Upper School Electives

UPPER SCHOOL ELECTIVES & OPTIONS

Elective courses provide opportunities for Upper School students and teachers to explore an area of shared interest and/or try their hand at something new. Each semester, each student chooses a new elective. The program empowers students to shape a part of their curriculum, a developmentally appropriate exercise during their Upper School years.

Electives meet twice weekly in mixed-grade grouping classrooms. Students in Grades 6-8 select from the same array of classes. Course topics vary; here are a few examples:

Model Congress Students write original bills, debate and defend their ideas and participate in the Model Congress held each spring at an area school.

Coding Students expand their foundational programming skills into text-based languages including Python and JavaScript, working with diverse data sets – numbers, strings, Boolean – to work on independent challenges that incorporate loops, functions and conditional statements.

The Art & Craft of Writing In this writing workshop, students draw inspiration from accomplished writers, perform fun writing exercises, share work and give constructive feedback. From Shakespeare to Musical Theater Students compare scenes from Shakespeare’s plays with more contemporary interpretations, surveying works like Hamlet, The Lion King, Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story.

Mathematical Puzzles & Wonders Students plumb the mysteries and marvels of math by solving puzzles, exploring paradoxes, building platonic solids and playing strategy games.

Studio Art Students develop their abilities and technique as they work on individual art projects or collaborate with peers.