Note: This class is open to high school students only.
THE FINAL CLASS. We will tackle the biggest concepts that y’all have wanted to do all along – meaning of life + life in the universe + afterlife, etc.
This class will include daily discussion, some writing prompts, small projects, and activities. Must be willing to ask questions, engage in philosophical debate, and change your mind.
You already know what it is. Anyone can join! It’s very fun!
Learn leadership skills and help make school a better place! Projects this term will include helping to further develop, prep, plan, and facilitate (when applicable) all the final big events of the school year – showcase, graduation, soul food, field day, and creative cafe. We will also encourage whimsey in all the small and important ways we can.
I REALLY encourage new folks to join Leadership this term! We gotta pass the torch y’all. Open to all.
In this class, we will investigate native flora, fauna, and fungi of our beautiful Pacific Northwest region. Activities will include learning about all our fave animals, edible plants, fungi identification, one dissection, and (at least) one field trip. You will read, write, watch, make art, and likely do a research project.
To earn credit for this class, you must participate daily by asking questions / practicing scientific inquiry. You must complete all the work required. If you REALLY do not want to do the dissection, we can talk about alternatives. Open to all.
Note: This class is open to middle school students only.
A continuation of the winter term class but anyone can join. We will continue to build off the repository of questions we developed in winter term and examine the relevant fields of philosophy to find some answers.
This class will include daily discussion, some writing prompts, small projects, and activities. Must be willing to ask questions, engage in philosophical debate, and change your mind.
Note: This class is open to high school students only.
A continuation of the winter term class but anyone can join. We will continue to study and practice specific poetry skills and styles. Work will include analyzing, interpreting, and annotating poetry; writing your own poetry; giving and receiving feedback on each others’ work.
In order to earn credit for this class, you must complete all of the work required. HS only.
We will walk up to Danny Woo Community Garden to volunteer! Tasks will likely include weeding, planting, tending to the compost and the chickens, and some infrastructure projects.
Note: This class is open to high school students only.
We will read, discuss, and analyze The Fifth Season, which is the first volume of the Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin.
The Fifth Season is a science-fantasy novel, set on a supercontinent called the Stillness. This setting is constantly rocked by seismic activity, some of it devastating to civilization and causing an extended winter referred to as a “Fifth Season.” The society of the Stillness is broken up into many “comms”, “use-castes”, ethnicities, and species. The story is split into three separate narratives.
The novel received the 2016 Hugo Award and Jemisin was the first black woman to win the prize. She’s also the only writer to have received the prize in three consecutive years (for the latter two volumes of the series).
To earn credit for this class, you must complete all of the reading, in-class work, and the culminating project at the end of the term.
Required texts/materials:
Note: This class is open to middle school students only.
We will read, discuss, and analyze Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez. See the summary of the book below (from social justice books):
In Before We Were Free, Alvarez explores the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic through the eyes of Anita de la Torre, a 12-year-old girl in 1960. In the beginning, Anita has little knowledge of politics and the underground movement to assassinate Trujillo. In fact, at the start of the novel, Anita looks to El Jefe’s picture at times when she needs strength. She slowly becomes more aware that life under Trujillo has become increasingly dangerous for many, including her own family members who are a part of the movement to kill the dictator.
To earn credit for this class, you must complete all of the reading, in-class work, and the culminating project at the end of the term. MS only.
Required texts/materials:
This class is all about WORDS! Focusing on both linguistic and cultural contexts, we will study the etymology of various words, phrases, idioms, concepts, etc. Students will prepare a “word of the day” presentation and be tested on these throughout the term, developing their own WORD dictionary. Students will analyze texts, play games, and do some creative writing.
In order to get credit for this class, you must complete all work including a “word of the day” presentation and the final vocabulary test. Open to all.