mental state of being. The final project of the class will be a choreographed dance that incorporates the Vinyasa flow.
One-on-One Project The One-on-One project is an opportunity for students to be creative while exploring new ways of moving with someone they may not be familiar with. Students will work closely through collaboration. Once they have been assigned a partner, it will be up to the students to establish rehearsal times.
Performance Studies Performance studies is an interdisciplinary field of research that draws from the social sciences, the humanities, and the arts. It focuses on the pervasiveness of performance as a central element of social and cultural life, including not only theater and dance but also forms such as sacred rituals and practices of everyday life, storytelling and public speaking, avant-garde performance art, popular entertainments, micro-constructions of ethnicity, race, class, sex, and gender, or any instance of expressive behavior or cultural enactment. Within this field, performance entails the presentation or “reactualization” of symbolic systems through both living and mediated bodies.
West African Dance The content of this course gives an introduction to basic West African movement, rhythms, and songs. Each class begins with a warm-up to prepare the body for this particular style of movement, followed by movements across the floor, and finally work on specific dances. Students will learn several dances from West Africa, primarily from Nigeria, Mali, Guinea, and the Senegambia regions. Classes are accompanied by live drumming, giving students the opportunity to understand the unique connection between polyrhythmic timing and the body in motion. While the class focuses on the dances of West Africa, it is also a means for understanding the culture of the people. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
5
Advanced Writing Portfolio Students write daily and work toward developing a variety of essays. The emphasis of this course is process writing—generating and organizing ideas, drafting, revising, and editing papers—with peer or teacher critiques at each stage. At the end of the module, students assemble a portfolio of pieces for evaluation.
Advanced Writing Workshop
ENGLISH
The English program at CSW is characterized by thoughtful and specific instruction in writing, literature, and textual analysis. At all grade levels, foundational writing courses are complemented by extensive elective options that focus on specific books, genres, and authors.
This class is dedicated to exploring the impact of audience, motive, and method on one’s writing and writing experience. We will explore the differences between writing for yourself, for your peers, and for publication. Each student will spend the mod primarily working on a lengthy, independent project, consulting with peers and the teacher for regular feedback. Whether reading professional writers’ own thoughts on writing or responding to each other’s projects, student writers will continue to shape their own views on their artistic process.
African Epics from the Oral Tradition In this course, students read three African epics from the oral tradition: Sunjata from the Malinke people, Ibonia from the island of Madagascar, and Mwindo from the Nyanga people of the Congo. Through reading these texts, students will consider how the epic form merges metaphor, lyric, proverb, riddle, history, and poetry to create a larger narrative. At the center of these stories is a hero who struggles with his frailty and uncertainties. In his death, which is common but not necessary, he transforms his culture. Students will explore how the African epic combines history and poetry, reality, and fantasy, to point to significant moments in a culture’s history that don’t necessarily constitute a break but suggest continuity with ancient cultural wisdom. Students will also ponder why these texts continue to resonate not only within their cultures but have become part of the cultural lingo of the West. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
American Immigrant Literature What does it mean to be an immigrant in the U.S.? What do individuals experience when they move from one country and settle in another? What do these immigrants gain in the process, and what do they lose? How do they deal with being “the other?” How do immigrants connect or disconnect with their American-born children? Students explore all these questions and more by analyzing short fiction, films, and an excerpt from The Namesake, by acclaimed Pulitzer Prize winning author Jhumpa Lahiri. Throughout the mod, students read and respond to text on a nightly basis, gaining a better understanding of how difficult assimilation can often be for immigrants in their new abode. Students come ‘up close and personal’ with immigrant issues by interviewing an immigrant of their choice
6
EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
and writing up their interview in a People magazine manner. The course culminates with a final project that ties all the readings together thematically in a creative and artistic way, addressing the essential question: what is the immigrant experience? This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Big Book: Pride and Prejudice Almost 200 years after it was written, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen continues to be a world best seller. What is it about this unlikely love story of mistaken first impressions that hooks contemporary readers? Could it be Austen’s witty, satirical writing style, or her creation of believable, flawed personalities that make this novel so irresistible and evergreen? Set in the bucolic English countryside, where all a woman “of good family” could hope for was marrying a rich man; Austen reveals the riveting tale of Elizabeth Bennet, a bright, discerning woman far beyond her time, who stands up for her rights in a male-dominated society, but soon discovers the one man she cannot stand is the one she cannot resist. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Big Book: Romance of the Three Kingdoms The Iliad of China, The Three Kingdoms is one of the most popular and influential novels in East Asia. Taking place in one of the bloodiest periods in Chinese history, this historical epic tells the story of the waning days of the Han Dynasty and the three warring states that strove for mastery over the Chinese empire. With their passions and ambitions, colorful heroes with mythical characteristics all play their part in tales of strategy, warfare, political intrigue, and diplomacy. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
British Romanticism & New England Transcendentalism In this class, students will review the Enlightenment to learn what the Romantics were reacting against, selections from the Lyrical Ballads of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge as well as work by William Blake to understand how these principal poets of Romanticism’s early phase defined the movement. Students will also read selections from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Nature and a short story by Washington Irving.
Chinese Literature: Journey to the West Enter the world of Monkey: Folk Novel of China, an adaptation of Journey to the West, a 16th-century novel by Wu Cheng’en. Long before Goku defeats his enemies in Dragon Ball Z, Sun Wukong—The Monkey King—embarks on an epic journey with the Buddhist monk (Tripitaka) and his disciples to obtain Buddhist scriptures from India and bring them back to China. This folk
epic mixes satire, allegory, and history and provides students with the opportunity to explore a classic that is as famous in East Asia as The Odyssey. Students will also have the opportunity to learn about Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, and participate in a Chinese calligraphy workshop. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Contemporary Playwrights This dramatic literature class explores a variety of plays exploring current issues of concern through a range of styles and genres which might include (in a given year) satire, farce, epic theatre, realism and musicals and will range from Pulitzer Prize winning works and playwrights to lesser known plays and their creators. Students will learn a dramaturgical approach to the study of plays, focusing not only on the written text but the cultural context and societal impact. Students will gain an increased understanding of the work of Western and non-Western playwrights, foundations of playwriting, and specific conditions in history and society that give rise to the voices of playwrights.
Epics and Heroes Great epics of the past tell us about the culture, history, religion, and magic of a particular time. As Joseph Campbell wrote, they are “the wonderful song of the soul’s high adventure.” We will look at powerful stories, as well as their meaning for the period and for today. Possible readings include mythology from around the world, Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha, and an assortment of modern comic books.
Experiments in Imaginative Writing Taking risks is a crucial part of being a writer. In this course, young poets and fiction writers will try their hands at a number of genres using a variety of prompts and models to help broaden and enrich their voices. Along with reading and critiquing the work of their peers, students will practice reading published pieces from a writer’s perspective, looking for techniques and ideas to fuel their own work.
Graphic Novels By immersing themselves in the vibrant world of graphic novels, students in this course will learn to be critical readers of images and text. Analytical assignments will guide students to unpack the effects of visual and textual choices, while creative assignments will challenge students to harness the power of images as a means of communication. The graphic novels we read will touch on rich themes of immigration, coming of age, race, and sexuality, and may include Shaun Tan’s The Arrival, Craig Thompson’s Blankets, Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, Gene Luen Yang’s Boxers and Saints, and Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis.
EXPERIENCES
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Introduction to Existentialism Existentialist philosophy asks us to think about what it really means to have control over who we are and what we do. In this course, well look at some of the key texts of existentialism, both fictional and nonfictional, focusing on Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, and Simone de Beauvoir. We’ll grapple with some of the biggest questions humans can ask themselves: What makes us who we are? How much choice and control do we have over our lives? What does it even mean to be a person who can think for themselves and interact with the surrounding world? You’ll leave the class not only with a clearer understanding of complex philosophy, but also with a way of thinking about yourself and the world that you can apply every single day.
Japanese Women’s Literature Explore works written by prominent Japanese women writers. Readings include Takekurabe by Higuchi Ichiyo, passages from The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki, and Totto‑chan: The Little Girl at the Window by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi. Students will also have the opportunity to analyze Tanka, a form of Japanese poetry, and to learn about women’s roles in folktales from Japan. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Jews & Antisemitism in History & Literature Since Christianity became Europe’s dominant religion in the early part of the first millennium, Christian nation-states and their precursors have asked different versions of the same basic question: “What do we do about the Jews who live among us?” The answers have ranged widely, from attempts at inclusion, to ostracism, to expulsion, to genocide. This course focuses on a narrow, but influential, example of anti-Semitic culture: Early Modern English literature. We will look at primary and secondary sources for historical context before reading two 16th-century plays, Christopher Marlowe’s The Jew of Malta and William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. In examining the Jewish characters at the center of these works, we will learn how Early Modern English audiences understood Judaism, and how those understandings have informed our contemporary political and cultural depictions of Jews. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Language of Film This introductory film course will focus on the workings of film and begin to explore ways to view film as an art form both comparable to, and different from, literature. Throughout the course, we will explore techniques for analyzing and writing about film. Students write multiple short response papers, and write and revise a scene analysis essay at the end of the mod.
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Latinx Literature
Major Author: August Wilson
Russian Literature
This course offers an introduction to writings by Latinx authors in the United States, with an emphasis on the similarities and differences that have shaped the experiences and cultural imaginations of various groups collapsed under this political label. The majority of readings covered will be from the 20th- and 21st-centuries. By critically analyzing poetry, fiction, memoirs, film, and/or performance, along with recent literary and cultural theory, the course will explore some of the major themes and issues that inform the cultural production of these groups. Through comprehensive coursework, students will develop their reading, writing, analytical, collaborative, and presentation skills. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
This course explores the work of August Wilson, the most prominent Black American playwright of the 20th century. Wilson’s ten-play “Pittsburgh Cycle,” each play set in a different decade, examines the many nuances of the Black experience in America over time, including interpersonal and systemic racism, the lasting impacts of slavery and exploitation, and the joyfulness of communal Black identity. We will read two of the most enduring plays of the Cycle, Fences and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and discuss Wilson’s overall theatrical vision and approach alongside our close attention to those texts. Students will also have the opportunity to explore Wilson’s lasting legacy in Black American theater through independent work. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
War and Peace! Anna Karenina! The Brothers Karamazov! While we will not be reading these epic Russian novels in this class (the shortest one is over 700 pages!), we will explore together a number of compelling short stories by Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Anton Chekhov, and other classic writers of 19th century Russian literature. The themes of these short stories (Russian identity, the relationship between the individual and society, love, loyalty, betrayal, and forgiveness) echo those of the great novels, and we will explore these texts within the larger context of Russian history and culture in the 19th century. You may be surprised how relevant these stories remain today.
LGBTQIA+ Literature This course approaches American literature with an emphasis on the ways in which non-heterosexual identities and experiences have been represented in post-Stonewall (post-1969) writing. Despite the actual lived range and combination of gender identity, sexual orientation, and sexual practice, mainstream heterosexuality attempts to confine sexuality to a rigid duality where observation of a person’s secondary sex characteristics are supposed to infer hir (gender neutral pronoun) gender identity and sexual practice. In this context, queer is invoked to describe any possible combination of gender identity, sexual orientation, and sexual practice that challenges the norm presented by heterosexism. By reading essays and literature by self-identified gay, lesbian, and trans writers, we will challenge and redefine the concepts of sex, gender, masculinity, femininity, diversity, oppression, and empowerment. By the end of this mod, we will have developed a greater awareness of issues concerning sex, gender, sexual expression, and sexual identity. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Major Author: Toni Morrison Toni Morrison ranks as one of the most important American authors in history. She writes of a country in which her people have been forced to live, but never fully accepted. Her novels demonstrate that African‑Americans have fundamentally shaped the United States, as well as vice versa. Passion, violence, music, love, and pain permeate everything she writes. We will consider a range of Morrison’s works, possibly including Song of Solomon, Sula, and Beloved, for which she won the Pulitzer Prize. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
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Science Fiction & Fantasy
For 10 years Odysseus fought on the fields of Troy, and for 10 more years fights to return to the wife and son he left behind. On his way home he encounters ravenous monsters, willful gods and goddesses, and beautiful, seductive women. We will read the Robert Fagles translation and various poems and artworks that draw on the world of The Odyssey, and do a variety of creative and analytical projects in response to the reading.
While this genre of literature lets us explore the heights of human imagination, it also gives us a realistic and perturbing view of a people or society’s fears for a perhaps not-too-distant future. In this 10th-grade elective, students will be examining different narratives that allow us to understand their authors’ prevalent concerns, as well as to firmly center the book within a broader social context. The class will study works that fit together thematically, culturally, or geographically. Authors read may include: Octavia Butler, Shweta Taneja, and Indra Das.
One Thousand and One Nights
Shakespeare’s Comedies
The Odyssey
The Arabian Nights or One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of suspense-laden folk tales from the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia, first written down as early as the 9th Century. The principal literary device of the collection is the famous frame story of Shahrazad, who must tell her husband, the king Shahrayar, a story each night in order to save her own life. Through this device the reader is taken into a rich world of historical tales, love stories, tragedies, comedies, and poetry that feature jinns, ghouls, magicians, and places of magic. These tales continue to have resonance in Asian and North African literature (as well as in Europe and America) and are considered foundational texts in world literature.
The Ramayana In this course, we study the 3000-year-old Indian epic poem The Ramayana as a literary masterpiece that embodies the ideals, values, and philosophy of Hinduism. Daily discussion informs students with an understanding of dharma (doing the right thing), karma (the law of cause and effect), reincarnation, and the war between good and evil. Students are made aware of how these ideas are inextricably intertwined within The Ramayana, making it more than just a complex journey of love, honor, and adventure, but also a vibrant metaphor and template for how individuals should lead their lives: putting themselves in the shoes of others and serving the community. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
EXPERIENCES
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Of course, comedies are supposed to make us laugh, which is why Titania falls in love with a peasant with donkey ears in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and why Beatrice and Benedick exchange sick burns in Much Ado about Nothing. But what purposes do comedies serve beyond amusing their audiences? In this course, students will consider those purposes as they read a couple of Shakespeare’s comedies. They will examine the context of these works while also considering what messages they offer to a 21st-century audience. Throughout the mod, students will consider the following questions: What makes these plays comedies? What is satire? What role does romance play in these works? How do these plays address the human contradiction? How do the things that amuse an audience reveal and explore the cultural values of that audience? Additionally, students will practice writing analyses of scenes from these plays while also developing creative (and performative) projects that talk back to Shakespeare.
Social & Political Theatre Students study important social and political literature of the theatre that addresses social justice issues, including experiences of war, personal and political freedom, assumptions, stereotypes, and responsibility. Readings may include the works of well‑known playwrights such as Odets, Brecht, Fugard, Fo, and Durang, as well as contemporary playwrights Ensler, Churchill, Parks, and Hwang. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
South Asian Literature This class introduces students to South Asian literature in English. South Asian writers have emerged on the global literary scene since the end of the colonial era and offer a substantial contribution to world literature. The different short stories and novels in the course can encompass some very important 20th century historical events, such as India’s and Pakistan’s independence; the violence of the ‘Partition;’ the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971, which led to the founding of Bangladesh; Indira Gandhi’s Emergency in 1975; the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984; the civil war in Sri Lanka in the 1970s and 80s; and the recent border conflicts between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. Writing either from the South Asian subcontinent itself or from the diaspora, South Asian writers have had a significant impact upon the literary traditions in England, Canada, and the United States. Themes covered include nation building, sexuality, partition, exile, migration, self/other, among others. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Understanding Hayao Miyazaki Through Literature In this course, students will analyze films by Hayao Miyazaki, one of the world’s most famous animators and film directors, well known for masterpieces such as My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away. Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea series, Grimm’s Tales, and Japanese folktales are a few of the works that have inspired his films and will provide literary and cultural context. All of the works will provide ground to discuss the complex role of female protagonists in the world of animation and literature. The students will have the opportunity to create their own folktale. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
World Poetry This survey of world poetry from ancient Egypt to the late 20th century introduces students to poetry from around the world written in or translated into English. Students will read haikus, Vedic hymns, Icelandic sagas, and verse from Garcia Lorca, Derek Walcott, and Seamus Heaney, among others. They will also examine the poetic form (sonnet, ballad, villanelle, sestina, and more). Students will also practice their analytical writing and reading skills as they develop a greater appreciation and understanding of the verse form.
Writing About Reading Through learning the literature, history, art, and music of a particular American decade, students discover how writing and reading affect and reflect a given culture. Students will write frequent responses to the various forms of writing. They will also complete a substantial research project or paper.
Writing About Reading 2
Writing Poetry
In this 11th grade requirement, students learn the research and writing skills necessary to produce a long research paper. Students spend the beginning of the mod reading and discussing a novella, play, or short story collection together, and then work under close supervision to research and draft a 10-15-page research paper based on that text.
Language is the foundational material of poetry. Poetry’s attention to language is what distinguishes it from other literary genres. In this class, therefore, students are expected to develop a facility and versatility with use of language to tell their stories in lyric and associative mode. This is also a workshop class. The first rule of thumb for developing a relationship with any form of writing is to read that genre, because reading is instructive. Students will closely read poems every day. They will also develop a vocabulary to discuss poetry. In addition, they will compose three poems that will be revised over the mod, write a literary analytical essay on one of the assigned poems, write a metacognition on their creative process, and buy a book of poetry.
Writing Foundations Workshop What is your writing identity? How do you see your journey as a writer thus far? Where do you want to go as a writer? In this two-mod course, students will reflect on who they are as writers, set goals for who they want to be, and engage in daily writing exercises. Short stories, poems, and essays will serve as models for our work. In the first module, students will write and revise creative, personal, and persuasive essays. In the second module, students will practice analytical writing, including the literary analysis essay.
Writing Plays for Production Creating the literature of the theatre requires a good ear for the way people communicate, a keen sense of imagination, an understanding of how theatre works, writing skills to give voice to one’s ideas, and a speaking ability to give verbal life to the written plays. This process also demands patience, rewrites, humor, and a general willingness to venture into this often undiscovered literature. Plays from this class are performed as part of the Playwrights’, Actors’, Directors’, Lighting Designers’ Festival (PADD).
EXPERIENCES
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Writing Short Stories Each of us has stories to tell, stories about ourselves and others. In this course, we begin by reading published stories as inspiration for writing our own stories, and continue with a sequence of short exercises designed to explore the various facets of short story writing. In the second half of the mod, we move into a formal workshop period, where each student develops a draft of an original story and receives feedback from peers and the teacher.
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Alexander the Great In 323 BCE, Alexander the Great died at the age of 33, leaving behind a massive empire and a legend that describes him as a benevolent ruler, a passionate murderer, a pupil of Aristotle, and a brilliant general. This course will explore the many facets of the character and history of Alexander the Great in an attempt to distill the historical truth from the deified myth. We will read several ancient biographies of Alexander, including those by Quintus Curtius Rufus, Plutarch, and Arrian, as well as several secondary sources, in order to solve the many mysteries that surround his life. Furthermore, we will examine how his mythology was perpetuated through his artistic representation on coins and in monumental sculpture.
Ancient Rome Using maps, art, and primary sources, we will discover how the small, collective cultivation of a valley grew into one of the world’s most expansive and powerful empires. This course will look at such topics as Roman religion, the gladiatorial spectacles, the Roman senate, and specific emperors in order to begin an exploration of the dynamic history and resounding impact of the empire, with a specific emphasis on using visual texts like monumental architecture and urban planning. This class encourages students to get comfortable with a wide range of skills including debate, seminar discussions, small group projects, and learning how to tackle challenging primary and secondary source texts.
The Art of Prediction
HISTORY
CSW’s history curriculum teaches students the fundamentals of writing and research while also exposing them to a broad range of historical events, movements, philosophies, and contexts from the ancient world to the modern day. All students must take U.S. History in addition to a series of core electives.
The 18th century worldview was an empowering one. As a result of the Scientific Revolution, the world and its history were predictable and orderly, subject to natural laws that humans could understand. The innovations in science and political thought in the 19th and 20th centuries profoundly changed this view, as truth and universal law gave way to a new emphasis on the common man and best fit models based on uncertainty, chance, and probability. The micro-history movement and the events leading to the development of the atomic bomb had radical implications for the theory and practices of both disciplines. We will examine the philosophy and methodology of history and science as they evolved to meet a new worldview in this period.
Borders This course will examine how borders shape our world and our world shapes our borders. From the Scramble for Africa to the Islamic State, the development of borders has played a key role in geopolitical matters. Students will discover who drew such borders and analyze why the modern world map looks like it does. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
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EXPERIENCES
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China Using both primary and secondary sources, students explore a 5,000-year-old history beginning with the last four dynasties and ending in modern-day China. Students read historical and contemporary material of both Chinese and Western authors, developing a perspective on the emergence of China on the world stage. Additionally, students examine the interaction between China and the West and how that has shaped China today. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Decolonizing Women: Shattering Oppression This course examines the colonization of women in disparate societies around the globe. Whether by imperialist forces, colonial occupation, war, patriarchy, dictatorship, or political movements among others, women have encountered a super-imposed culture that has warranted adaptations and transformations. This in turn has given rise to internal and external resistance. This course seeks to examine the origins and nature of these movements across the globe that have been generated by women for women. Incorporating their specific national, cultural, and traditional histories, this course will enable our students to learn about the impact colonization has had, and in some cases continues to have, on the development of women’s rights in regions far removed from their own. They will be able to make comparisons between their own (native) women’s movements, whether national or regional, and establish underlying connections between the movements on the whole. This course will also focus on the question of location; how does the location of a women’s movement influence its success? What relevance do culturally specific laws, common law, and traditional societies have on the emergence of women’s rights and movements from within their communities? This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Discovering India The Indian Subcontinent has a rich history of people, cultures, power, and movements. This course examines the origins of that history: the development of a powerful, ethnically diverse structure that unified and broke apart, was invaded, and withstood invasions. Students also explore the question of how a multilingual, multi‑ethnic, multi‑religious, and multi‑racial political entity that was once India produced a non‑violent movement only to divide into three distinct nations. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Food, Justice, Power Food, and access to food, has a close relationship to (social) justice and to the establishing and exercising of power. Together, these three forces create a triangle of advantage. With a concentration on food, justice, and power, this course
exposes the student to the discipline of history and to the skills that enable them to fully appreciate this study. These skills are subsequently reinforced in each department at CSW and early exposure to them for our incoming ninth-grade class allows for a growing familiarity and expertise with their use. Food, Justice, and Power also introduces the student to CSW, our shared vocabulary, and the communal mission that makes this school. It does this through the establishment of group guidelines, engaging in group discussions, and hands-on activities, among other projects, in order to enhance both the skill-based and community-based aspects of this course. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Global Dissent Dissent, with a U.S. or global focus, has been taught at CSW for well over two decades. Global Dissent looks at those perspectives that help give rise to change. We look at the origins of dissent, the definition of dissent, the definition of activism, and the many forms activism can take. Addressing both violent and non-violent movements, the course delves deeper into the motivation for protest, the question of protecting individual rights, and the question of minority rights that are lost in the process of majority rule. Students also examine leadership and the movements it can encourage. The course begins with a wide lens followed by an individualized focus on specific examples of dissent, activism, leadership, and protest. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
The Guillotine & The Gun: French & Russian Revolutions This course explores the origins, tumultuous paths, and impact of two of the world’s first truly modern revolutions. The French Revolution promised enlightened equality, but gave rise to the Terror and Napoleon’s dictatorship. The Russian Revolution promised a Marxist utopia, but resulted in the reign of Stalin and the subsequent slaughter of forty million people. Both revolutions also accorded an unprecedented and controversial public role to feminism, atheism, socialism, and anti‑imperialist ideologies, all of which we will explore. In a comparative manner, we will examine the key historical actors and ideas that contoured these revolutions, largely through the exploration of original documents, including speeches, philosophical treatises, diaries, political manifestos, and art. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Holocaust & Human Behavior The Holocaust is the most thoroughly documented example of human behavior in an extreme, man‑made situation. The study of this event can teach students the meaning of human dignity, morality, law, and citizenship. We investigate the roles and responsibilities of the individual within a given society, and students struggle with issues and dilemmas that defy simple solutions.
EXPERIENCES
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Why did it happen? What should they have done? What would I have done? The universal questions of morality and the lessons to be learned from a history of totalitarianism, racism, and dehumanization are not unique to the Holocaust. Comparisons and parallels are made to past and contemporary issues, events, and choices. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Human Rights in Motion Human rights are the fundamental rights of every man, woman, and child. They are so basic we assume we know what they are, where they come from, and what we can do with them. And yet, they are in constant motion, subject to interpretation by whoever wields power over other human beings. Our fundamental human rights today are changeable, much as they have been in the past. This course seeks to begin at the beginning, the establishment of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1950, and proceed from there to examine where we are today in respect to the acknowledgement and empowerment of human rights. It looks at the choices nations, leaders, and citizens have and the choices they make that either respect or impede the individual’s ability to enjoy their freedoms and opportunities. Students will be required to work independently and in groups, producing historical examinations and in-depth analysis of situations today where these fundamental human rights (may) have been violated. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Middle East This class begins with the fall of the Ottoman Empire and concludes with post-Arab Spring. We will first examine the map and the birth of the nation-state. We always keep religion and natural resources in our lens. We will also take significant time researching the state of Israel and possible peace plans with Palestinians and a one- or two-state solution. At the end, students present a self-directed research project that they have been working on independently. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Modern Africa This course introduces students to the political and economic conditions that have evolved in Africa since the late 19th century. Students consider how actors—both internal and external to African nations—shaped these conditions. We engage these issues through thematic case studies of various African nations. In addition, students perform research on a wide range of topics pertinent to African countries. Course topics include the European colonization and exploitation of Africa, national independence movements, Apartheid, African popular culture, and contemporary crises facing African countries such as poverty, political corruption, civil war, and AIDS. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
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Modern Japan Japan is a country that remade itself twice in a century. First, it transformed itself from a feudal society to a modern nationstate during the Meiji Restoration in 1868, and then from a militarist empire to a modern democratic nation after World War II. Beginning in the pre-empirical age of the Tokugawa Shogunate this course looks at Japan’s emergence into the Western perspective following the arrival of Commodore Perry and the gradual yet determined assertion of Japanese influence over “Greater East Asia.” Using primary and secondary sources, this course will examine the remaking of Japan after World War II and its place on the Asian and Western stage today. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Rocking the Schoolhouse: U.S. History of Education This class will examine the history of American Education. From the oneroom schoolhouse to the Race to the Top, students will leave with a deep understanding of how America educates its K-12 students. History of Education will study the major areas of theory and pedagogy. The class will understand local, state, and federal oversight for education; from funding to curricular. Students will also learn how to lesson plan in different educational
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philosophies and evaluate pedagogy from the traditional to progressive. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Totalitarianism: Past & Present “Totalitarianism is not only hell, but also the dream of paradise...” — Milan Kundera. This course takes students on a fascinating exploration of the totalitarian and fascistic tendencies that have proven to be alluring alternatives to the democratic states and societies. These movements were often shrouded with utopian promises against a backdrop of apocalyptic struggles, regardless of the temporal or geographic location of the totalitarian movement. We begin by examining five national case-studies drawn from Europe and Asia between the 1920s and 1960s. We then investigate more modern iterations of fundamentalism, including political, racial, and religious fundamentalism. The class concludes by focusing on the nature and appeal of cults. A final project invites students to tie the course’s main themes together. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
EXPERIENCES
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U.S. Cold War & Vietnam The period of history from 1945 to 1990 has been labeled the Cold War. Students study the role of the United States in this conflict with emphasis on the Vietnam ordeal, both at home and abroad, through primary sources including letters and poetry, wide‑ranging secondary sources, music, and film. Students will further their understanding of the relationships between diplomacy and war, domestic and foreign policy, and propaganda and protest. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
U.S. Constitution U.S. Constitution is a hands-on, projectbased class that seeks to examine the roots and development of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and then asks students to apply the document practically to several real and fictional Supreme Court cases. Students begin the module with factual readings, the Federalist Papers, and smaller debates and general discussion. As the mod progresses, the assignments become more difficult and intense (briefing cases like Marbury v. Madison and Tinker v. Des Moines School District), culminating in the preparation and presentation of oral arguments for a mock Supreme Court in two cases, and sitting as a justice for one. Much of the grading for the class is done in groups, rather than individually, and
students are asked to trust and depend on their peers while making sure to hold up their own end of the workload. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
U.S. Environmental History How did European cattle wage war on the Wampanoag in colonial Massachusetts? When did miners and farmers fight for the soul of California? How did soil make decisions about what slavery would look like in the Cotton South? How did capitalist ideas affect changes in the landscape of New England? How does the difference of 20 inches of rain per year lead to drastic differences in population, politics, and culture between Eastern and Western states? What myths do we tell ourselves when we visit our national parks? Why does a statue built in 1919 in downtown Enterprise, Alabama depict a woman holding up a giant bug? How are we, through globalization, forcing ourselves to change the way we talk about the natural world? With this introduction to the newest field of American History, we will learn to study history by looking at the roles humans play within ecosystems and the effects of those ecosystems on human society. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
U.S. History: Race in America What does it mean to be a citizen of the United States? What does it mean to be allowed to be a citizen of the United States? The history of who does and does not become a citizen begins with the establishment of a racial divide at the very foundation of the colonies that would evolve into a nation ostensibly founded on democratic principles. This course examines the colonization and creation of a racebased society, bending and eliminating evidence of previous indigenous societies and establishing groups on the basis of a caste system. The course takes a thematic approach and uses a curated selection of materials and documentation to address the racial history of citizenship and noncitizenship of the United States. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
U.S. Jailhouse Nation!: History of Crime, Punishment, and Mass Incarceration Jailhouse Nation! explores America’s long and troubled history with crime, punishment, and prisons. By first examining how both crime and thus the “criminal” are socially and historically constructed, students will consider the role of violence and systematic punishment in Puritan New England, the slave South, and later, the modern United States. The institution of slavery will provide an important framework to help students understand how new modes of punishment (namely, incarceration in jails and prisons) emerged alongside the abolition of slavery. Furthermore, we
will examine the role of post-emancipation prison regimes in shaping popular (mis) understandings of “race” and the idea of “black criminality.” Lastly, we will discuss the rise of the carceral state in the 20th and 21st centuries, noting long historical parallels and the roles of contemporary political and economic forces driving the prison boom. Throughout the course we will consider the distinct experiences of punishment for men, women, children, African Americans, whites, Latinos, sexual minorities, and non-citizens in order to tease out the specific relationships between race, class, gender, and punishment at various moments in American History. Within our broader exploration of state-based punishment policies, we will also consider community resistance to policing and incarceration and the rise of so-called prison abolitionists. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
U.S. Markets and Labor How has the relationship between capital and labor developed and evolved? What are the ideas behind capitalism and how does it actually work? What is neoliberalism and what does globalization mean? How have labor’s ideas, goals, and methods changed and how have those ideas and struggles influenced capitalism? What struggles does labor face today? Are labor unions “American?” Who has resisted the market revolution? How and why? Does anyone know? This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
U.S. Native Americans Before Europeans arrived, indigenous cultures thrived in the Americas. This course will start by examining their ancient past and move through the impact that Native Americans have had on the development of the United States and vice versa. The indigenous population of North America contains a vast array of cultural diversity. How do our own assumptions about Native Americans compare to their experiences? We will examine how Native Americans have managed to overcome (or adapt to) genocide, warfare, disease, assimilation, and massive land loss in order to retain their unique cultural identities. We will explore the development of Native American history from the early years of the United States through the radical political movements of the 1970s to contemporary issues Native Americans face. This course will also push students to think of new ways to study history. How can we understand a culture, or cultures, so different from our own, especially when there are no traditional historical documents left? This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
U.S. Rebels and Revolutionaries in American Dance You don’t have to be a dance fan to find this topic arresting. As in visual art, music, and theatre, dance pioneers throughout the 20th century challenged the current artistic dogma and rebelled against tradition. The arts are a lens through which we may glimpse how generations and cultures have viewed their worlds. Political and social upheavals and technological breakthroughs in the 20th century, such as the Industrial Revolution, Women’s Suffrage, WWI, WWII, Civil Rights, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the drug culture, urbanization, and women’s liberation, affected and were reflected in the dances of their time. Often, these artists were ridiculed, repressed, or marginalized, yet their new ideas and aesthetics kept flowing across racial and social boundaries. We will look at African American dance pioneers and their white counterparts and follow them all the way through to what dance artists (and maybe you, too) struggle with today. Autobiographies, dance master‑pieces on video, reviews, interviews, and historical commentaries will reveal what the dances have to tell us “between the lines.” This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
U.S. Youth Subcultures This course explores the role of subcultures in contributing to the cultural spectrum of the United States between the 1920s and the 21st century. Studying subcultures can reveal as much about the shadows of society in which they resided as it does the mainstream. Subcultures also represent a unique intersection of radical political ideologies and innovative artistic trends, often expressed through a group’s attachment to a specific genre of music, social outlet, and/or fashion. We will examine the value systems of, and the broader historical contexts that gave rise to: the flappers, hipsters and beatniks, greasers, hippies, the hip‑hop and punk rock scenes, and street art. We will also focus on the ways in which society has repeatedly co‑opted these previously marginal movements, rendering them into yet another popular means of corporatized mass consumption. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
World Religions This class will examine the origins and practices of major world religions. We will examine religion and our relationship with it. The class will explore the main characters and practices of these religions and how they have spread and developed. We will also explore the main schisms in such religions and analyze why and how they happened. By the end of the class, we will develop a comparative study and identify commonalities and differences between these faiths. We will also explore religious tensions in current domestic and international arenas. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
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French 1: Fundamentals In this introductory course, students will focus on the key areas of world language study: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, as well as Francophone cultures. Students practice pronunciation, vocabulary, and structure, and learn three verb tenses: the present, past, and immediate future. Classwork incorporates creative interactive activities, music, conversation, and games to reinforce vocabulary and grammar. This course serves as an introduction to the many aspects of a foreign culture, specifically the opportunity to analyze and compare cultural practices, products, and perspectives of various French-speaking regions.
French 2: Transitions In this course, students continue to expand their knowledge of essential grammatical concepts and vocabulary topics. Students will begin to comprehend listening and reading passages more fully. They will be able to express themselves more meaningfully in both speaking and writing. Classwork reinforces grammatical structures and pronunciation, as students engage in more complex conversation. Short stories, video segments in French, and cultural projects using the Internet and movies vary the course content and activities. This course also gives students the opportunity to analyze and compare cultural practices, products, and perspectives of various French-speaking countries.
French 3A: Intermediate French 3A is an immersion course in which students will augment their proficiency in the French language. Students will delve deeply into the language through the study of Francophone culture and current events. This course synthesizes the grammar covered in French 1 and French 2 and introduces more advanced grammar, such as relative pronouns, the conditional tense, and other concepts. Students will use authentic sources like podcasts, videos, newspaper articles, and songs to learn and interpret a variety of topics in French. This is a highly communicative course and the students will work both individually and collaboratively in class and on assessments such as projects and presentations.
LANGUAGE
French 3B: Intermediate-Advanced
The CSW Language Department offers instruction in French, Mandarin, and Spanish, with coursework that addresses all four language areas: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The Language Department also offers off-campus study courses, during which students participate in an immersive, intensive, and interdisciplinary experience learning in China and Taiwan, France, or Latin America.
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EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
During this two-module course, we read the original version of Le Petit Prince written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and watch excerpts of different film adaptations. French songs from the musical of Le Petit Prince by Richard Cocchante are used to reinforce the understanding of the text. For some chapters, where the little prince is visiting other planets, students work in teams to lead activities and act out a scene. In this famous novel, Saint-Exupéry makes observations about life and human nature. One example is when a fox that the young prince meets in the desert says “On ne voit bien qu’avec le cœur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.” (“One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”).
Students will reflect on their own lives and give examples to illustrate their thoughts. As a final project, students write an essay where they imagine that the little prince travels to a new planet, meets its inhabitants, and learns from them during his visit. This course awards credit toward the social justice graduation requirement.
French Elective I: The Chips are Down During this two-module course, we read parts of the script Les jeux sont faits, written by Jean-Paul Sartre in 1943, and watch the film adaptation made in 1947. The title translates to “The chips are down,” an idiomatic French expression that means “the bets have been placed.” The story is set in Paris, suggestive of occupied France during World War II. We will discuss existentialism, a philosophy illustrated by the author that drives the core values of the characters in the book. We will also cover advanced grammar, current events, songs, podcasts, and articles. This class is also suitable for heritage speakers and is conducted in a 100% immersion setting. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
French Elective II: Literature and Arts During this two-module course, students will explore visual art and theater to travel through French literature. They will study calligrams by Guillaume Apollinaire and then write and draw their own. Students will also discover French literature through texts of Alphonse Allais and adapt them into modern skits. They will read and study La Parure, a short novel by Guy de Maupassant, as well as different poems by Jacques Prévert. The class will explore part of the poem “Chanson d’Automne,” by Paul Verlaine, which was used as a code on the London Radio to start resistance events before the D-Day landings. The class will also cover advanced grammar, current news events, songs, podcasts, and articles. This class is also suitable for heritage speakers and is conducted in a 100% immersion setting. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
French Elective III: La Culture Francophone This course will help students expand their knowledge of French-speaking countries’ culture, history (colonial and post-colonial eras will be covered), and geography. They will also study the impact of the social aspect of French in Frenchspeaking countries and around the world. Instructional material in this course will enable students to use the conditional and subjunctive tenses and talk about the past with increasing ease, distinguishing which tense to use and when. Lastly, this course will help students hone their listening skills to enhance their understanding of native speech patterns on a variety of topics. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
French Elective IV: Aperçu du Monde Contemporain This two-module course is an advanced language course that prepares students who aspire to expand their knowledge of the modern world and who desire to continue with French in college. The course uses as its foundation the three modes of communication: interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational. The course is conducted exclusively in French in an 100% immersion setting. We will revisit the political, economic, social, and cultural hot topics around the world and see how they are viewed and dealt with in selected countries. We will cover key points such as: gender identity, capital punishment, and the contemporary perception of social justice, among other concepts. This course is also designed to teach language structures in context; it is focused on the development of fluency to convey meaning. An intensive oral practice designed to further skills in listening comprehension, speaking, and reading through the use of videos, films, fiction, and articles will be applied. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Mandarin 1: Fundamentals This course is designed for students who are interested in learning Mandarin and Chinese culture. As an introductory level course, we start with locating China on the world map, taking a glimpse into Chinese culture, and the pinyin system (pronunciation) to open the door to the fascinating world of Mandarin, while also developing students’ listening, speaking, writing, and reading skills. The focus for Mandarin 1 will be on speaking and listening skills, as well as the building of a solid foundation for Chinese character writing. Through daily homework, in-class exercises, quizzes, and supplementary materials, students learn the aforementioned language skills to communicate in real-life situations, with greetings, family, dates and time, hobbies, visiting friends, etc. This course integrates the iPad and various educational technology, using internet services such as G Suite by Google, Quizlet, Kahoot, and Dropbox to create an interactive learning environment. Aside from developing basic language skills, this course also introduces various traditional and modern cultural customs and practices in literature, music, media, and performing arts to the classroom to enrich the students’ understanding of Chinese culture.
Mandarin 2: Transitions This course is designed for students who have acquired basic knowledge of Mandarin Chinese through Mandarin 1 or an equivalent course. Through daily homework, in-class exercises, quizzes, and supplementary materials, students advance the skills learned from the previous course and continue gaining language skills (vocabulary, grammar, writing, etc.) to communicate in real-life situations, such as asking directions, seeing a doctor, dating, sports and travel, and other related topics.
EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
Students will also begin to read Chinese texts with no (or minimal) aid of pinyin. This course further integrates educational technology into the classroom, drawing on tools such as Dropbox, G-Suite apps, Quizlet, Kahoot, and other services to create an interactive learning environment. In addition, complementary materials such as Chinese arts, traditional/modern performing arts, and popular culture (pop songs, films, TV drama, etc.) will be incorporated in lessons to enhance the students’ comprehension of Chinese culture as a whole.
Mandarin 3A: Intermediate This two-module intermediate-level course is designed for students who have already acquired knowledge of fundamental Mandarin Chinese through Mandarin 1 and 2 or equivalent courses. This course maintains the basic structures of the Mandarin 1 and 2 classes, which include daily homework, inclass exercises, quizzes, and supplementary materials. Students will be expected to expand their vocabulary substantially through lengthy dialogues and be able to engage in meaningful conversation on topics such as holidays, social changes in China, traveling, health, and so on. Students are also expected to read Chinese texts with no aid of pinyin. This course integrates current educational technology, such as Quizlet, Dropbox, Google G Suite apps, Kahoot, and other programs to create an interactive learning environment.
Mandarin 3B: Intermediate-Advanced This two-module advanced level course is designed for students who have already acquired knowledge of intermediate Mandarin Chinese through Mandarin 3A or equivalent courses. Topics covered will expand to computer and internet communication, working as an intern, China’s educational system, and geography. Students will have the opportunity to zoom into the city culture of China through diverse visual materials via Yabla and other internet educational resources. In addition, complementary materials, such as Chinese art, traditional or contemporary performing arts (e.g. Peking opera and Chinese traditional music), and popular culture (pop songs, films, TV drama, etc.) will also be incorporated in lessons to provide an immersive learning experience.
Mandarin Elective: Chinese Society and Culture through the Looking Glass This two-module advanced Mandarin course explores Chinese society and culture through literature, media, and performing arts. It covers a wide range of topics including Chinese cultural tradition, literary trends in history, contemporary social issues, various forms of linguistic arts and visual arts, and more. Students will read classic and contemporary literature, compose and perform a “spoken drama” of their chosen topic, appreciate different musical pieces, and watch Chinese movies or TV shows and discuss the issues involved. This course will put students’ listening, speaking,
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reading, and writing skills to the test and further explore their potential to fluently communicate in Mandarin and exhibit a sophisticated understanding of Chinese society and culture This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
culture. Students maintain both science and Spanish journals as they travel. There is an extra charge for this course. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Off Campus to China and Taiwan
In this class, students will begin their acquaintance with the Spanish language. They will start to develop their listening comprehension and oral expression in the language. Students will learn how to talk about themselves and others and how to communicate their likes and dislikes. Some of the grammar covered includes: regular and irregular verbs in the present tense, numbers, days of the week, expressions of weather, time, daily routines, descriptive adjectives, possessive adjectives, direct and indirect object pronouns, and the present progressive and preterite tenses. Students will also learn about Hispanic traditions and culture. They will engage in listening, speaking and writing and will be expected to use Spanish to the best of their ability.
In this course, students travel to China and Taiwan to strengthen their Mandarin Chinese as well as learn about the history, geography, culture, life, arts, and people in these two different Chinese societies. Students will learn to better understand and appreciate American perspective and culture through the discovery of China’s and Taiwan’s. Students will attend classes and stay in homestays in China and Taiwan. Students will keep personal journals, contribute to a group blog, and complete a personally designed research project. There is an additional charge for the course, which is offered every other year. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Off Campus to France Students will travel to France for four weeks for a program of total immersion in French language, history, and culture. During the first week prior to departure, the group will have an intensive orientation on the culture, art, history, and architecture of France, during which they will spend time working on their project presentations. They will finish the first week with presentations of their findings. The following four weeks will be spent in Montpellier, France. The students will take a French course and explore the area and important sites. During the last three days of the trip, they will tour Paris and Versailles. During their stay in France, they will live with carefully selected host families. While traveling, students will keep a journal and fulfill other requirements in accordance with their language and/or art background. Upon their return, students will prepare mandatory projects, including a research paper on their on-site findings, to earn full credit. There is an extra charge for the course. This course is offered every other year. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Off Campus to Neotropics of Latin America Offered every other year, this trip is a cooperative effort between the Language and Science Departments. Students will travel to Panama to take part in an immersive program to study tropical ecosystems, Spanish language, and Latin American culture. In the science component, students travel to various tropical ecosystems and conduct field experiments and projects. The challenges of economic development and sustainable agriculture are examined in an interdisciplinary manner. The language program consists of homestays with local families, organized field trips, and an opportunity for students to experience full immersion with regard to language and
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Spanish 1: Fundamentals
Spanish 2: Transitions In this class, students will enhance their proficiency in the Spanish language through interpersonal communication and the study of grammar and culture. Students will work both individually and in small groups to complete projects and other assignments geared toward expanding their listening comprehension, oral proficiency, and written expression in Spanish. They will be able to communicate about topics such as: doctor’s visits, travel, nutrition, and topics of personal interest. By the end of the course the students will be able to use: the present indicative, the preterite and imperfect tenses, direct and indirect object pronouns, double object pronouns, comparatives, relative pronouns, stressed possessive adjectives, por, para, and formal and familiar commands. Students are expected to use Spanish to the best of their ability, as this course is conducted primarily in Spanish.
Spanish 3A: Intermediate Spanish 3A is an immersion course in which students will expand their proficiency in the Spanish language. Students will delve deeply into the language through the study of Hispanic culture and current events. This course synthesizes the grammar covered in Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 and introduces the present perfect, the pluperfect, the present subjunctive, and the conditional and future tenses. Students will use authentic sources like podcasts, videos, newspaper articles, and songs to learn and communicate about a variety of topics in Spanish. This is a highly communicative course and students will work individually and collaboratively in class and on assessments such as projects and presentations.
Spanish 3B: Intermediate-Advanced Spanish 3B is an immersion course in which all communication takes place in Spanish. This course is designed to augment the students’ oral/aural proficiency, reading comprehension, and written expression.
EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
Students will explore themes related to the environment, human rights, and Latin American history in depth. Students will be tasked with creating projects and presentations utilizing authentic resources. They will conduct their research and present in Spanish. In this course, which is collaborative and highly communicative, students can expect to work both individually and in small groups.
Spanish Elective I: Music from Latin America and Spain This course offers a musical exploration of Latin American and Spanish history and culture. We will focus on protest songs, music from the diaspora, contemporary music, and folkloric music. The artists and songs selected allow for the exploration of topics such as: national independence, human rights, and Hispanic identity. This is an immersion course and is conducted entirely in Spanish. This course develops different language proficiencies including: listening, reading, speaking, and writing. There will be a slight emphasis on listening and speaking as we appreciate and learn about music. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Spanish Elective II: Labor, Benefits, and Rights In this course, students will learn vocabulary used to discuss work, job benefits, and other expressions related to the working world. They will also learn about workers’ rights around the Spanish-speaking world and contrast them with what they see in their own home country/ies. The class will finish with a job-interview project in which students vie for jobs created by their peers. This course develops the core language proficiencies of reading, writing, listening, and speaking, but focuses more deeply on listening and speaking, especially when it comes to the final project. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Spanish Elective III: The Evolution of Art in the Spanish-Speaking World In this course, students will learn about popular culture, social justice, history, and artistic movements like Cubism and Surrealism by viewing, discussing, and analyzing works by artists ranging from El Greco to more contemporary artists. There will be field trips to art museums and murals in communities in the Boston area. Towards the end of the module, each student will choose one artist and will present, describe, and analyze two of the artist’s works. This course develops the core language proficiencies of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. There will be an emphasis on speaking and listening when the students present, describe, and analyze works of art in Spanish. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Spanish Elective IV: Spanish Caribbean This course will explore Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic through the lens of history, culture, and literature. We will examine colonial identities in the region and explore the relationship of the Spanish Caribbean with the United States. This is an immersion course and is conducted entirely in Spanish. This course develops different language proficiencies including: listening, reading, speaking, and writing. There will be a slight emphasis on reading, writing, and speaking as we study different resources on the Spanish Caribbean. This class is also suitable for heritage speakers and is conducted in a 100% immersion setting. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Spanish Elective V: Current Events in the Spanish-Speaking World In this course, students will examine current events in the Spanish-speaking world along with their historical roots. Each week will be dedicated to a different region of the Spanish-speaking world. Sources will include articles from Spanish-language newspapers and magazines, podcasts, news clips, and blogs. This course develops the core language proficiencies of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. There will be an emphasis on listening (listening to the news and podcasts in Spanish), speaking (discussing and presenting current events), and reading (reading articles in online Spanish-language magazines and newspapers). This class is appropriate for heritage speakers and is conducted in a 100% immersion setting. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Spanish Elective VI: Passion of Multitude — Understanding Latin American Soccer through Galeano’s Eyes Using Eduardo Galeano’s text titled Soccer in Sun and Shadow, students will explore the game of soccer as a cultural practice in Latin America in order to understand how and why it has become the most popular sport in this region. Students will study the biographies of celebrated players, and all members of the class will discuss legendary World Cup games stretching from the 1930s until the 21st century. The students will read texts and watch documentaries and clips of classic games. All members of the class will be assessed on their performance across the three modes of communication: interpersonal, presentational, and interpretive. The evaluation will be proficiency based on the following skills: interpersonal speaking and listening, presentational writing, interpretive reading, and interpretive listening. This class is appropriate for heritage speakers and is conducted in a 100% immersion setting. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
Spanish Elective VII: Selected Stories of Cortázar This course will examine selected writings of Argentine writer Julio Cortázar. Through these readings, students will engage with the literary predecessors, history, and culture reflected in these stories, while learning the vocabulary of the surreal and understanding Cortázar’s and Latin America’s place in the sphere of modern literature. This course focuses on the language proficiency areas of reading, writing, listening, and speaking, but will focus primarily on reading and analysis of text, followed by writing and speaking. This class is appropriate for heritage speakers and is conducted in a 100% immersion setting. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Spanish Elective VIII: Latinx Films In this course, students will explore the representation of the Latinx community in film. They will discuss issues of language, race, immigration, gender, social class, and the outcome of such representations in the wider community. We will examine films produced and distributed by mainstream film industries, as well as independent productions directed, written, and distributed by Latinx filmmakers. All members of the class will be assessed on their performance across the three modes of communication: interpersonal, presentational, and interpretive. The evaluation will be proficiency based on the following skills: interpersonal speaking and listening, presentational writing, interpretive reading, and interpretive listening. This class is appropriate for heritage speakers and is conducted in a 100% immersion setting. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
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Algebra 1
MATHEMATICS
In addition to foundational courses in algebra (1 and 2), geometry, and quantitative reasoning, the CSW mathematics program offers an unprecedented variety of coursework in fields beyond the typical high school curriculum. Following the completion of core courses, students may choose to pursue a more applied or theoretical path.
This course is a standard first-year algebra course. Topics covered include: signed numbers, rational numbers, linear equations, systems of equations, word problems, exponents, polynomials, quadratic equations, factoring, the quadratic formula, graphing, and radical and fractional expressions. Students are expected to have solid arithmetic skills before beginning this course, and calculators will not be used until students are comfortable with arithmetic. This course emphasizes understanding of basic concepts as well as the development of solid algebra skills.
Algebra 2A Algebra 2A is an extension of concepts learned in a typical Algebra 1 curriculum. Students will build on prior knowledge of Algebra 1 concepts and learn to apply new techniques to problems that require higher order thinking skills and group collaboration. A variety of instructional practices including (but not limited to) explorations; self-discovery; group projects; and teacher-led class discussion will be utilized to support students as they develop a variety of problem-solving techniques of mathematical topics such as statistics (probability, analyzing data), sequences and series, solving linear and quadratic equations and inequalities, functions notation, systems of equations and inequalities, fundamentals of matrices, conic sections, and simple math modeling. Technology will be used to introduce and expand upon the areas of study listed above.
Algebra 2B Algebra 2B is a continuation of the concepts developed in Algebra 2A. Students will learn to apply the techniques learned in the first half of Algebra 2 to more abstract concepts that are fundamental to students’ success on college entrance exams. A variety of instructional practices including (but not limited to) explorations; self-discovery; group projects; and teacher-led class discussion will be utilized to support students as they apply problem-solving techniques to topics such as polynomial functions, rational functions, radical functions, exponential functions, logarithmic functions, trigonometry, and advanced math modeling. Technology will be used to introduce and expand upon the areas of study listed above.
Algebra 2B+ This Algebra 2B class is designed for students who have completed Algebra 1 or Transition to Algebra 2 at CSW. Students participating in this 3-module Algebra 2B may skip Algebra 2A based on experience gained in Algebra 1 or Transition to Algebra 2. Students finishing Algebra 2B+ will complete the Algebra 2 graduation requirement.
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EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
Analytic Geometry
Calculus C: Series
Discrete Math
This course combines algebra and coordinate geometry, and the techniques of this combination are used to study vectors in 2D and 3D space, parametrically defined curves, conic sections, and polar coordinates. Additional topics covered vary but may include: advanced topics in Euclidean geometry, non-Euclidean geometry, quadric surfaces, and isometries of the plane.
This course is the third of three courses in Calculus. It includes the study of sequences, series, power series, Taylor and Maclaurin series, parametric equations, and polar coordinates. After this course students will be prepared to take the AP Calculus BC exam. Students are expected to have and use a Texas Instruments programmable graphing calculator.
This course covers combinatorics, probability, matrices, sequences, series, and recursively defined functions. The course may also include an introduction to programming the {TI‑83 Plus} calculator.
Calculus AB: Differentiation and Integration
Computer Science I
Differential Calculus includes the study of limits, continuity, and derivatives of algebraic, transcendental, and trigonometric functions. Applications of the derivative include optimization, related rates, examples from the natural and social sciences, and graphing of functions. Integral Calculus includes the study of definite integrals and areas, the fundamental theorems of calculus, techniques of integration, computation of volumes, arc length, average of a function, separable differential equations and slope fields, and applications to physics, chemistry, and engineering. After this course students will be prepared to take the AP Calculus AB exam.
Economics in the World
Computer Science I lays the foundation for computer science learning. Students learn and practice using algorithmic thinking for problem solving, as well as gaining an introduction to computer programming.
What does it mean to live in a global economy? In this class students will be introduced to an overview of microeconomics and macroeconomics. By analyzing market trends associated with historical events between the 1900s and the present time, students will learn how changes in policies have shaped global economies.
Computer Science II
Elementary Functions
Computer Science II builds on the foundations laid in Computer Science I. Students will work more with algorithms and data structures, and they will also continue to develop their skills in computer programming. With a common foundation in place, students will be able to push into more sophisticated thinking and programming.
This course is an introduction to a general study of functions. Topics covered include polynomial functions, exponential and logarithmic functions and their properties, graphs, and applications. It is a prerequisite for Calculus.
EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
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Examining Media as a Mirror: A Statistical and Visual Approach to Deconstructing False Narratives Who does the media say we are? What does it mean if we are seeing our reflections in a false media mirror? How can we analyze and describe the types of distortions that we are seeing? Students will use a statistical and visual art approach to explore the portrayal of various demographics in the media. How are non-dominant groups such as women, racial and ethnic minorities, and LGBT people in the media portrayed? How are dominant groups portrayed? How do these stories shape the narratives in which we all live? Students will examine metrics such as screen time, dialogue, and casting through statistical tools such as t-tests, chi-square tests, and linear regressions to reveal the underlying distortions in what we see. They will then use visual art techniques such as compilation, montage, and the film essay to explore and deconstruct cliches and stereotypes and create graphs of discovered data, trends and patterns to explore and process the data. The final project will be a self-portrait that explores the ideas of false mirrors versus authentic narrative. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Fundamentals of Calculus This course will serve as an introduction to the two main ideas of Calculus— differentiation and integration. If you want to know what Calculus is about before taking it in college, this course is for you.
Geometry
Math Lab
Robotics: Design
Math Lab is a D Block offering, two days a week. Students may sign up for this course if they want extra support for a math class they are taking, or if they want to review material for an upcoming course. The course is limited in size and requires permission of the instructor and the Academic Office.
Robotics Design is a course designed for students who are interested in the design and engineering of robots. Students will study past, current, and future use of automation technology in industrial and everyday use. Through a comprehensive overview of robotic systems and the subsystems that comprise them, students will work in teams to design, build, and document their progress. There will be class competitions and engineering challenges using the remote-controlled VEX robotic system to provide students with opportunities to apply their knowledge to robotic systems.
Math Modeling The aim of this class is to introduce students to the basic concepts of applied statistics and data science. Students will learn how to clean and filter data, analyze large data sets, utilize math modeling programs, implement data visualization techniques, and create and interpret math models. Though coding will be utilized in this course, no experience with coding is required.
Multi-Variable Calculus Students will learn how to differentiate and integrate functions with multiple variables. In this class students will cover topics such as vector functions, partial derivatives, multiple integrals, and vector calculus. As a result of this class, students will be able to better understand the connection between single-variable calculus and multivariable calculus. Students will further their logical thinking while also being introduced to different abstract topics in mathematics. Students will be exposed to higher-level mathematics that will better prepare them for the rigors of a college math program.
Origins of World Math
This accelerated geometry course offers a concentrated exploration of deductive reasoning, preparing students for problemsolving on the ACT and SAT exams.
Who came up with math? How did they do it and why? In this course, students will learn about the historical origins of mathematics around the world, across the continents and ancient cultures, such as the Mayans, the Aztecs, the Egyptians, and the ancient Chinese. For instance, how did we come to use the Arabic number system? Where did zero originate? Did the Mayans know trigonometry? How did these ancient cultures develop such sophisticated mathematics with no modern technologies? Why did mathematics evolve the way it did in each of these civilizations? How did this lead to modern mathematics?
Introduction to Linear Algebra
Re‑Ordering Chaos
Geometry develops logical thinking through proofs and attention to definitions. It gives students a new way of looking at the world by analyzing the symmetries and patterns around them, and it develops practical skills through applications. This course covers the standard topics in a college-preparatory course in geometry.
Geometry Proofs
In this class students will use matrices to learn how linear algebra is being applied in various fields. The class will cover content including matrix operations, row-reductions, determinants, vector space, eigenvalues, and transformations. From this course students will be able to further their understanding of the connection between geometry and algebra. In addition, students will further their logical thinking while being introduced to different abstract topics in mathematics. This course will expose students to higher-level mathematics that will better prepare them for the rigors of a college math program.
Using math and visual arts, students will explore a variety of questions, assumptions, projects, and theories that challenge stereotypes about math and art. Possible topics could include the following: the meaning of zero and infinity, the square root of two, Platonic Sections, the geometry of five pointed stars, what makes math beautiful, what makes art practical, what is the role of chaos and creative risk taking in math, why does art require discipline and order, what happens with fractals, and more.
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EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
Robotics: Programming This course will engage students in the programming of a VEX robot. Students will be introduced to basic programming and problem-solving strategies associated with robot systems. Through hands-on projects and activities, students will work in teams to build and program several autonomous robots using Robot C, while learning to document their progress. Topics may include motor control, gear ratios, torque, friction, sensors, timing, program loops, logic gates, decisionmaking, timing sequences, propulsion systems, and binary number systems.
Statistics The study of statistics applies the calculations and deductive thinking of mathematics to the real-world problems of the social sciences, the decision‑making needs of medicine and business, and the laboratory methods and experimental procedures of the natural sciences. This course covers descriptive statistics including the standard deviation and the normal distribution, and inferential statistics, including sampling and confidence intervals, the chi‑square test, and curve fitting.
Trigonometry This course combines a practical study of right and oblique triangle trigonometry with a theoretical study of the trigonometric functions as periodic functions; it also prepares the student for the treatment of trigonometric functions covered in calculus and is a prerequisite for calculus.
Beat Making Beat Making is a class designed for students who want to explore the process of beat making in music production. Students will explore the elements of rhythm through the lens of contemporary music styles like Hiphop, Dub, House, Techno/Trance, EDM, IDM, Jungle, Dubstep, Drum & Bass, among other genres. Software and hardware will be used to develop a basic understanding of how to create beats and loops in songwriting. Projects will be assigned throughout the mod on a daily basis and shared with the class for review and appreciation. Students will have their own Soundcloud accounts. Over-the-ear headphones and laptops with an installed DAW (Garageband, Logic Pro, Ableton, etc) will be required.
Chorus The chorus works intensively in preparation for end-of-mod performances. In addition to rehearsing the featured repertoire, we also focus on developing good choral skills, including sight singing and rhythm skills, breathing and tone production, diction, and solo repertoire. Examples of a typical repertoire from recent years include Britten’s “Hymn to St. Cecilia,” the Brahms and Mozart “Requiems,” Handel’s “Dettinger Te Deum,” Mercury’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and Thompson’s “Alleluia.”
Critiquing Music This course will equip the student with the skills to listen to, understand, and critique music. Through comparison we will explore specific compositions and discuss abstract and concrete musical themes as they relate to music. This course is open to all students. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Ear Training 1 For a developing musician, ear training is one of the most essential skills. Students will learn how to recognize melodies, harmonies, and rhythms in both notated and aural exercises. Students will be given the tools to transcribe and perform their favorite music on an instrument, or voice regardless of style. Level 1 skills include: • Four basic triad types and Sus 2 and 4 • ii‑V‑I, I‑V‑vi‑IV, and other diatonic chord progressions • All intervals (diatonic and chromatic) • Conducting basic patterns of 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 • Transcription of 4 bar diatonic dictated melodies
MUSIC
At CSW, coursework in the visual and performing arts carries as much weight and rigor and requires as much discipline as traditional academic subjects. We offer a broad range of courses in dance, music, theatre, and visual arts. Students are expected to have taken courses in three of these four disciplines by the time they graduate.
EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
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Ear Training 2 For a developing musician, ear training is one of the most essential skills. Students will learn how to recognize melodies, harmonies, and rhythms in both notated and aural exercises. Students will be given the tools to transcribe and perform their favorite music on an instrument or voice, regardless of style. Level 2 skills include: • All Level 1 skills • Seventh chords and other tensions • Compound time signatures and odd meters • Hindemith combined action drills • Transcription of chromatic melodies
Film Scoring This course will cover the important techniques of film scoring. Students will have to compose music for specific scenes using our digital software program Finale®. Collaboration with students in other disciplines will be greatly encouraged. Guest artists working in the film industry will be invited to campus to share their expertise.
Improvisation Techniques This performance-oriented class introduces basic skills essential to effective improvisation. Techniques covered include memorization procedure for song melody and harmony, listening skills, exercise design, pacing, chord‑tone soloing, tempo accuracy, swing rhythmic feel, melodic and rhythmic embellishment of song melody, and soloing with play‑along CDs. The student will be helped in the development of effective practice skills. Books, audio recordings, and videos will be used for demonstration, practice, and performance activities.
Instrumental Ensemble This group is designed to work on pieces in preparation for concerts, collectively and with other performing arts disciplines (choral concerts, dance concerts, multimedia performances). In addition to a general performance, smaller ensembles of players will be arranged and coached by music faculty members. We will be working toward performing both in student recitals and more formal concert settings.
Jazz Ensemble Students learn to perform jazz standards in a group setting. Emphasis is on establishing a repertoire, building skills in improvisation, and performance. Students are expected to sign up for two consecutive mods of this course. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
the building blocks of music. Additional topics covered include: the historical evolution of keyboard instruments, how to become a better sight‑reader, negotiating notation practices in piano writing, keyboard repertoire, improvisation, and memorization. The course will end with an informal, low‑pressure “recital” using our Mugar Arts Center Steinway Model M.
Are you interested in the piano? Feel like coming back after a little time off? Do you want to take it to the next level in terms of technique or repertoire? Using the abundant keyboard resources of the CSW Music Department (two grand pianos, seven uprights, one harpsichord, one organ, and a keytar!) we will work on the many scales/ modes and interval patterns that make up
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This class is an opportunity for those interested in working with rock/pop original songs and instrumental music. Students will be asked to write music in various rock/pop styles and also to perform covers from the repertoire drawn from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and beyond.
Songwriting
MIDI In this course, we explore the dimensions of sound and texture in music through the use of synthesizer and various MIDI applications. Classwork involves weekly projects in the Electronic Music Studio. Although this may be viewed as an entry‑level composition class, good musicianship skills are a must. This is not a computer course; it is a course in music composition.
Musical Mathematics Part history, part analytical theory, and part composition, this course will consider humankind’s quest to organize sound from Pythagoras to Stockhausen.
Music Theory 1
Songwriting is a performance‑oriented course in which the students will be taught melodic writing, how to set a lyric, standard song forms, and how to add harmonies and bass lines. Students will be encouraged to improvise/compose and then transcribe their ideas into standard notation. We will then create lead sheets using the Finale® notation program. Students will write and record their work in an MP3 format and there will be an informal lunchtime, coffee house-style performance at the end of the module. A willingness to learn some standard notation and perform with your peers is most helpful in this course.
Sounds of the World Ensemble
After a review of note‑reading skills, this course will explore the basic elements of music including: scales, intervals, chords, and key relationships. Also included will be musicianship skills such as intervallic and melodic dictation, rhythm drills/conducting patterns, sight‑singing, and introductions to the piano keyboard and the guitar. Students will be encouraged to label the fundamental music terms that encompass all historical periods and musical styles.
In this performing/writing course, we will explore, connect, and engage with cultures from different corners of the world through music composition and improvisation. Students will have access to the many traditional instruments owned by the CSW Music Department. All participants will share equally in the creative process and an end-of-mod performance will highlight the experience. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Music Theory 2
Topics in Jazz History
This music composition course will focus on melodic and harmonic writing in traditional and contemporary styles. Analytical tools and typical melodic transformational tricks in use by current composers will be explored. Further drills in keyboard and ear‑training will give students the skills necessary to notate on paper what they hear in their inner “composer’s ear.”
Music Theory 3 The culminating seminar in music composition will focus on the techniques of contemporary composition. Advanced studies in form and analysis will help to sharpen the student’s theoretical sense, as well as his or her stylistic inclinations. The class will compose pieces for the resident CSW New Music Ensemble for recording and public performance.
Recording and Production Keyboard Skills
Rock/Pop Ensemble
In conjunction with the Rock/Pop Ensemble, students will explore recording techniques and produce a CD using the school’s stateof-the-art recording equipment, including a Yamaha AW2816 mixing console, the very portable Zoom H4 and Mboxes used in tandem with computer-based programs such as Audacity, Garage Band, Logic, and SONAR.
EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
Come explore the development of jazz from slavery through bebop. Through recordings, guest artists, and readings, we will attempt to define this uniquely American idiom. Recent topics have focused on the music of John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, and Duke Ellington. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Topics in Music History This survey course covers selected developments of Western music from the ancient world to contemporary times. Standards for exploration will include examination of the elements of music and their evolution. Music examples will include live performances as well as recorded examples. We will explore the trends of each period. Recent topics have considered the music and lives of Beethoven, Stravinsky, Mozart, local Boston area composers, and 20th century music.
Vocal Reading Lab This class is designed for the vocal student who wishes to improve their sight-singing skills. In addition, ear training skills in solfege (fixed and moveable “do”), intervals and intonation and breathing exercises will be encountered. There is no performance obligation in taking this course.
20th Century Physics This class will venture to the extremes of the universe, beyond the scope of human experience, to explore physical phenomena that many people may never have thought possible. Starting with Quantum Mechanics, we will explore the land of the tiny, where a particle may be everywhere and nowhere at once. We will then travel to the land of the fast, where the speed of light is king, and where Relativity suggests that a meter and a second are actually the same thing. We shall then confront a central problem in modern physics: the incompatibility of Quantum Mechanics and Relativity. And from there, we will dive into the abyss of cutting‑edge physics and try to answer questions such as: why are there only three spatial dimensions? What would it mean if there were two time dimensions? Why does time appear to flow? And when and how will it switch direction? And finally, what are the implications of modern physics for free will and religion?
Advanced Chemical Applications
SCIENCE
CSW’s Science Department introduces students to best practices of scientific study through hands-on experiences in laboratory-based classes, with regular opportunities for in-depth research projects. After completing required coursework in the 9th and 10th grade years, students are afforded curricular choice seen only at the college level, with program tracks in physics, biology, and chemistry that cover a diverse array of topics and material.
In this course students will examine the key role that chemical principles play in their daily lives. We will expose the students to a variety of problems and examples that affect all of us so that they can understand the key role that science plays in our world and the interaction of science and society. For example: What is the chemistry behind climate change and what are some potential solutions? What makes recycling plastics so complicated and how do you do a life cycle analysis of materials? What are the possible mechanisms for analyzing and purifying water? What is going on with the newest in “impossible” meats? What is the chemistry behind a variety of energy sources including solar energy, biofuels, and nuclear energy? Students will learn basic chemical principles, work collaboratively in the lab, and have the opportunity to choose some topics of specific interest to them. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Anatomy and Physiology This upper-level biology class explores the complexity of human physiology. Students will be asked to use visual arts and graphic design skills to document many aspects of the mystery and wonder of the human body systems. The course will involve independent research on the systems of students’ choosing, using visual and creative ways to present the information they find. Students will research one of the body systems in its entirety or in detail. The systems to be considered are the nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, skeletal, endocrine, and muscle, or the digestive, reproductive, and lymphatic systems. Students are required to think independently and devise a final project of their own design that incorporates very clear scientific understanding of the body systems and their form and function. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
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Animal Behavior
Astronomy
Biology of Cancer
Why do some animals live in groups, and others singly? Why are some animals monogamous while others have multiple mates? Who cares for the young? Why do birds sing and wolves howl? In this course, we will begin to answer these questions. We will read a text that provides an introduction to all areas of animal behavior, as well as selected articles. Our focus will be on social behaviors. Using films, we will observe the social behaviors of animals as diverse as termites and wolves. We will use fieldwork to study the role of society in the foraging behavior of honeybees. Students will be required to write a research paper on a topic of their choice.
In this introductory elective course, students will learn more about one of humanity’s oldest sciences. What began as simple observation of the night sky with the naked eye eventually burgeoned into a field that utilized complex technologies to better understand the universe in which we live. The structure of this class will mirror the historical development of astronomy, beginning close to Earth with the Moon and solar system, and progressing to more exotic structures such as galaxies, nebulae, dark matter, and dark energy. The course will also examine some of the equipment that humans have created in order to do this work, through the lens of basic optics and principles of radio telemetry.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, and this disease affects many families. The profound impact of cancer on society has been the driving force behind major research advances and led to a better understanding of cell biology. Understanding the basic biology of cancer and its impact on the human body has led to more effective treatments, enhanced detection methods, and the development of prevention strategies. This course will provide an overview of the biology of cancer. The course will focus on the genetic and molecular basis of cancer. We will explore the role of mutations in cancer cells and how they lead to the deregulation of essential biological processes such as cell division, programmed cell death, and differentiation. We will also examine the interface of cancer and medicine. Classical treatment methods will be compared with newer treatment modalities, such as targeted therapies. The challenges associated with diagnosing cancers, preventing cancers, and curing cancers will also be discussed in light of current technological advances such as genomics and bio‑informatics.
The Art of Prediction The 18th-century European worldview was an empowering one. As a result of the Scientific Revolution, the world and its history were predictable and orderly, subject to natural laws that humans could understand. The innovations in science and political thought in the 19th and 20th centuries profoundly changed this view, as truth and universal law gave way to a new emphasis on the common man and best fit models based on uncertainty, chance, and probability. The micro-history movement and the events leading to the development of the atomic bomb had radical implications for the theory and practices of both disciplines, bringing previously disregarded or erased voices and phenomena forward as indispensable sources of knowledge. We will examine the philosophy and methodology of history and science as they evolved to meet a new worldview in this period.
BioChemistry: Foundations of Life
Art and Science of the Human Body
In this required course, students will examine the structures and processes of the cell and human body. The course will investigate body functions from the micro to the macro level, examining how the activity of genes leads to cell specialization in organs and body systems. Our major themes, sickle cell anemia and diabetes, will provide depth and context to our work, emphasizing connections between biology and issues of social justice and equity. Students will experience the process and practice of scientific research through an in‑depth, self-directed research project, which will culminate in a public poster symposium. Skills in dissection and microscopy will be a component of this course. Students will demonstrate their learning through activities such as structured experiments, modeling, a poster symposium, and other summative assessments in various forms. This course will expand on the content of BioChemistry to consider nested levels of organization and complexity in biology. Students will leave with the ability to anticipate the interplay between biology and the larger social context. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
This integrated studies course provides students with an innovative and challenging way to explore the complexity of human physiology. Students will be asked to use visual arts and graphic design skills to document many aspects of the mystery and wonder of the human body systems. The course will involve independent research on the systems of students’ choosing and the students will engage with this material from a scientific and artistic point of view. Students will research one of the body systems in its entirety or in detail. The systems to be considered are: the nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, skeletal, endocrine, and muscle, or the digestive, reproductive, and lymphatic systems. After their research, students must create a significant artwork or series of pieces which communicates the beauty, function, and emotional elements connected to the system. Finally, students are required to think independently and devise a final project of their own design that incorporates very clear scientific understanding with the craft and vision of an original artistic statement. This course awards credit toward the social justice graduation requirement.
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In this required course, students will learn the basic biochemistry that drives life. Content will focus on how atoms build the macromolecules that make up the cell, the nature of chemical reactions, and how specific reactions like photosynthesis and cellular respiration power life. Students will also study the structure of the cell and the function of the subcellular organelles. Statistical analysis will be introduced as a tool to draw conclusions from data. Students will demonstrate their learning through activities such as structured experiments, modeling, and other summative assessments in various forms. The course will provide students with content and skill foundations for their future work in biology.
BioConnections: Cells, Organisms, and Society
EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
Calculus-Based Physics An extension of Mechanics I, this course expands previously established models of kinematics, forces, and energy to explore the effects of changing variables and superposition. Our focus on understanding how the universe behaves through the lens of mathematics is accomplished by breaking phenomena down into smaller and simpler bits to discover the effects of those bits on a macroscopic scale. In doing so, we will no longer ignore air resistance and friction and instead investigate nonconstant forces and objects with irregular mass distribution.
Chemistry 1 and 2 The Chemistry 1 and 2 sequence covers all the material usually included in a college‑preparatory chemistry course, including gas laws, atomic and kinetic theory, reaction theory and kinetics, and electrochemistry. Students also study thermodynamics, organic chemistry, and chemical analysis. We want students to master the fundamental concepts of chemical change, acquire lab skills, and develop critical thinking skills. Experimental design and data analysis are emphasized, and lab reports require the students to use spreadsheets and graphing programs. A standard scientific calculator is required.
Electrochemistry & Battery Design Oxidation-Reduction reactions and electrochemistry are very important fields of applied chemistry. We will discuss some basic chemical principles and do a series of labs related to the topic. We will ultimately do research on the latest innovations in battery design and then design and build our own devices, considering power, battery life, and the potential for using sustainable materials.
Ethics of Science In Ethics of Science, students will study, discuss, and analyze current ethical issues in science, such as stem cell research, human cloning, testing on human and animal subjects, genetic modification of agricultural crops and animals, military research, regulation of research, and ownership of intellectual property. Students will be expected to develop an understanding of the rationales behind multiple positions by reading background materials; discussing and debating issues in class; researching, writing, and presenting independent topics; watching relevant videos; and hearing speakers. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Genetic Engineering and Molecular Biology The rapid progress of biotechnology is raising questions and controversy in the new millennium. Should we clone humans? What is stem cell research? Is there truth behind fears of bioterrorism? Are we determined by our genes, and does that raise the specter of eugenics? What is the real story behind genetically engineered foods? In this fast-paced, challenging lab and lecture course, learn
the science behind the headlines. Try your own hand at isolating DNA, genetic fingerprinting, virus antibody tests, and genetically engineering bacteria to glow in the dark.
Issues in Global and National Public Health: Analysis and Action The goal of this class is for students to use the lens of global and national public health issues to understand how decisions can be made about complex problems with often incomplete data. In addition to these issues, students will learn to see patterns in data, analyze their significance and visualize them in a variety of ways. Case studies on infectious and chronic diseases and the role of social inequity in health outcomes will be examined through a variety of assessments, including research and opinion papers and a final project with a service component in which students will address a local issue. Students may focus on topics within global and national public health ranging from racial, socioeconomic, and political forces on access to health care, women’s health, infant mortality, food safety and water issues, vaccines, immigration and language barriers, prescription drugs and intellectual property, and the role of world health organizations. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
Marine Biology The goal of this class is to give students a field research experience in which they come to understand how to work as a team to conduct experimental studies in marine science. Students will be off campus on Hurricane Island off the coast of Maine, where they will be involved in a variety of new and ongoing projects. They will study the structure of intertidal communities, develop hypotheses, and then implement a research study that will provide baseline data for future work in the area. The students will also study lobster biology and the historic management of the fishery so they can start to look critically at the current state of the Maine lobster industry. In the larval settlement project, students will study organisms that recruit on docks and in the intertidal zone of Penobscot Bay, and consider the role of invasive species and climate change in affecting biodiversity. Finally, they will learn about the efforts on Hurricane Island to design a sustainable campus and to reduce the carbon footprint. They will help monitor energy use and also learn about various innovative solutions to the problem of living “off the grid.” There is a charge for the off‑campus portion of the course. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
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Off Campus to Neotropics of Latin America This trip is a cooperative effort between the Language and Science Departments. Students travel to the neotropics of Latin America for a program of immersion in tropical ecosystems and in Spanish language and culture. In the science component, students travel to various tropical ecosystems and conduct field experiments and projects. The challenges of economic development, conservation, and sustainable agriculture are examined in an interdisciplinary manner. The language program consists of homestays with local families, organized field trips, and everyday conversational Spanish. Students maintain both science and Spanish journals as they travel. The program starts with an intensive pre‑orientation week at CSW prior to departure. There is an extra charge for this course. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Physics 1: Mechanics This course covers the material contained in the first half of a basic college‑preparatory course: study of the natural laws relating space, time, matter, and energy. Topics include measurement, motion, forces, energy, momentum, and rotation. We want students to understand the behavior of matter, and to become aware of the importance of the physical laws of nature. The approach to the material is highly mathematical. Students will use spreadsheets and graphing programs to analyze laboratory data. Students with a strong interest in science should take some precalculus and chemistry before Physics 1.
Principles of Ecology
Studies of Flight
Ecology is a field of biology dedicated to the interactions that organisms have with each other and with the nonliving components of their environment. The discipline of ecology helps to explain the abundance and distribution of organisms and issues of biodiversity and extinction and is grounded in evolutionary principles. In this course we will examine how ecological ideas play out in aquatic and terrestrial environments, and students will develop skills in experimental design, data analysis and statistics, scientific literacy, and complex systems thinking. Students will also consider the impact of global climate change and other human impacts on the environment and they will have the opportunity to pursue an area of their own interest.
Studies of Flight examines aspects of flight through many lenses. What are the scientific principles underlying flight? How has the idea of flight been explored in art and literature? How has the ability to fly influenced history? Students will explore through hands-on labs, projects, readings, discussions, and presentations. As a final project, students will delve deeply into an aspect of flight that intrigues them using the guiding themes of lift, weight, drag, and thrust.
Science Lab Science Lab provides an opportunity for students to get additional support in their science classes. Students may also use it to prepare for standardized testing or to pursue an independent project they might be interested in.
STEAM: Energy in Disguise
This course examines periodic motion of all kinds, from bouncing springs to vibrating strings to resonating pipes. The underlying similarities in the cause and analysis of these motions will be addressed, and we will examine a variety of behaviors including reflection, refraction, diffraction, and interference. This information will be applied to a wide variety of situations including the behavior of musical instruments, acoustics, and earthquake and water waves.
In this two-mod class, students will explore the concept of energy and energy transformations in the fields of both physics and chemistry. Students will also become “specialists” in a number of skills, so that each student will have a dedicated role within their project groups. They will also use mathematical models to plan and construct devices that will transform energy from one form to another and collaborate in their groups to solve real-world problems. In the physics section, we will examine energy transformations and conservation of energy. We will make use of simple machines to design and build a Rube Goldberg device, calculating energy loss and considering the role of aesthetics. The chemistry section will focus on heat energy and heat flow as well as the thermal properties of materials. Students will consider sustainability and social justice issues around energy and build a solar water heater using their understanding of the thermal properties of materials.
Physics 2B: Electricity
STEAM: Physics
Physics 2A: Harmonic Motion
Electricity is the basis of much of modern society, since it is easily transportable over long distances and can be made to do a wide variety of tasks including heating, lighting, computing, moving cars, creating sparks, etc. Magnetism, by comparison, seems like more of a curiosity. In this course, we will see how electricity and magnetism are just different manifestations of the same force, and how one can create the other. Our analysis of electricity will begin with point charges and their interactions and move on to circuits and their components (resistors, capacitors, etc). We will also discuss the transmission of electromagnetic energy in the form of waves (radio, visible light, etc).
In this single-module class, students will explore the concept of energy and energy transformations and examine foundational concepts in physics. Topics will include kinematics, types of energy, and conservation of energy. Students will hone their observational and analytical skills and consider important real-world applications. They will have several quantitative and qualitative design challenges that incorporate concepts from 3D design, programming, circuitry, and may include projects such as Rube Goldberg machines and wind turbines that demonstrate principles of physics and illustrate energy transformation. These challenges will require the students to practice their collaboration and analytical skills and show that creativity is an essential part of doing science.
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EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
Who Are We: Mapping the History and Science of Populations “Where are you from?” “Where are you really from?” Have you ever had a conversation start with these two questions? To many, these sound all too familiar. Google the second question and you get 13,290,000,000 results. That is an impressive number for a simple feeler sent out to determine who you are. If you have ever been stumped by these queries and not known how to respond or experienced an awkward silence because of it, “Who Are You?” will give you the knowledge you need to stump those who ask these questions. The Science and History departments are collaborating on a course that unearths the ancient DNA of human beings and tracks their movements around the globe. The purpose: to discover who we are and where we are really from; to discover the scientific and historical origins of homo sapiens, and to dispel the superficial divide created by race. The purpose further is to show how genetics, competing groups of early humans, and the environment have influenced us more than we think. This course awards credit toward the social justice graduation requirement.
Advanced Theatre Techniques This class is for those who really want to hone their skills as an actor. During this class we will use acting exercises to challenge each actor to go deeper into our craft, identify barriers, and advance theory artistry. We will explore a variety of techniques including but not limited to, the Stanislavski method, the Meisner Technique, the Black Acting Technique, as well as the Uta Hagen Technique.
The Art of Comedy Come discover the elements of comedic theatre. Among other things, we will explore stand‑up, slapstick, and sketch comedy through radio, movies, theatre, performance, and street artists. We will ask what humor really means to humanity and where its edges might be. What can we do with fear, excitement, posture, breath, props, light, and sound? During the class you will create a repertory for yourself. No theatre experience required, just a willingness to have deep fun.
Dramatic Production Disciplined and daring, thought‑provoking plays often reflect social and political issues or explore a particular dramatic literary style. Actors, assistant directors, stage managers, and designers are required to be part of the production process during Saturday work calls (15 hours total) building sets, lights, costumes, sound, and props, often student-designed. Rehearsals, meant to be an exciting learning lab, are scheduled during D Block, at least one night a week and some Sundays. Past productions include Charandas Chor by Habib Tanvir, Confucius’ Disciples with the Shanghai Theatre Academy, Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights by Gertrude Stein, Street Scene by Elmer Rice, The Bathtub by Paul Schmidt, The Martyrdom of Peter Ohey by Slawamir Mrozek, Picnic on the Battlefield by Fernando Arrabal, Brecht’s Galileo, Emily Mann’s Execution of Justice, and Hellman’s The Children’s Hour.
THEATRE
Elements of Design for a Production
At CSW, coursework in the visual and performing arts carries as much weight and rigor and requires as much discipline as traditional academic subjects. We offer a broad range of courses in dance, music, theatre, and visual arts. Students are expected to have taken courses in three of these four disciplines by the time they graduate.
EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
This course is a hands-on introduction to the world of theatrical design and live production support. This class will help envision and create all elements of the Fall Dramatic Production including lighting, costuming, sound, and scenic design.
Improvisation and Other Theatre Games Improvisational skills are the cornerstone to being a great performer or public speaker, or even acing a job interview. Learn how to think on your feet, be in the moment, and let your creativity shine. During this class, we will explore improv and other classic theatre games and exercises that were created to build performance skills and self-confidence. No matter where you are in your journey as an actor, whether you are a beginner or have already gotten the bug, this class will help you build your skills. 27
Intensive Production (Musical) And Intensive Production (Play) Intensive Production offers students a short, rigorous rehearsal process resulting in a full production. This D Block will be audition based and material selected will typically feature small cast sizes in a variety of styles, including comedy, drama, and musical theatre. Auditions will occur the last week of the preceding mod.
Musical Theatre Production Students who love to sing, dance, and perform (but may not have done so before) will be helped by a musical director who will guide them through the important process of stage and musical rehearsals and performances. All students enrolled in this class will have an opportunity to shine. There is usually collaboration with the Dance Department or student choreographers. The ensemble commitments and credits are the same as all main stage productions: 15 hours for Saturday production work (often student-designed) and rehearsals during D Blocks at least one night a week and some Sundays. Past productions include Three‑Penny Opera, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Into The Woods, Anything Goes, The Pirates of Penzance, The Pajama Game, Urinetown, Chess, and Dido and Aeneas.
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Performance Studies
Stagecraft
Performance studies is an interdisciplinary field of research that draws from the social sciences, the humanities, and the arts. It focuses on the pervasiveness of performance as a central element of social and cultural life, including not only theater and dance but also such forms as sacred rituals and practices of everyday life, storytelling and public speaking, avant-garde performance art, popular entertainments, microconstructions of ethnicity, race, class, sex, and gender, and potentially any instance of expressive behavior or cultural enactment. Within this field, performance entails the presentation or “reactualization” of symbolic systems through both living and mediated bodies. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Be the force behind the scenes for the Spring Theatre Production and possibly a show in the Moir Theatre. This physical, hands‑on class allows students to build, paint, and put in scenery, as well as hang and focus lights. Students will learn how to use shop tools and lighting instruments safely and to use scenic paint and brushes correctly. When necessary, we tackle the basics of sewing and costuming, too.
Scene Study and Directing Students will learn skills in the areas of acting, directing, and (if time permits) devising, by watching and reading a variety of materials and reflecting thoughtfully on an array of theories. Students will work independently and in collaboration to present/direct short scenes. Students will be exposed to a variety of styles of theatre/ performance to deepen their interpretive and creative skills. EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
Writing Plays for Production Creating the literature of the theatre requires a good ear for the way people communicate, a keen sense of imagination, an understanding of how theatre works, writing skills to give voice to one’s ideas, and speaking ability to give verbal life to written plays. The process demands the general willingness to venture into this specific genre of literature, patience, revisions, and humor. This course will include reading, writing, and theatre exercises to explore themes and topics.
VISUAL
3D Character Design
ART
In this course, students will learn how to create 3D models and animate them. They will complete three projects: creating a 3D model based on a 2D image, designing an original 3D character, and integrating a 3D animation into live-action footage.
At CSW, coursework in the visual and performing arts carries as much weight and rigor and requires as much discipline as traditional academic subjects. We offer a broad range of courses in dance, music, theatre, and visual arts. Students are expected to have taken courses in three of these four disciplines by the time they graduate.
3D Printing & Design Solutions In this course students will learn basic computer-aided design (CAD) software, explore the possibilities of 3D printing, and solve various challenges by designing solutions to those challenges. Challenges might relate to architecture, product design, wearable objects for the body, art objects, toys, and more. Fundamentals of design theory and how design fits into our world will be included.
Anatomical Illustration and Expression Students in this class will explore scientific phenomena and create artworks to express their understanding. This will range from scientific illustrations to visual arts projects that express more than the facts. All levels of students are welcome in this class. The class will best serve students who are independent thinkers and motivated to pursue ideas of personal interest.
Art & Idea Students examine a variety of concepts and motivations behind contemporary art making. This is a demanding course, which requires students to work on projects that will be critiqued the next day in class. There are a variety of reading and writing assignments, including a written personal statement about their interest in art. This course is for senior students planning on going to art school or majoring in art in college.
The Art of Buildings The Art of Buildings is a course designed for students to explore their ideas on how buildings can be an expression of social and personal belief about what is important in the world. Students work in scaled foam core construction, ceramic hand-building, photo, drawing, and actual building material construction. Topics such as privilege, access, oppression, equity, and what matters to a society are considered, as well as issues of beauty, meaning, wonder, and personal expression. Visiting architects may offer the occasional guest lesson. Students will engage in regular collaborative group critiques during this intellectual, and handson visual arts course. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Art for Social Change Art for Social Change is a course designed for students to explore and express their ideas about what social changes are needed. Students will work on visual art projects that are designed for public display and projects designed for more private or personal reflection. These projects could be: drawing, painting, digital work, film, or simple constructions. They will also work on performance art pieces designed for public presentation and pieces for more personal reflection. Topics such as privilege, oppression, awareness, dignity, and equity will be
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considered. Students will engage in regular collaborative group critiques during this intellectual and hands-on visual arts course. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Black & White Digital Photo The goal of this course is for students to discover the expressive possibilities of monochrome digital photography. Exploring the unique beauty and subtlety of grayscale images, they are asked to make personal visual statements. As in all of our digital photography courses, Adobe Photoshop software is viewed as a vehicle for making qualitative changes to views of the external world—as opposed to being the basis for the creation of computergenerated art. Assignments include portrait and self‑portrait, landscape, fashion, still life, and street photography.
Book Arts Students will learn how to tell stories and express themes through book arts. Through instruction and demonstrations, students will learn about book-making principles, materials, and techniques. Throughout the module, students will bind several sample books and experiment with a range of techniques for getting images and text into artist books.
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Clay, Fire, Water, Emptiness In this ceramics course, we will employ a firing process during which pieces are removed from the kiln while red hot, and then placed directly into materials, such as leaves or paper, to be reduced in an air‑free atmosphere. Finally, the pots are cooled instantly in cold water. This process produces some exciting glaze effects. Students have the opportunity to fire their own pieces. This course explores a non-Western aesthetic and the concepts of emptiness and simplicity. It serves as an end-of-year reflective experience.
Digital Animation In this course, students will explore a range of animation techniques across both analog and digital platforms, including long-exposure photography, digital scanning, and 3D tracking and compositing. Approaching animation as a concept, rather than a technique related to any specific technology, they will learn how to think across multiple art disciplines, incorporating a range of mediums into their projects.
Digital Collage Digital Collage explores software-based collage possibilities while also incorporating analog drawing. In this class, students will expand their definition of drawing to include mechanical-made imagery in tandem with handmade imagery. Some
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projects will exclusively utilize digital collage practices, while others will involve overdrawing and transfer drawing techniques. This course examines the history of digital and analog collage.
Digital Photo 1 (Color Photo) In this color photography course, students will learn the basics of making images with digital cameras and entering these images into the computer to correct/improve them in the “digital darkroom.” Technical and aesthetic issues will be addressed through various assignments. Students will leave this course with a solid foundation in the aesthetics of photography, combined with skills to shoot, manipulate, and print.
Digital Street Photography In this course, students will explore the street photography genre. This is the candid, spontaneous photography of people going about their daily lives—on the streets, in parks, in museums, in malls, in any public space. Students will experience the challenge of working with a subject that is constantly changing before them. By looking at the work of past masters of this form such as Kertesz, Cartier‑Bresson, Levitt, Friedlander, and Winogrand, they will gain an understanding of the importance of timing—both in terms of recognizing strong human moments and quickly organizing forms within the picture frame.
Drawing: Abstraction and Process In this class, students build upon the foundational rendering skills developed in Naturalism and Observation and move from rendering the world naturalistically to embracing issues of abstraction to varying degrees. This class includes an in-depth exploration of the principles of design and the construction of composition, as well as the processes of intuition, gesture, and mark‑making, emphasizing personal self‑expression to gain a richer understanding of non‑objective approaches to drawing.
Drawing: Advanced Drawing Studio Even though this is an advanced-level drawing course, all levels of students can benefit from taking this class. Students are expected to work for an extended period of time on a suite of 10‑20 drawings in which visual style and conceptual ideas are thoroughly developed. This class is designed for experienced art students looking for an opportunity to explore content in their art.
Drawing: Collage Students will learn about the history of collage as they work with a wide variety of materials to create two‑dimensional artworks. Students will be asked to create carefully and precisely, as well as to work spontaneously. They will be using strategies from surrealists to pop artists and beyond.
Drawing: Conceptual Strategies In this class, students build upon the foundational skills developed in Naturalism and Observation and Abstraction and Design, and will focus on conceptual approaches to drawing and art making. Students will develop a wide range of strategies for visually and conceptually expressing ideas in drawing.
Drawing: Drawing & Printmaking In this course, students will explore drawing through printmaking. They will explore tracing as well as direct additive and subtractive mark-making using monotype and lithographic printmaking. Students will be encouraged to experiment with ghost prints and produce innovative, one-of-a-kind prints and printed matter.
Drawing: Life Drawing Learning to draw the human body is a very challenging and rewarding visual problem. The class draws from the nude model on most class days. We want students to develop an understanding of proportion, anatomy, gesture, and creative use of line in two‑dimensional space.
Drawing: Naturalism and Observation In this foundational drawing class, students will focus on developing their observational/ representational rendering skills (Naturalism). The course is structured to train the eye to see and the hand to respond. This is a challenging course designed for both beginning and advanced students. The homework is significant. Many students take this course more than once to develop their skills.
Drawing: Naturalism and Observation (Still Life & Life Drawing) In this foundational drawing class, students will focus on developing their observational/representational rendering skills (Naturalism). The course is structured to train the eye to see and the hand to respond. This is a challenging course designed for both beginning and advanced students. The homework is significant. Many students take this course more than once to develop their skills. In this particular course, the course material culminates with a weeklong focus on life drawing (nude models).
Drawing: Otherness & Social Justice In this class students explore human rights and develop a body of drawings addressing their study. The course is designed to provide students with opportunities to explore fundamental human rights and varying Western/non-Western viewpoints and perspectives through the exploration of art as a vehicle to promote and encourage social change. Areas of focus include: otherness, prejudice, discrimination of and advocacy for minority groups, the LBGTQIA community, and women. Historical examples of art and advocacy are examined. The course blends both the critique and debate teaching models with studio art practices. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Drawing: Self‑Portrait Students will be asked to explore the possibilities of self‑portrait, focusing on charcoal drawing as well as a variety of other techniques and materials. All students are welcome to explore this challenging opportunity.
Experimental Video In this course, students will explore various alternatives to traditional narrative and documentary filmmaking, including non-continuity editing, video installation art, and methods for manipulating video file data. Using a variety of technology and software, they will create three projects designed to teach them these skills while helping them develop their own personal mode of filmmaking. In addition to learning experimental techniques, they will also examine the ideas and attitudes upon which the genre is based by watching and discussing numerous works by prominent experimental filmmakers.
Experimental Wearable Art This course is for students interested in pushing conceptual and traditional forms of clothing, or in art that refers to clothing. We will question assumptions about clothing and its functions, social and historical concepts of the body and clothing, current events and technologies, and more. This is less about fashion and more about ideas. We will examine concepts that relate to the body and clothing, as well as issues of social justice and sustainability in garment design, production, and more. Students may explore alternative techniques such EXPERIENCES
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as electronics, 3D printing, bioplastics, installation, performance, and more. Students will also get a chance to develop their own projects inspired by course explorations.
Exploring LGBTQIA+ Identities through Art This course gives students the chance to explore subjects and strategies used by LGBTQIA+ artists. There are no prerequisites. LGBTQIA-identifying students as well as allies are welcome. Digital animation, collage, and live-action video will be part of the course curriculum. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Film Remix In this course, students will learn how to recombine pre-existing video clips and other digital media, including music, photographs, and 3D models, investigating the potential of this artistic technique as a tool for creating radical cultural critique. In addition to studying various forms of appropriation in film and video, such as parody, pastiche, montage, fake trailers, re-dubs, mash-ups, and compilation films, students will examine several prominent filmmakers who have used appropriated footage in their work, including Dara Birnbaum, Abigail Child, Sharon Sandusky, Rene Vienet, and Michael Wallin.
Film and Story In this course, students will learn the fundamental techniques of narrative filmmaking, include storyboarding, cinematography, micing, and continuity editing. Working independently and in crews, they will create three films designed to tell stories visually with DSLR cameras, high-quality microphones, lights, and Final Cut Pro™ software. Throughout the course, they will also watch and discuss films by numerous narrative filmmakers.
From Venus to Guerrilla Girls: Women Redefining Self through Art In this course students will become familiar with art made by women (women’s art history), the multitude of subject matters of women’s art, the systematic and political influences that affected women’s ability to make art and the subject matter of their art, and historical changes that allowed for an emergence of women’s art on a larger scale. Art projects will examine issues, materials, and art forms that relate to the women’s art movement and women’s art in general. This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Graphic Design In this course, students will learn how to lay out and design simple books and printed matter. They will learn how to organize content and create sequential order using grids and templates. They will utilize drawing, scoring, folding, and cutting by hand as well as digital design and typography to produce one-of-a-kind and reproducible books and printed matter. 31
Historical Processes in Black and White Photography This photography course will combine early photo history and practice. We will begin with the camera obscura, work through to pinhole cameras, continue through the late 19th century‑early 20th century in coating materials with various emulsions, expose light sensitive materials using ultraviolet light instead of an enlarger, and complete the mod exploring medium- and large-format photography, which produces extremely detailed negatives with fine grain.
Installation Art Students will explore the creative possibilities of using space as an artistic medium, examining an array of installation practices, from ancient Greek theatre to Walt Disney World rides, and experimenting with a variety of different media and techniques. They will also discuss several prominent installation artists, including Felix Gonzales‑Torres, Yayoi Kusama, James Turrell, Kara Walker, and Ai WeiWei, becoming fluent in such concepts as immersion, interactivity, simulacrum, and gesamtkunstwerk, and learning how to apply them to their own work.
Intro to Special Effects In this course, students will learn a variety of advanced video editing techniques primarily in Adobe After Effects software, including chromakeying, masking, rotoscoping, and 3D tracking and compositing, culminating in a final project in which they create a dynamic, animated film using 3D models and third-party plug-ins. Throughout the course, they will also examine works by numerous contemporary artists who incorporate motion graphics into their work.
Investigating Museums Museums are places we go to look at art and artifacts from our own and other cultures. But what are the origins of museums? How are they tied to colonialism? What do the displays and wall texts tell you about the unseen structures? We will look at museums around the world, their histories and place in societies, and look at some innovative museum work challenging old ideas. We will also design our own museum! This course awards credit toward the social justice requirement.
Mindfulness and Art This course creates opportunities for students to create art from a mindful attitude. Mediation, working from nature, and creating works that have a calming effect on the artist and audience are all aspects of this course. Drawing and sculpture will both be part of the course curriculum.
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Ordering Chaos
Photography 2
This course is designed to inspire students to develop their creative problem‑solving skills. Students are continually asked to think “outside the box” as they make connections among different disciplines like science, English, math, and art. Using skills and ideas from each discipline, students are given the opportunity to reflect on concepts and ponder their own newly formed ideas as they create a variety of projects. Working successfully in groups and being an active, thoughtful participant throughout the course are important goals for each student. This class is designed in part as an introduction to the type of creative problem solving that students will be asked to do throughout their time at CSW. It is also a vehicle for the students to understand better who they are as learners, to celebrate cognitive diversity, and to acknowledge both the strengths of their intelligences and their challenges as learners.
This course is for students who already have a basic understanding of the black and white photographic process. Students are asked to experiment with the compositional structuring of their photographs through a variety of visual assignments. These visual exercises challenge students to discover their personal strengths while developing individual styles and techniques. Additional emphasis is placed on refining printing techniques.
Painting: Naturalism Students are introduced to skills, techniques, and concepts basic to painting, particularly color theory and color mixing, composition, paint application, and surface treatment. There is no prerequisite, but the department strongly encourages students to take Drawing: Naturalism and Observation before taking this course. Specific assignments will vary depending on instructor.
Photographic Prints Learn how to print photographs using printmaking techniques. Students will learn how to alter photographs digitally and by hand to produce expressive portraits and photographic prints. They will learn the basics of how to take optimal digital photographs and edit them so they can be printed using various printmaking methods. Students will be encouraged to experiment with found photography as well as ones they authored.
Photographing Fashion In this course, students will explore the relationship between fashion and photography. The history of picturing fashion will be studied and students will photograph fashion styles ranging from posed images shot on location or in the studio to spontaneous street photography-style images. Photographs will be made both on campus and in the city. Social aspects of fashion, including status, gender, and sustainability will be discussed.
Photography 1 This is an introductory course in black and white photography with instruction in camera technique, film exposure, development, and printmaking. This class provides students with a basic understanding of the photographic process. Weekly assignments encourage students to think about photography as a means of personal expression.
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Photography 3 Each student in this advanced class pursues a project of choice and produces a portfolio of photographs, which will work together with respect to a series, style, and point of view. Emphasis is placed on developing personal imagery and achieving excellence in printmaking techniques.
Pinhole Photography Students will create their own pinhole cameras and explore the unique picture‑making possibilities of this most basic photographic apparatus. Students will experience the paradox of photography’s technical simplicity and expressive open‑endedness. Paper negatives are made in daylight and artificial light and these are then used to produce positive prints in the darkroom.
Portrait Photography In this course, students will explore the possibilities of the photographic representation of the human face. Through slide presentations and discussions of historical and contemporary photographic portraiture, many different approaches to the subject are considered. The portrait as fact might include physical description or objective record. Dramatized, stylized portraits involve arranged lighting, costumes, and props. Other exercises may include distorted portraits or portraits of someone the photographer is curious about, but hesitant to approach. In addition to darkroom work and slide presentations, students will have time to shoot in the classroom with studio lighting.
Printmaking This course is a first look at printmaking. Students will explore various techniques to produce and arrive at images and artwork. Through instruction and demonstrations, students will learn about printmaking principles, materials, and methods. They will explore a variety of printmaking methods including monotype and lithography, as well as stencils and screenprinting, to make one-of-a-kind and editioned prints.
Screenprinting Students will learn how to make a variety of graphic prints through screenprinting with stencils. This course will begin with instruction and demonstrations about mixing inks and using a range of printing and registering techniques. Students will learn how to work with hand-cut stencils and layering shapes and colors to produce a variety of prints and printed matter on paper, fabric, and alternative surfaces.
Sculpture: Environmental Sculpture The course provides an opportunity to work and think about art on a large scale. Students create scale models of potential larger works that might require months to actually construct. They work outdoors on projects using simple “green” materials to create large pieces that are both objects and activate the space around them. Students are given a variety of prompts and requirements to address when creating their sculptures. For example, themes have been based on ideas about safety versus danger and transitions. Students in the class are, sometimes for the first time, sawing and hauling logs, hefting rocks, digging holes and generally breaking a sweat to create their visions.
Sculpture: Ceramic Sculpture This class is both for students with ceramics experience and for those with little or none. Assignments are designed to help students discover the limits and possibilities of clay. Students are challenged to develop their skills and expressive abilities.
Sculpture: Introduction to Sculpture In this course, students will explore various basic methods and materials related to creating sculptural artwork. Both traditional and non-traditional aspects of working in three dimensions will be investigated. Each module will begin with a series of exercises to familiarize the students with fundamental skills. This will be followed by longer projects that explore observational, conceptual, and abstractive methods. All projects ask students to consider the specific qualities, traditions, and meanings related to sculpture.
Sculpture: Wearable Art In this course, students make art that can be worn on the body. Students use traditional sewing materials but also work with non-traditional materials, with a strong focus on concepts and the transformation of materials. Some sewing experience is strongly recommended.
Sculpture: Wheelworking Students focus on basic wheel throwing techniques, such as centering and throwing cylinders, bowls, and bottles. Assignments stress the functional qualities of the thrown form. By the end of the module, there may be some time to explore the personal expression one can achieve with wheel‑thrown forms.
Studio Art: Vision Revision This course will encourage students to explore visual art concepts in a variety of ways, from drawing to photo. All levels are welcome. Students will learn to think about ideas or concepts that matter to them individually and then to refine, explore, edit, and rework those ideas through a variety of medium. Students will create a series of visual artwork that is thematically connected, as well as a refined artist statement.
Video Art: The Moving Image Video art has been described as the “electronic canvas.” In this course, students will learn to use the moving image as an artwork unto itself. Students will be exposed to video art’s unique history, as well as the video art pioneers and contemporaries who have created work outside the traditions of the
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narrative and documentary. We will explore the technical aspects of video, including using the camera, the software, and the moving image in both traditional and experimental ways. Editing will be done using the digital process of Final Cut Pro®, but students may also explore other methods of creating moving images. How, where, and when to present work will also be explored.
Video Installation In this course, students will explore the unique potential of video as a medium for creating and developing new forms of installation art. Working with projectors, as well as direct-view displays, they will experiment with various methods of combining video and space to create immersive aesthetic experiences, including site-specificity, live-feed, and viewer interaction pieces. Hands-on work will be accompanied by screenings and discussions of important video installation artists.
Visual Poetry In this course, students will be encouraged to experiment with words and language visually. Letters will become shapes and lose their meaning. Students will explore a variety of printmaking methods including monotype and lithography, as well as stencils, and screenprinting abstract language. New words and phrases will be revealed and discovered through the layering of the printmaking process. The word itself and the message are important—but it is a starting point. It is important that energy and playfulness are present in the prints.
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PACE: PROMOTING AWARENESS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 34
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PACE: Promoting Awareness and Community Engagement is a four-year developmental curriculum meant to intentionally develop competencies and skills in the following areas: Health & Wellness, Mindfulness, SocialEmotional Learning, Equity Literacy/DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), and Service Learning.
GRADE 10
GRADE 9 Mods 1 – 4: Health & Wellness In Mod 1, students begin with an overview of CSW culture to help them integrate into the community. In Mods 2-3, students develop important foundational thinking related to physical, mental, behavioral, and relational health.
Mods 5 – 6: Service Learning
Mods 1 – 3: Mindfulness & SocialEmotional Learning In Mods 1-3, students build an understanding of mental, physical, and emotional connection, learning how to exercise self-care for personal and relational health, and building a positive self-identity while practicing effective decision-making skills through mindfulness education.
Our 9th-grade community engagement program introduces students to the concept of service learning and provides them with the space to build and practice implementing skills for meaningful community engagement.
Mods 3 – 6: Service Learning
GRADE 11
GRADE 12
Mods 1 – 3: Alliance Building Across Cultural Differences
Mods 1 – 6: Senior Capstone
In Grade 11, students deepen their understanding of the historical roots of current inequities through study, experience, and reflection. Learning opportunities allow students to gain a more personal understanding of equity and justice, as well as build on their knowledge of individual and shared identities.
Mod 5 – 6: Service Learning In the 11th grade, students initiate new projects and/or build on relationships forged in earlier years to strengthen the impact and sustainability of the work that they are doing in their chosen communities.
Our 10th-grade community engagement program asks students to define a problem with a local community group or organization, research that problem, and begin to formulate an action plan that fits the needs of the partner.
All seniors are required to complete a Capstone Project that demonstrates the interdisciplinary, critical, and creative thinking skills they have learned at CSW. Students work closely with their capstone advisors to develop and propose a topic to explore in-depth over the course of the year. Students are encouraged to think beyond traditional classroom curricula to choose a topic that is of interest to them and connects to the interests of a wider community.
THE BIG IDEAS • Learn History • Examine Power • Build Relationships • Develop Global Citizenship • Practice Cultural Responsiveness
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In addition to choices offered through the Theatre, Music, and Athletic Departments, students may select from a variety of other D Block options. A sample of those courses can be found below. Artist Collective An Artist Collective is defined as an “initiative that is the result of a group of artists working together, usually under their own management, towards shared aims.” Students can sign up for the Artist Collective if they satisfy one of the following five criteria: 1) they are taking an art class that mod, 2) they have permission to work on an independent study, 3) they are creating a portfolio for college, 4) they have permission to work on social justice-related visual arts projects, or 5) they are an art ambassador. The art faculty managing the course will collaborate to guide students’ artistic efforts, regularly checking in with each student and occasionally organizing group critiques for those in the Artist Collective.
Driver’s Education The CSW Driver’s Education class is offered as both a convenience and D Block credit for our students. AAA Driving School teaches the course on the CSW campus.
Empty Bowls
D BLOCK
At the end of the school day, D Block balances the three core academic blocks it follows. In addition to athletics, D Block affords students the opportunity to take a variety of electives. Choices include productions and classes in the performing arts; advancement labs and academic support; and extracurricular courses such as cooking, calligraphy, robotics, and Model U.N.
Students enrolled in the Empty Bowls D Block will be the architects of the Empty Bowls event in February. The class will oversee event planning, which includes (but is not limited to) menu planning, the service learning component, and community outreach. Students may also have the opportunity to make bowls.
Intensive Production Intensive Production offers students a short, rigorous rehearsal process resulting in a full production. This D Block will be auditionbased and material selected will typically feature small cast sizes in a variety of styles, including comedy, drama, and musical theatre. Auditions will occur the final week of the preceding mod.
Japanese Cooking In Japanese cooking, students will learn about Japanese culture through cooking various dishes. They will also find out about inclusivity and learn about using different ingredients and methods for gluten‑free, vegetarian, and vegan cooking. Dishes will include rice balls, omuraisu (fried rice in omelet), miso soup, mochi ice cream, purin (Japanese flan), sushi rolls, and udon and soba noodles.
Knitting Knitting is an invaluable skill that can be both fruitful and relaxing at the same time. In this course, students will learn how to knit clothing like scarves, hats, blankets, and gloves, in addition to other nontraditional designs.
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Language Labs Students may attend the Language Lab in order to develop their skills in French, Spanish, or Mandarin. The skill levels of the students range from beginner to advanced. This is an opportunity for each student to receive individualized attention; some tackle work in their current course, while others have a chance to prepare for a future course. Students practice their oral proficiency by conversing with one another and work independently on grammar exercises or language computer software.
Math Lab Students may sign up for this course if they want extra support for a math class they are taking, or if they want to review material for an upcoming course. The course is limited in size and requires permission of the instructor and the Academic Office.
Model U.N. Model U.N. is offered over multiple mods during D Block. Students are asked to sign up for at least two consecutive modules and take an active interest in current events within the U.S. and abroad. Participants in Model U.N. practice problem‑solving, conflict resolution, research, and debate. A variety of media is used to learn about global affairs, including online news sources, Google Earth, and films based on historical or current events. Model U.N. is a student‑driven organization, so students are expected to come up with discussion topics and present background information on their topic to the group in order to lay the foundation for conversation and debate. Recent topics include the conflict between Israel and Palestine, the situation in Haiti following the earthquake and cholera outbreak, the ongoing healthcare debate in the United States, and the U.S.-Mexico Drug War.
Science Lab Science Lab provides an opportunity for students to get additional support in their science classes. Students may also use it to prepare for standardized testing, or to pursue an independent project they might be interested in.
ATHLETICS AND FITNESS
The athletic program at CSW strives to cultivate each student’s appreciation of the lifelong benefits of physical activity. Students choose from a wide range of athletic pursuits — from interscholastic teams like soccer, basketball, and tennis to recreational activities like cycling, rock climbing, and yoga.
Science Lab (Bio Skills) This course is designed to offer support for students enrolled in biology courses.
String Theory: Fiber Crafts In this course, students have the opportunity to work with various fiber mediums, discovering the art of knitting, crochet, embroidery, and friendship bracelet making.
Writing Lab Students receive support with their academic writing, have opportunities to develop their own writing, and can participate in writing workshops.
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COMPETITIVE ATHLETIC TEAMS Participation in interscholastic athletics helps students develop a healthy, competitive attitude, and gain a deeper understanding of mutual respect, collaboration, and the relationship of the individual to the community.
CSW offers many interscholastic sports, all of which emphasize these values. We embrace all athletes, from serious players seeking high-caliber play on our championshipwinning varsity teams to novice athletes eager to develop new interests and skills. At all levels of competitive play, we encourage good sportsmanship and respect for teammates, opponents, coaches, officials, and spectators.
Interscholastic Teams • Baseball • Boys Basketball • Girls Basketball • Cross Country • Field Hockey • Girls Lacrosse • Boys Soccer • Girls Soccer • Boys Tennis • Girls Tennis • Girls Volleyball • Ultimate Frisbee
Badminton Our badminton course provides students with an introduction to the rules, techniques, physical skills, and strategies of the game of badminton. Students will develop their badminton skills through a series of demonstrations and instructions, and reinforce their skill development through a wide variety of competitive games. The goals of this course are to get students exercising and have some fun in the process!
Cardio-Boxing Cardio-Boxing is a fun and energetic class where students use choreographed cardio-boxing combinations combined with calisthenics and jumping rope to obtain a great aerobic workout. In our state-of-theart Health and Fitness Center, students go from being taught how to wrap their hands to eventually completing a boxing circuit of approximately 10 rounds using standalone punching bags. Be ready to feel the burn!
Cycling Students meet on campus and depart in a group to tour the roads of Lincoln, Weston, and Concord. Depending on the skill level
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of the group, most rides range in distance from 5 - 10 miles. Cycling combines exercise with a chance to see the beauty of the western suburbs. Students need to bring their own bikes and helmets and should be comfortable riding on roads.
Fencing Students are taught the fundamentals of fencing, including simple attacks, parries, and proper footwork, at a nearby fencing club. Students also learn the rules and etiquette of fencing. Please note that students will not return to CSW until approximately 5 p.m. on these afternoons. There is a small, extra fee associated with this class.
• Physical postures and exercises to stimulate and strengthen the muscular, glandular, circulatory, and nervous systems • Highly refined breathing techniques to help master moods and release stress and tension • Meditation techniques and deep relaxation to calm emotions and focus the mind. • Sound, rhythm, and music are used to synchronize body and mind to promote a calm, clear, and balanced state of awareness.
Martial Arts Over the years we’ve offered instruction in Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Tai Chi, Kung Fu, and Aikido, among other disciplines.
Golf
Pilates
Our golf program is recommended for advanced‑beginner to intermediate golfers. Participants should be familiar with the fundamentals of golf and proficient enough to get around a course in reasonable fashion. Students will receive instruction from a local golf professional and spend time at the driving range and on the putting greens. Students are responsible for providing their own equipment and will be charged for golf lessons, greens fees, and range balls. Proper golf attire is required at most local golf facilities.
In our Pilates class, students are introduced to beginner level Pilates mat and reformer exercises, with emphasis placed on learning proper Pilates breathing, and developing “core” connection, strength, flexibility, and proper alignment. The class learns how to access their “powerhouse” muscles and how to maintain that engagement throughout movement. Students also become familiar with beginning safe ranges of motion and how to determine when they are ready to increase the challenge by increasing their range of motion.
Indoor Games
Recreational Frisbee
Play indoor gym games such as dodgeball, volleyball, pickleball, and soccer, among others.
Ultimate Frisbee is an exciting, fast‑paced, non‑contact team sport that combines the athletic skills of running, jumping, and catching a disc in an energetic, fun‑filled environment. Students learn the proper throwing and catching techniques as well as fundamental offensive and defensive principles through instruction, drills, and games. The majority of class time is devoted to active participation in the game of Ultimate.
Indoor Rock Climbing Students are taught basic climbing skills, proper use of climbing equipment (climbing shoes, a harness, carabiner, belay device, and chalk bag), and safe climbing habits at a local indoor climbing facility.
Indoor Soccer Soccer players of all ability levels learn new and fundamental skills and strategies of soccer through drills, small‑sided games, and structured scrimmages. The majority of class time is devoted to active participation in the game of soccer.
Introduction to Sports Medicine Students interested in sport and dance medicine (athletic training, physical therapy, orthopedics, etc.) will enjoy this class. Topics to be covered include anatomy, tissue response to injury, muscle function, injury prevention techniques (taping and bracing), assessment of injuries, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries, and sports/ dance nutrition. The class will include a combination of class time and lab time.
Kundalini Yoga Kundalini Yoga is an ancient science designed to help individuals achieve their highest potential. In each class, students learn and practice an invigorating combination of:
EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
Recreational Soccer Soccer players of all ability levels learn new and fundamental skills and strategies of soccer through drills, small‑sided games, and structured scrimmages. The majority of class time is devoted to active participation in the game of soccer.
Recreational Tennis Tennis players of all ability levels learn the fundamental skills and strategies of tennis through instruction, drills, and a variety of games. The majority of class time is devoted to active participation in the game of tennis.
Running for Fitness The course title is self-explanatory. Similar to our Spring Running class, this class is offered to those students who run simply because they like to run. Students enrolled in this course may also reap the benefits more commonly associated with running such as improved cardiovascular health and bone density, weight loss, and stress management.
Self-Defense Course
Strength Training & Conditioning
Walking for Fitness
This self-defense course is open to all students. This course is brought to CSW students by IMPACT Boston, an organization that teaches practical self‑defense skills that give students the experience of facing their fears and finding their power. In this class, students are taught how to avoid altercations, resist intimidation, communicate assertively, and escape potential assaults. Students learn how to set verbal boundaries and de‑escalate potentially dangerous situations. The course will also teach ways to physically defend against a number of threatening scenarios including front confrontations, attacks from the rear, attempted sexual assault, and ground fighting. Scenarios will be empowering, practical, and useful.
This individualized program involving regular workouts utilizes our weight training area. Students will learn correct techniques to improve their power, strength, and flexibility.
We offer a Walking for Fitness class in the late fall and winter months on our indoor walking track. Students enrolled in this course walk with the intention of reaping the cardiovascular benefits associated with completing approximately 3-5 miles in each class. Students may also enjoy the many benefits associated with walking, such as greater bone density, weight loss, stress management, and improved mental health.
Spring Running This class is offered to those students who run simply because they like to run. Of course, students enrolled in this course may also reap the benefits commonly associated with running, including improved cardiovascular health and bone density, weight loss, and stress management. We’ll run around campus, on the streets, and in the local woods of Weston.
Table Tennis Table tennis is one of the most popular sports in the world. More commonly played in a recreational format and referred to as “Ping Pong” in the United States, it is, in fact, an Olympic sport. Students will learn the official rules of the game, basic serves, forehands, backhands, and offensive and defensive strategies. The majority of class time is devoted to active participation in games, both singles and doubles.
Vinyasa Yoga Vinyasa yoga offers students a fun and challenging way to work out and reduce stress. This style of yoga utilizes active yoga postures with breathing, allowing the poses to be linked together. In addition to improving strength and flexibility, a cardiovascular benefit can also be derived. This class is appropriate for all levels.
Volleyball Learn how to serve, bump, set, and spike. Instruction and gameplay are provided.
EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
Wilderness Trips There are three module‑break trips per year: a fall hiking trip, a winter skiing/ snowshoeing/mountaineering trip, and a spring canoe or sea kayaking trip. During these trips, eight to ten students learn outdoor and survival skills, engage in group cooperation, and experience personal challenges and limitations. There is an extra charge for wilderness trips.
Zumba® Are you ready to move and groove and dance yourself into shape? That’s exactly what our Zumba® program is all about. This exhilarating, effective, easy-to-follow, Latininspired, calorie-burning dance fitness party is open to participants of all skill levels.
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CSW GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
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EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
ENGLISH Grade 9:
Writing Foundations Workshop (2 Blocks) + 1 Elective Literary Arts Course
Grade 10:
Writing About Reading (1 Block, American Literature) + 2 Elective Literary Arts Courses
Grade 11:
Writing About Reading 2 (1 Block, American Literature) + 2 Elective Literary Arts Courses
Grade 12:
3 Electives
HISTORY Grade 9:
Food, Justice, Power + 1 Elective
Grade 10:
U.S. Overview (USO) Writing + Recommended USO Content and/or Elective
Grade 11:
3 Electives
Grade 12:
3 Electives
MATHEMATICS Geometry + Algebra 2 + 1 Block Beyond Algebra 2
SCIENCE Biology + STEAM + 3 blocks beyond STEAM
LANGUAGE Language Level 3 (3A and 3B, 2 mods each) International students and language waiver qualified students may opt out of this requirement
ARTS Students must complete three of four disciplines. Grade 9:
2 Blocks
Grade 10:
2 Blocks
Grade 11:
2 Blocks
Grade 12:
2 Blocks
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS • 10 Social Justice courses over CSW career • Involvement in PACE programming • 3 Athletic credits per year Note: one athletic exemption is granted for mainstage productions. Students are limited to two athletic exemptions per year • 6 D Block credits
EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
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SAMPLE SCHEDULES
With so many classes to choose from, no two student schedules are alike. Each schedule created through the Mod System is designed to balance individual needs and interests of students with required foundation courses. The graphics below reflect potential schedules for four individual students.
Model 9th Grade Schedule
A BLOCK
Mod 1
Mod 2
Mod 3
Mod 4
Mod 5
Mod 6
Writing Foundations Workshop
Writing Foundations Workshop
BioConnections
BioConnections
Ancient Rome
West African & Afro-Brazilian Dance
Mandarin 2
Mandarin 2
World Religions
Costume Design
Dante’s Inferno
Caribbean Dance Movement
Choreography/ Dance Concert
Choreography/ Dance Concert
Yoga
Advisor Block B BLOCK
Food, Justice, & Power
BioChemistry
Mandarin 2 LUNCH
C BLOCK
Geometry
Geometry
Geometry OPEN BLOCK
D BLOCK
Fall Theatre Production
Fall Theatre Production
Intermediate Dance Technique
PACE: Health and Wellness / Service Learning
WEDNESDAYS
Model 10th Grade Schedule
A BLOCK
Mod 1
Mod 2
Mod 3
Mod 4
Mod 5
Mod 6
Algebra 2
Algebra 2
Algebra 2
Algebra 2
Epics and Heroes
United States Overview Content
Spanish 3
Spanish 3
Spanish 3
Neurology of Teaching & Learning
U.S. Constitution
3D Printing
Basketball
Music Recording & Production
Martial Arts
Advisor Block B BLOCK
STEAM
STEAM
Spanish 3 LUNCH
C BLOCK
Writing About Reading I
Writing About Reading I
United States Overview Writing OPEN BLOCK
D BLOCK
Jazz Ensemble
Japanese Cooking
PACE: Mindfulness and Social-Emotional Learning / Service Learning
WEDNESDAYS
n Arts
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Basketball
n Athletics
n English
EXPERIENCES
n Languages
n History
The Cambridge School of Weston
n Math
n Science
n Other
Model 11th Grade Schedule
A BLOCK
Mod 1
Mod 2
Mod 3
Mod 4
Mod 5
Mod 6
Elementary Functions
Writing About Reading 2
Community Leadership
Discovering India
Musical Mathematics
American Immigrant Literature
Analytic Geometry
Biology of Cancer
Trigonometry
Advanced Writing Portfolio
Black Studies
Drawing: Otherness & Social Justice
Model UN
Musical Theatre Production
Musical Theatre Production
Advisor Block B BLOCK
French Literature & Arts
Chemistry I
French Literature & Arts LUNCH
C BLOCK
Chemistry I
Film Scoring
Middle East OPEN BLOCK
D BLOCK
Varsity Soccer
Varsity Soccer
Sounds of the World Music Ensemble
PACE: ABCD — Alliance Building across Cultural Differences / Service Learning
WEDNESDAYS
Model 12th Grade Schedule
A BLOCK
Mod 1
Mod 2
Mod 3
Mod 4
Mod 5
Mod 6
Evolution of Art in the Spanish Speaking World
Evolution of Art in the Spanish Speaking World
Art of Prediction
Modern Japan
Physics: Harmonics in Motion
Jewelry & Small Objects
Calculus AB
The Animated Image
Memoir Writing
Physics: Electricity
Computer Science 1
U.S. Women’s Movements
Intensive Theatre Production
Tennis
Tennis
Advisor Block B BLOCK
Shakespeare: The Tragedy
Calculus AB
Calculus AB LUNCH
C BLOCK
Physics: Mechanics
Physics: Mechanics
Japanese Women’s Literature OPEN BLOCK
D BLOCK
Volleyball
Volleyball
Empty Bowls
PACE: Senior Capstone
WEDNESDAYS
n Arts
n Athletics
n English
EXPERIENCES
n Languages
n History
The Cambridge School of Weston
n Math
n Science
n Other
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EXPERIENCES
The Cambridge School of Weston
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