Design Engineering*
Grade 11
.5 credit
This course will give students multiple experiences applying the Engineering Design Cycle. Using CAD and graphics software, hand tools, a 3D printer, a laser cutter, and a variety of materials, students will design, build, and test a solution to a given problem. Students will apply the engineering design cycle to improve their design’s performance. This course will give students opportunities to develop important twenty-first-century skills such as collaborating with one another, identifying and working effectively to problem solve, honing presentation and writing ability, and learning how to complete a project on time and on budget. Students will document their learning by keeping an engineering notebook.
*Prerequisite: Successful application to the Applied Science Certificate Program
Offered fall and spring semesters
Organic Chemistry–Honors*
Grade 12
1 credit
This honors course is intended for highly motivated students who have successfully completed Advanced Placement Chemistry. Students work at their own pace and are required to turn in problem sets and tests at the end of each unit. It is the responsibility of the student to schedule meetings with the instructor to discuss course material and complete the required labs. The course covers introductory material usually included in college-level organic chemistry as well as common organic laboratory techniques.
*Prerequisites: AP Chemistry and permission of the department
Environmental Science in Action
Grade 12
0.5 credit
In this course, students will work together to identify a single environmental issue, research and define a problem, design and propose various solutions, and ultimately implement one or more of the solutions. Students will conduct in-depth research and discuss and debate the various aspects of the issue at hand. Students will have the opportunity to delve deep into the issue’s environmental impacts, examine its scientific underpinnings, policy implications, cultural influences, and new and emerging technologies. The class will be community-centered, with students exploring how the issue manifests on campus and how they can learn from and work with the surrounding community to effect change and tailor solutions.
Offered spring semester in alternate years – offered spring 2027
*Prerequisite: Biology and Chemistry
Offered 2024-25
Climate Change and Storytelling in Religion and Science*
Grade 12
.5 Credit
This class is an interdisciplinary experience in interpreting and telling stories about who we are in the Anthropocene (the age of humans)—who do we understand ourselves to be, and who do we want to become? In conversation with multiple and diverse modes of storytelling, the course outlines the science of climate change, including the greenhouse effect, human-driven changes in CO2 levels and subsequent changes in temperature (air and water), as well as data related to melting polar ice, carbon cycling, climate feedback loops, and other greenhouse gases. Students study the different consequences of climate change: sea level rise, wildfires, drought, climate refugees, hurricanes and flooding, habitat loss, species extinction, and so on. Stories in the form of journalism, ethnography, poetry, music, creative nonfiction, podcasts, film, and religious ecologies will guide us as we explore climate change impacts and pathways of perseverance, resilience, problem-solving, and hope.
Offered spring semester in alternate years – offered spring 2026
*Prerequisites: Religion and Ethics, Biology, Chemistry
*Successful completion of the course also garners Religion credit
Bioethics*
Grade 12
.5 Credit
Bioethics explores moral traditions in conversation with advancements in technology and medicine. As a branch of applied ethics, Bioethics invites us to consider deep and abiding questions about matters of life and death, standards of medical care and research, and the development and administration of new technology to intervene in natural processes. Bioethics is an evolving global discipline with direct and relevant application to political and social issues such as, but not limited to, abortion, reproductive technologies, euthanasia and the right to die, cloning, organ donation, gene editing, and animal research. Students will build a robust understanding of moral theories (i.e., Consequentialism, Deontology, Virtue) as well as an appreciation for the complex features of the central debates in the field.
Offered spring semester in alternate years – offered spring 2027
*Prerequisites: Religion and Ethics, Biology, Chemistry
*Successful completion of the course also garners Religion credit.
Astronomy (Non-Lab)*
Grade 12
.5 credit
This semester course begins with studying the physical properties of our solar system. Students will investigate the relationships that govern the movement of celestial objects and develop an understanding of the scale of the cosmos. Students will apply their understanding of these physical laws to determine the properties of other systems and galaxies. The second part of the course will focus on exploring current human endeavors in space and making informed decisions about our role and goals in space exploration.
Offered spring semester
*Corequisite: Precalculus
Comparative Anatomy and Physiology in the Modern World*
Grade 12
.5 credits
This course will cover the complex nature of the human body systems and their roles within the human organism to maintain homeostasis (e.g., health in the form of dynamic balance). Through a comparative exploration of the structure and function of major body systems, the class will use case studies to compare normal to altered states of these systems (e.g., diseased, athletic, treated). With an added emphasis on the impact and importance of environmental and sociocultural factors on physiology, students will work to stretch thinking beyond the traditional lens of structure and function in the normative individual while completing small group projects on a particular system.
Offered fall semester
*Prerequisite: Successful completion of junior science course requirements and permission of the department
Forensic Science at the Crime Scene (Non-Lab)
Grade 12
.5 credit
Forensic Science at the Crime Scene draws on the fundamental principles of chemistry, physics, and biology. Students will learn both the theoretical and philosophical understanding of the investigatory process leading to conclusions about both perpetrator and victim within the confines of the crime scene. Students will learn and practice several techniques including crime scene analysis; fingerprinting; collection, preservation, and testing of evidence; modus operandi; use of technology; and types of evidence. Analysis of problems encountered in interviewing, interrogating, and evidence collecting will also be examined as part of this course.
Offered fall semester
Forensic Science in the Laboratory (Non-Lab)
Grade 12
.5 credit
Forensic Science in the Laboratory draws on the fundamental principles of chemistry, physics, and biology. Students will explore forensic science from a laboratory perspective through various methodologies and applications used in this discipline. Topics discussed include organic and inorganic chemical analyses of physical evidence, DNA identification, analysis of fresh and decomposed tissue remains, and drug analysis. Students will practice several techniques in the laboratory such as UV-visible spectroscopy, blood-splatter analysis, and DNA analysis using electrophoresis.
Offered spring semester
Marine Biology and Ecology (Non-Lab)
Grade 12
.5 credit
Students will explore the physical and biological aspects of the world’s oceans and the organisms that live there. In addition, this class will focus on the interaction of humans with the marine environment. The course will cover marine ecosystems, including tide pools, coral reefs, the open ocean, and the deep ocean. The course will provide a thorough understanding of marine invertebrates, fish, and mammals.
Offered spring semester
Ecology (Non-Lab)
Grade 12
.5 credit
Ecology is the study of interrelationships between organisms and their biotic and abiotic environments. As a basic science, ecology informs us about the processes governing the patterns we observe in nature. From an applied perspective, it is critical that we understand ecology as it provides insights and solutions to many of the environmental issues we are confronted with in our daily lives. In this semester-long elective course, students will investigate the types of questions asked by ecologists through field studies. Students will study the principal concepts and theories that guide ecological inquiry, and the methods that are used to answer ecological questions. The semester will cover major ideas that shape modern ecology such as population regulation, competition, predation, ecosystem energetics, mathematical models, and nutrient cycling.
Offered fall semester
Robotics (Non-Lab)*
Grades 11 and 12
.5 credit
In this semester course, students are introduced to the engineering design cycle, robotics, and computer programming. A study of the logic and algorithmic processes used by computers to perform tasks will lead to the use of the programming language PYTHON. As the students develop confidence and mastery in the use of hardware and programming, they will write their own functions to perform simple tasks. As the semester progresses, students will design more advanced programs, based on individual ability and curiosity.
Offered fall semester
*Corequisite: Algebra II or above
