Academics

of an introductory college biology course. The course is taken after the successful completion of basic high school biology and chemistry. It aims to provide students with the conceptual framework, factual knowledge and analytical skills necessary to deal critically with the rapidly changing science of biology. Hands-on laboratory work is meshed with interactive lectures.

to better understand the development of life processes and living forms. Major emphasis is placed upon biological themes and key concepts within the framework of scientific inquiry. There are five major themes that define the study of biology: the cell; molecular basis of heredity; biological evolution; interdependence of organisms; and matter, energy, and organization in living systems. Essential to the understanding of biological concepts is a grasp of science as a process rather than only an accumulation of facts; personal experience in scientific inquiry; recognition of unifying themes that integrate the major topics of biology; and application of biological knowledge and critical thinking to environmental and social concerns.

of the concepts of calculus and providing experience with its methods and applications. The course emphasizes a multi-representational approach to calculus, with concepts, results, and problems being expressed geometrically, numerically, analytically, and verbally. The connections among these representations are important.
Technology is used regularly by students and teachers to reinforce the relationships among the multiple representations of functions, to confirm written work, to implement experimentation, and to assist in interpreting results.
Through the use of unifying themes of derivatives, integrals, limits, approximation, and applications and modeling, the course becomes a cohesive whole.
The course represents college level mathematics for which most colleges grant advanced placement credit according to the results of an Advanced Placement Examination. The AB course enables a student to obtain credit for the first semester of college calculus.
Calculus BC represents college level mathematics, for which a student may qualify for two semesters of college credit, based upon the results of the Advanced Placement Examination.

chemistry course. It may be elected after the successful completion of high school Biology and Chemistry. The topics covered emphasize chemical calculations and mathematical formulation of principles. The laboratory experience is equivalent to that of a typical college course

students with a working knowledge of chemistry, both in theory and in practice. In addition, this course is designed to assist students in preparing for science related professions and help them gain a general confidence in dealing with chemistry in day-to-day living. The students perform many hands-on experiments. Numerous classroom demonstrations make chemistry an interactive and animated experience. Major topics include: atomic structure; periodic trends of the elements; chemical bonding; chemical formulas and equations; acids, bases, and salts; the kinetic theory of matter; oxidation-reduction; principles of organic chemistry; nuclear chemistry.

are elective offerings and are selected based on student interest and enrollment. All foreign language courses emphasize listening and reading comprehension, mastery of the written word, and active self-expression through the study of prose, poetry, dialogues and expository pieces. In addition, we strive to expose students to cultures associated with the languages they have chosen to study. Mandarin Chinese is an independent course of study through online classes.

for 12th grade

your own animated stories, games, and animations using Scratch- a platform created by the MIT media lab. Dive into object oriented programming by learning the basic structure of Java. Some preliminary skills that will be covered are looping constructs, conditional statements, arrays and the various data types available to Java programmers. This course will empower you with the skills needed to tackle the AP in Computer Science

of circuitry, breadboarding (define), microcontrollers (such as the open-source Arduino prototyping platform), computer programming and 3D printing. The course utilizes wearable technology projects to highlight how these seemingly disparate skills are actually all needed to produce a working product.

the principle developed in Engineering I.

literature, media, grammar and vocabulary in addition to formal and creative writing. The course covers diverse genres of literature: short stories, novels, plays and poetry. Students study both Shakespearean and modern drama, as well as the works of classic and contemporary novelists. In order to enhance the students' engagement with the texts, the course is organized around central themes such as "parent-child relationships" and "moral dilemmas." Students learn techniques of close textual analysis. They are taught to read and identify theme, symbols and allusions, character development and other literary and poetic devices. The goal of the 9th grade writing curriculum is to learn how to write clear, coherent prose. The focus is on mastering the critical essay and all its components: organized paragraphs, clear thesis statements, smooth transitions and the effective use of quotations. Students learn to edit their work carefully with the help of the teacher and their peers. Students also write book reports on books that they read independently, and complete a public speaking unit, in which they study rhetoric and present a persuasive speech. Grammar and vocabulary are both gleaned from the literature and studied through the use of formal texts. Since excellence in writing is a skill that must be mastered in order to advance scholarship and careers, our ninth-grade students get a jump-start on honing their college writing skills by taking a mandatory freshman writing seminar that meets twice weekly. Students read, discuss, write, critique, rethink and rewrite as they develop their skills in written communication through building a portfolio of their own that includes journals entries, expository writing, response papers and creative pieces.

with the Anglo-Saxon period and covers works written through modern times. Since is impossible to understand the literature of a people without understanding that population's history, the historical... context of each literary work is discussed. The reading selections include Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer, Renaissance poetry, a Shakespearean drama, the 17th century and the metaphysical poets, the Romantic and Victorian poets, the 19th century novel and a 20th century dramatic work. Writing assignments, examinations, and alternative forms of assessment are assigned to determine students' mastery of work covered. A research paper prepares students for college level literary exploration. Vocabulary mastery is incorporated into the curriculum to build and reinforce students' word usage.
Grammar and mechanics usage are reviewed in conjunction with practice exercises and personal writing.

The greatest emphasis and concentration is placed on the study and analysis of 19th and 20th century literature and movements such as realism, romanticism, naturalism, transcendentalism, surrealism and imagism. A great deal of work is done to hone writing and grammar skills. Compare and contrast, character analysis, literary analysis and other persuasive essay assignments are emphasized.

Having studied both British and American literature, students gain exposure to the literature of other cultures. Students explore classic masterpieces of European literature, as well as more current authors and poets from around the world. The course covers a variety of genres, and students have the opportunity to study the conventions of short stories, plays, novels and poetry. A major aim of the course is to bring students' reading and analysis of literature to the college level by having them do independent, close readings of the text. Class discussions then reinforce and expand upon what students have gleaned. In writing, the goal is to improve students' formal essay writing in preparation for college. Teachers work on guiding students through both the literary and the research essay.

college-level analysis and discussion of some of the masters of world literature in both the areas of poetry and prose. Weekly essay assignments on poetry or prose are geared toward preparing the students for the AP English exam, a test that requires students to analyze literature passages and answer multiple-choice questions at the college level. The first semester concentrates on the genres of short stories, novels and plays; the second semester places greater emphasis on poetry, in addition to continuing study of novels and plays. The course may include but is not limited to the following works: Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Becket's Waiting for Godot, Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, Dreiser's Sister Carrie, Emerson's essays, Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Melville's Billy Budd, Shakespeare's Hamlet, and The Merchant of Venice, Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, and an intensive unit of British and American poetry. Since its level of reading, writing and study is intense, this course is only recommended for students who greatly love literature and who have demonstrated proficiency and skill in writing and analysis.