High School Course Descriptions

Algebra I

The first semester of Algebra 1 focuses primarily on linear functions. After a brief review of middle school math, the class will move on to solving and graphing inequalities in one variable to continue reviewing and reinforcing the steps for solving equations. After this unit, the class will complete a study of graphing linear equations in both slope-intercept and standard form. Building on this, the final unit for the first semester covers solving systems of linear equations. In addition to solving systems graphically, students learn to solve systems algebraically using substitution and elimination methods.

Algebra II

Algebra II is primarily the study of functions and graphs. The first unit is on modeling curves with parabolas, followed by solving quadratic equations by factoring and then by completing the square. We build on this background with a unit on conic sections, where completing the square helps us put conic in graphing form by identifying the horizontal and vertical shifts to the graph equations. Next the class works through a unit on absolute values and inequalities: solving equations, graphing, and combining the concepts. Then the class transitions to a unit on complex numbers, discovering the imaginary number, i, understanding its powers, reviewing exponent rules, learning to do arithmetic with it, putting complex numbers into a+bi form, and using complex conjugates to “realize” denominators. Then, we learn to solve linear and quadratic complex equations and finally begin graphing in the complex plane, learning the polar coordinate multiplication rule of complex multiplication.

Honors topics may include: Logarithms, Linear Programming and Matrices.

The Art of Poetry

This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to the dazzling, multi-dimensional art of poetry. My goal is for all participants to finish the course with a better understanding of how to read and respond to poems, and to explore how poetry can add value to their lives. In order to get there, we will read and listen to poems penned in a variety of forms by a diverse group of poets, with a focus on American works from the 19th century onward. These poems will serve as our greatest teachers. They’ll reveal the power of diction, the pleasure of sound, the beauty of a well-place image; they’ll give us the confidence to write our own sonnets in iambic pentameter, to describe a painting we love in ekphrasic verse, and to learn to rhyme like everyone from Emily Dickinson to MF Doom. Above all, they’ll reveal poetry’s ability to make us see the word anew. At the end of the course, we will put together a chapbook of the work we’re most proud of, which will serve as a showcase of our growth as budding poets and increasingly sensitive participants in the world.

Astronomy and Physics: Finding our Relationship to a Universe Filled with Electromagnetic Radiation

We begin with the Ptolemaic view of the solar system, and its complications. The first half of the term is spent learning at least 30 constellations and their myths. The discoveries of Copernicus, Galileo, Tycho, and Kepler lead to a heliocentric system with planets in elliptical orbits. We see how Kepler’s and Newton’s laws, together with triangulation on Venus, can establish the scale of the solar system. In parallel, we follow the development of humanity’s understanding of magnetism and electricity, beginning with natural magnetism, its effects, and how it can be created and destroyed. We then turn to static electricity, where we see the difference between conductor and insulator, the two polarities of electrical charge, and their attractive/repulsive effects. In the second quarter, given the distance to the sun, its energy output can be estimated, motivating exploration of Einstein’s discoveries and nuclear fusion. The relationship between star color and temperature introduce the stellar life cycle, red giants, white dwarves, supernovas, neutron stars and black holes. We conclude with a brief view of cosmology, and the implication that most of the matter in our bodies was formed in the core of a star. Concurrent historical developments of chemically-produced electricity and steady current flow lead us to electromagnetism and the conversion of mechanical work to and from electrical energy, direct and alternating current, radio waves, the electromagnetic spectrum, and the practical issues associated with civilization’s electric power infrastructure. During optional evening observing sessions, or through independent sky watching, we practice constellation recognition, and observe nebulae, galaxies, open clusters, the moon, planets, the sun, satellites, and meteors.

Atomic Theory

If we can’t see atoms, how do we know they exist? How do we know they are made of even smaller particles, and how has our understanding of the atom changed over time? Why does it matter in our everyday life – like the negative ion generator in my air purifier and the chlorine in a swimming pool? This course will address these types of questions as we explore the atom. The course will follow the historical development of the model of the atom, beginning with the ideas of Democritus in ancient Greece and touching on the modern quantum model. We will explore the classic experiments that led to revisions and additions to each scientific model. In studying what uniquely defines each individual element, we will also see patterns in how elements are arranged in the periodic table to elucidate similarities and differences. Lastly, we will investigate how the characteristics of different elements affect how they interact with each other through chemical bonds.

Ceramics – Hand Building Tableware

Students learn a variety of methods of hand building ceramic dishes, which they then glaze with cone 6 (food safe) glazes. Once they have practiced these skills and taken a dish through the whole process of raw clay to tableware, their challenge is to design and create a set of pieces which is functional, serves a particular purpose, is pleasing to the eye, and holds together through its design and color clearly as a set. They will decide whether their set will be for private use or gifting, or designed as a donation to such events as Amherst Survival Center’s Empty Bowls fundraiser, or the Hartsbrook School’s Farm to Table.

Climatology (11)

This class will study the science of earth’s climate system. We will begin by building an understanding of radiation, energy, and temperature and then move on to global atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns and their effects on the climate of different regions across the planet. In the latter half of the class, we will study the greenhouse effect and scientific evidence behind global climate change, and we will culminate with the readings and discussions of the ongoing international and domestic responses to climate change.

Color, Material and Technique

This course is devoted to the exploration of color moods and color harmony. We will create color wheels to demonstrate color relationships, and explore color moods through the rendering of famous works of art, and through landscape painting. We will also work with complimentary colors and neutrals in soft pastel.

Computer Science (9)

We begin with the question: “Just what exactly is a computer? What can it do and not do?” A big part of that is appreciating the difference between how we see the world (a continuum) versus how the computer sees the world (discrete numerical quantities). To appreciate this, we will experience the process of digitization for text, sound, images, and video, and then consider why and how data is compressed. We will explore how computers represent numbers using electrical on/off circuits, and how they do arithmetic (which is much simpler than how we do it).  We will next consider how electrical switches can be used to mimic the operations of arithmetic inside the computer (called digital or Boolean logic). We then move on to a simulation of a computer that lets us follow the process of executing a program. The class concludes with a look at the “halting problem,” which is something we can prove a computer is incapable of doing.

Computer Science (10)

We begin by exploring how modern computers perform multiple operations simultaneously, and what that implies for performance and program complexity. Then we return to where we left off in 9th grade, with a simulation of a computer that lets us follow the process of executing a program, and a review of how electrical switches can be used to mimic arithmetic. First using a software simulation, and then with real chips and wires, we will build a portion of a computer’s arithmetic unit to appreciate how digital logic works, and how primitive the operations of a computer actually are. We will see how computer memory operates (both RAM and disk). As part of our exploration, we will dismantle some personal computers to see what makes them tick, and see how computer chips are made. Time permitting, we may be able to write a program to execute on a tiny computer, called a microcontroller, that will sense when we press buttons, and flash lights in response. 

Computer Science (11)

In this class we explore the question of why the computer, and especially the internet, behaves the way it does. Why does Google return so much irrelevant and biased information? Why is the internet such a risky place? Why do web pages sometimes take forever to load? Why is so much personal data accessible online? Why are smartphones a powerful means of government surveillance? Why is encryption insufficient protection? Why is computer security so hard to achieve? Why do so many computers get hacked? To understand the answers, we will need to also explore how certain aspects of computers and applications work. We will take a look at how search engines work, how networks are constructed, how the internet is managed, how encryption works, how hacking happens, and how to write some simple programs.

Computer Science (12)

In this class we explore how we are affected by the technologies we use. We’ll consider questions such as:  What are the qualities in different modes of communication and how do they affect the ways we interact? What are the qualitative differences between live music and different digital recording methods, and how do they affect us as listeners, and the ways that musicians compose and perform their songs? What is the impact of digital photography on the visual arts, and how we perceive them? We will consider these examples as symptoms of an ongoing process, and then look to the historical origins of the process and project its possible future directions with respect to the evolution of civilization and consciousness. In the second half of the class, we explore the nature of artificial intelligence and how it compares to human consciousness, as seen through the lenses of German Idealist Philosophy and cognitive neuropsychology. Should we be worried about the AI singularity or are there other impacts more deserving of our concern? The goal of this class is to develop a new level of conscious awareness, as the basis for sound judgment in the use of technology.

Coptic-stitch Bound Sketch-Books and Journals 

Students will design and make a sketch-book or journal using the Coptic-stitch binding method which allows books to open and lay flat. They will design their covers with the option of using natural materials, paper or fabric, with thought to the end purpose in mind.

Drama: Community and Catharsis

Why is dramatic performance important for a human community? How do we create a drama that is important for both the individuals and the community at a given time? How do we learn specific roles and responsibilities in a production that then contribute to this community process?

Students will engage with drama as a way of supporting a community through enacting stories that guide, acknowledge, honor, or uplift. Students will practice observing their own community to distill themes that are coming up in conversations both in classes as well as in other social moments in the life of the school. They will also learn about ritual dramas from different cultures that fulfill a particular need for a community at a particular time. Students will have the opportunity to choose focus areas based on their interests to create a drama performance for the High School community. Key areas of focus include learning the concept of catharsis, why it is an important function of stories shared through dramatic performance, and its relationship to the origins of drama and ritual. Through this study, they will explore the themes of light and dark as extremes needed to experience a catharsis. Students will have the opportunity to step into leadership roles both as creators and performers in the choosing of the drama to present, articulating why it is important at this time. Some areas of focus for individual students can include: Directing, Dramaturgy, Acting, Stage Management, Production Management, Set Design, Makeup and Costume Design, and Script/Playwriting.

English (9)

Ninth grade asks students to observe and question, laying the foundation for nuanced and abstract thinking. Developmentally, students at this age are poised for analytical thought and academic rigor, yet often see the world in black and white, right and wrong. Therefore, the objective is to train and refine students’ powers of exact observation and reflection so they can “experience in the raging storm of phenomena around them the steady ballast of their own thinking.” Careful observation–what I like to call “slow looking”–is a healthy response to the complexity of the world because it creates space for the multiple dimensions of things to be appreciated and perceived. Plus, it makes us feel good by grounding us in our bodies and the present moment.

In the English classroom, students practice close reading by learning strategies to look more carefully. Then, they practice making sense of their observations and communicating them in a logical, clear way. In this way, students build the foundation needed not only for grappling with and producing texts, but for understanding the complexity of their world.

English (10)

In this course we study some of the major ideas and themes of 20th century American literature. We began by reading some of the writers and artists whom Gertrude Stein reportedly called the Lost Generation—American writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway who gained attention in the 1920s writing about their experiences during and after World War 1. We paired Hemingway’s efforts in his short fiction to write the unthinkable with the artistic movement known as Cubism, and Fitzgerald’s questions of identity in The Great Gatsby with Nella Larsen’s captivating and complicated novel Passing. These two novels provided the springboard for our discussions about who defines identity, who controls identity, and how our beliefs about identity play out in terms of class, race, and gender. I believe in using literature to talk about big issues and questions of life, so we considered our texts within cultural and historical contexts, and studied literary elements like language, theme, characterization, symbolism, and narrative structure insofar as they help us to talk about the Things that Matter.

Geology (9)

In this course we will explore the span and scale of geologic time and major planetary shifts, especially as they relate to life on Earth. We will study rocks and minerals, plate tectonics, earthquakes, and volcanoes. Several field trips will offer the opportunity to see our local geology, and students will learn to find clues “in the rocks” that allow us to better understand the natural history of our local area. A focus of the class will be observation and note-taking, and we will keep field notebooks and complete detailed sketches of geologic phenomena.

Geometry

The focus of the first semester in Geometry is to lay a solid foundation of knowledge and skills that students can use in the future, especially in the upcoming Proofs unit. At the start of the semester, the class reviews and expands on much of the geometry material taught in middle school. Students work to solve for angles in triangles and in parallel lines intersected by transversals. They use the Pythagorean theorem to solve for missing sides of triangles and also to determine whether triangles were acute, obtuse, or right. Following this review, students complete a study of construction which included an exploration of the centers of a triangle. The final unit of the semester focuses on circle geometry. Throughout the year students also review and refresh Algebra skills.

German 4:

This year students will take up work on grammar, vocabulary, cultural studies–integrating exchange experiences and literature where we left off last year. New grammar topics include the simple past, the subjunctive, and sentence structures with subordinate clauses. The goal for students is to feel confident in everyday life in a German speaking context and to be able to have conversations entirely in German in common situations. Throughout the year different skills will be assessed: Fluency of speech, use of grammar, and vocabulary.

Hamlet

Of Shakespeare’s plays, Hamlet endures as one of the most famous, most performed, and

most important. The play has been performed countless times, has found life in multiple film adaptations, and is the source of some of Shakespeare’s most indelible lines (“to be or not to be, that is the question…”), known often before one has even read the work. Contemporary audiences continue to be fascinated with Hamlet, in part, for how it stages provocative questions of how an individual struggles with emotion and reason, action and thought, the self and society. In this block, we will engage with the play in multiple ways, through reading journals to track our understanding and experience of the text, through improvisation, acting and recitation, as well as self-assessments to track your progress with the play. 

History Through Architecture

We will begin this course by studying current movements in so-called ‘green’ or sustainable architecture, exploring its innovations and drawbacks. We will be reading excerpts from the book Urban Green by Bill Chambers to gain further insight into this innovative field. We will proceed backwards through Postmodernism, Modernism, the early 20th century, Beaux Arts, Renaissance, Gothic Christianity, Rome, Greece, Ancient Egypt and the European Neolithic, as time allows. We will examine structures in each of these styles and time periods in terms of ‘commodity, firmness and delight,’ to understand the structural, functional and aesthetic significance of the buildings. We will see how these cultures were inspired by each other, and at other turns rejected the ideals of the past. Through their architectural achievements, we will gain new insight into the cultures and religions that inspired their creation.

Students will also write one paper, keep a journal, prepare a presentation on a Non Western building, take a final exam and create a sustainable building model of their own design.

History Through Art

We will begin this course by studying examples of Conceptual art and explore the idea “What is Art?” Students will then dive back into Prehistory to study examples of cave art in Europe as well as rock art from Indigenous cultures of North America. We will move through the ages exploring the cultures of Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Medieval Europe and the Italian Renaissance through their artistic achievements. Through this progression students will see how these cultures differ, but also are in communication with each other in rejecting or building off previous ideals. We will look closely at each art work, and through our observations, discern the flux of cultural ideals in the spheres of religion, politics, economy, and gender. 

Hydrology (10)

In this main lesson, we will study the movement of water, with a focus on the regional water balance and human uses and sources of water. We will explore groundwater and surface water sources, watersheds, streams, and rivers. Looking at our local environment, we will begin to see sites as “waypoints” for a water droplet moving through a larger regional system.

Identity, Equality & The American Dream

What is the American Dream? Does it hold true for each and every individual, regardless of identity? How does the American Dream apply to how we view ourselves, what’s possible, and what’s fair? This course is an introduction to the social sciences, and examines issues of identity and how they create advantages and disadvantages in modern-day society. After examining psychological and sociological theories, students will be challenged to look into their own definitions of self as they take part in activities, discussions and research aimed at uncovering underlying systemic issues of social stratification. Through a study of topics such as immigration, education, incarceration, the media, and the welfare system, students will debate whether Horatio Alger’s image of picking oneself up by one’s bootstraps is equally accessible to all people.

Introduction to Blacksmithing

Students will briefly learn about the history of blacksmithing and the origin and properties of iron. They will be oriented to the workshop space which will include an understanding of the tools, how the forges work and how to keep them providing a steady heat, and they will be advised about safety. Their first project will teach them most of the basic techniques of working with mild steel: drawing to a point, scrolling, bending, barley twist, flattening, punching a hole, necking, spreading, and chiseling a design component. Following this, and time-permitting, students will be able to apply their skills to further projects.

Introduction to Calculus

This course will be an introduction to the ideas of calculus. Through activities and examples from various fields, we’ll come to understand the motivation for why calculus was developed and how it is used now. While this course will draw on and reinforce our skills from earlier math courses, the focus here will be on seeing the beauty and power of calculus concepts. For those who do not go on to further math, this leaves you with a taste of the advanced math that powers research and analysis in the business and scientific worlds. For those who do pursue college level calculus this main lesson will serve to introduce the concepts in a lively and memorable way to complement the deeper skills work that will come with further study. 

Joinery

Students learn to measure, cut and size pieces of hardwood in the construction of a small, lidded wooden box. They use hand tools specific to making either shiplap or dovetail joints depending on the style box they choose. 

Kinships: Issues in Place, Being, Belonging

This course, co-taught by Art Middleton and Nicki Robb, will ask us to explore and re-imagine our relationship with the natural world in a moment of cascading change. We’ll consider this relationship conceptually, with readings that ask us to think critically about terms like “nature”, “wilderness”, “human” and “animal”, and practically, through engagement with animals and visits to local farms and historical tours, with a focus on cultivating resilience and responsibility between us and the more-than-human others we share this land with. Readings, presentations, group work, and discussions will lay a foundation for examining the central questions of the class, and students will use their experience to develop and present a project based on one of the field experiences, course themes and readings.

Mechanics

This course focuses on kinematics – the study of objects in motion – and the concept of a force. In class students will experience physics by launching projectiles, moving a bowling ball through an obstacle course, riding an elevator, and flying on the trapeze. Students will also hone their science and math skills of observation, unit conversion, graphing, and data analysis. While everything is subject to change in the flurry of the beginning of the school year, students should expect 3 quizzes, one Main Lesson Reference Book, and one Project with a presentation during the course.

Modern History I: The Transatlantic Slave Trade from the 17th-20th Centuries

This block will look at modern history through a specific lens, that of the legacy of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, from its brutal and dehumanizing beginning through its transformations and ruptures in the Civil War, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and the modern Civil Rights movement. We will approach this history with both care and vigilance, through historical texts, essays, speeches, and documentary excerpts, with an emphasis on acts of resistance to institutions and economies of power that have widened our concept of rights, personhood, and agency today. Students’ work in this course will consist of active participation in discussion and activities, guided debate in groups, a creative presentation, an essay, and self reflections. 

Movement

High school students begin the year in Movement class by playing cooperative games. Cooperative games focus on teamwork and collaboration, demonstrating respect and inclusivity for all skill levels, problem solving and playing with integrity. Students transition to learning skills and rules of a variety of sports that may include flag football, handball, soccer, kickball, street hockey, pilo polo, ultimate frisbee, badminton and volleyball. 

Out in the World Survival

This is a survey course of skills, tools, and experiences for being able to create or maintain the resources that life beyond high school will require. Topics and skills covered include: basic household assessments and repairs, creating a container garden, basic auto maintenance and assessment, cooking and baking.

Paper Marbling and Box Making

Students learn to marble paper using acrylic paint in a marbogum bath. They choose pieces from this paper best suited in color and design to use in the construction of their simple box which they learn to build following traditional box making methods. 

Percussion Ensemble

In the HartsBeat Percussion Ensemble, students of any ability or experience level with drumming and other percussive instruments are welcome. This is a drum circle style class, which emphasizes community, leadership, and improvisation. Concert and festival performances, while encouraged, are opt-in for each student in the class. Students will learn by ear rather than reading and interpreting written music. Students are introduced to the available percussive instruments, their history, culture of origin, and basic techniques for making music with these instruments. Advanced students (students with at least one year of study) will have opportunities for more independent study as well as leadership in the class (leading sectionals, conducting, composing, independent projects, etc.).

Photography I

In this class we work on foundations of fine art image composition, including how to analyze fine photos, how basic camera controls affect composition, and the aspects of composition that produce an engaging image. After some studies of published art, there will be an initial series of shooting exercises to develop both the technique and eye for compositional form. Then a second series of assignments, based on creative prompts, will expand the concept of what subjects can be the basis for photographic composition. There will also be some basic work on post-processing of images to improve their presentation, including cropping, exposure adjustment, color balance, and monochrome.

Photography II

In this class we build on Photo I skills to further develop the capacity for fine art image seeing, as well as learning to engage in more journalistic forms of photography. We engage in some shooting exercises to stretch seeing into metaphorical imagery. Then the assignments will shift to exploring the creative possibilities afforded by the more advanced controls available on a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera, including shutter speed, aperture, ISO, exposure compensation, focus point selection, lens focal length, and multi-exposure. We will also explore some more directed kinds of shooting, such as portraiture, sports, events, and drama. Some assignments may include photography in support of the yearbook. Further post-processing techniques, such as contrast adjustment, saturation, vibrance, retouching, sharpening, and vignetting will be explored.

Practical Skills: Cooking/Sewing

In this course seniors will acquire practical skills either at the sewing machine or in the kitchen. Students will decide before the course begins in which directions they would like to go.

Option 1: Sewing simple clothes like pants, skirts, or tops or making tote bags. Students will learn how to make their own pattern or deepen existing skills. The course might also include some costume sewing for the high school drama or making small objects for sale, the proceeds of which will go toward a good cause.

Option 2: Cooking in the homestead kitchen. Students find recipes which they want to make in a collaborative process, developing new skills. Once a week we will make snacks or lunch for the entire high school. Disclaimer: Recipes have to be cookable within one period.

Precalculus

This course covers these major topics in precalculus:

1.  Trigonometric Functions
2.  Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
3.  Vectors and Matrices
4.  Rational Expressions and Limiting Behavior 
5.  Sequences and Series

Students will gain experience with modeling using functions, and will work with functions as described in words, as equations, in graphs, and in tabular format. We will use computer graphing and spreadsheets to support our discovery of the topics.

Projective Geometry

Projective geometry is a geometry that originates from the challenges of Renaissance artists to translate three-dimensional realities into two-dimensional spaces. This block is an introduction to projective geometry and includes the following topics: principle of duality, perspectivities and projectivities, projective generation of point and line conics, elements at infinity and, more specifically, study of the theorems of Desargues, Pascal, Brianchon, and Pappus, and the concept of polarity. You will work with the concept of infinity and learn a geometry that transcends Euclidean constraints.  

The Radical Imagination (formerly The Quest)

Although it is not difficult to become cynical or complacent when facing the suffering of the world, this course asks students to realize the potential for creating alternatives to our current reality. In order to help us with this work, we will look to literature, history, philosophy, and the inspiring communities and movements being imagined and manifested now. We will explore the idealistic and industrious societies of 19th century New England, with their aims of a brighter future. We will turn to science fiction and Black feminist thinkers for models of utopian futures. We will explore the tenants of Buddhism, which promise to free us from suffering regardless of external circumstances. We will venture out to volunteer at Camphill Village, with its living mission of creating a place of dignity regardless of ability. And of course, we will turn inward and reflect on our own ideal societies, and how we can contribute to their realization. Here’s to what’s possible!

Stone Sculpture

The 12th grade begins this course by learning how to properly and safely use the tools of stone sculpture. We look at other examples of alabaster stone sculpture, and learn to “dress” stone as a way to begin our exploration into stone carving. Students then look at, and feel the stone from all angles and discern what it is the stone wants to reveal. The students are encouraged to come into this project with an openness to explore the unique nature of each stone, and not expect to create a set form they thought of beforehand. Rather, they respect the individual nature of each piece of stone, and bring out something essential from the shape they were given.

Students consider how to consciously bring dynamic form and movement to a stone that begins without conscious form. We do this by considering how to define planes and lines within the stone. This is a slow process in which the students must continually engage in a type of conversation with the stone; a working dialogue between student and stone. The completed project will be a synthesis of the given nature of the stone and the creative force of each student.

Sustainability (12)

In this class, we will study human impact on ecosystems and earth processes. Given the broad nature of the topic, we will focus on a few select environmental issues, with a lens toward understanding the interconnected environmental, social, and economic forces at play. We will also focus on actions one can choose to take at the local, national, and global scales to move toward more sustainable practices.

Thermodynamics (9)

This class explores the phenomena of warming and cooling in thermal processes. We will do a series of experiments to sample the themes of thermodynamics such as: phase transitions, gas laws, heat capacity, and heat transfer through conduction, convection, and radiation. We will develop our science practice of analyzing and interpreting data, and we will explore different options for home heating and cooling.

Witness and Wait: The Transcendentalists and their Influence

In this block, we’ll explore the writings of the major figures of the Transcendentalist movement in New England through the work of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, and Margaret Fuller, among others, in the context of the nineteenth century. We’ll consider the principles and recurring tensions in how this community of writers, philosophers, and artists met their time with a commitment to self-reliance and a trust in democratic ideals, and what their influence means today. This class will center observation and experience with our course work focused on writing reflections, poems, and correspondence inspired by these authors, culminating in a final project that uses the Transcendentalist movement as a springboard for your own essay. 

The World in the Whale: Reading and Thinking with Moby Dick

Herman Melville’s Moby Dick is a fathomless book, an encyclopedia of the whale that poses as an adventure tale, and one that aims to hold the tensions of the 19th century within it, from the labor and industrialization transforming the whaling industry, to considerations and frictions in class, race, gender, and colonialism that shaped Melville’s time. In this block, we’ll read select chapters to get a picture of the novel as a whole, and try, through research, creative activities, quizzes, and two essays, to think critically about how the book responds to the politics and history of its moment, and how to think with it now. 

9th Grade: Decision Making, What Helps and What Challenges Us? 

Key topics: Adolescent brain development, peer pressure, positive and negative risk taking, social supports and challenges in decision-making, introduction to health risk data interpretation and health information research: final group project is an awareness poster with accurate, well researched information on a relevant topic gathered from real health data from the MA and/or CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

9th Grade: Mental Health, Beyond Stigma and Diagnoses

What are key concerns and supports for adolescent mental well being? How can teens support themselves and each other (listening, knowing signs of distress, resources, practices, when to get help)? This course aims to increase student awareness of key topics in adolescent mental health (depression, anxiety, social media, addiction, identity formation and expression, bullying, peer pressure, etc.), increase skills in active listening, how to be a support to friends, and knowing when and where to get reliable information and support.

10th Grade: Digital Health: How to Navigate and Maintain Active, Positive Choices

How do we use personal technology (iPads, Cell phones, laptops) and why is it important? What does addiction look like? What impact does our technology have on our daily lives, and on the world around us? What is social media, and the related pros and cons personally and culturally in the US and beyond? This course focuses on healthy habit forming when it comes to digital technology, identifying our values and applying them in practicing discernment in our use.

10th Grade: Substance Use and Abuse

Key topics:  Understanding and practicing Harm Reduction, exploring the social and cultural messages, stigmas, and pressures that have created additional harms to specific populations, understanding the impacts of the most commonly used and abused substances and how to get accurate, unbiased information.

11th Grade: Nourishment, Beyond Basic Nutrition

What is nourishing for us in the food we choose to make for ourselves and others? We will look at our favorite foods and how they became favorites. What needs do our food choices, making, and sharing fulfill for us? Through hands on work (including food preparation both at home and all together on campus), we will share favorite recipes for “comfort” food, learn about the idea of food supporting wellbeing beyond just physical wellbeing, and uncover why food is both a way of self empowerment as well as community building. As a final group project, students will prepare and host a community meal of their choice.

11th Grade: Healthy Habit Forming 

What is the connection between habits and wellbeing? We will deeply explore our own daily habits, our levels of consciousness of them, and identify goals and steps for either shifting (to do more or less of) or adopting a new healthy habit that helps us move toward a wellbeing goal. The class will track progress, set-backs, make shifts, and practice being curious rather than condemning when something isn’t working for them. We will also practice what supporting each other in our goals looks like.

12th Grade: Special Topics in Health and Wellbeing

Students will develop skills in finding and sharing accurate, reliable information about health and well being on a topic relevant to them by designing an independent inquiry into a particular realm of health and wellbeing of their choice. They may work in pairs or solo. Students will form a research question, identify how they are sharing the work between themselves, and design a final presentation that demonstrates their new understanding of their topic. In their final presentations, students may use art, slideshows, exercises/activities, or any combination of these modalities to offer an experience to the class that demonstrates an important aspect of their new understanding from their research.