Chinese Introduction to Conversation and Storytelling

These introductory courses for Mandarin Chinese are designed for students who have no previous exposure to the language. It stresses the building blocks of spoken and written communication- pronunciation, tones, stroke order and radical recognition. Students will be able to engage in basic daily interactions in Chinese using speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. Grammar is introduced incrementally through storytelling as functional chunks for meaningful communication. Vocabulary is practiced in a thematic and communicative way, and the topics that are discussed include: introductory greetings, family, dates and time, hobbies, visiting friends, making plans, studying Chinese and school life. Students will also study cultural and historic elements of the Chinese-speaking world. Audio and video materials, computer software, games, projects, and presentations foster student interaction and participation. By the end of the first year, students should know approximately 300 words.

Media & Its Influences

From the printing press to widespread use of social media, the creation of news content has been defined and redefined by the technology of its historical time. Using today’s media landscape, students will examine what qualifies as news, what ethical questions are presented in journalism, and how we are impacted today by those that craft, manipulate, and distribute the message. Students will use different media tools and platforms to question, challenge, and deconstruct media messages and their biases. Students will become better equipped to read the world and understand the news.

Entrepreneurship with a Purpose

Can entrepreneurship be the response to local and global challenges? Can it serve a purpose beyond being just a money-making endeavor? In this class, you will learn about how businesses are created and why some thrive and others fail. You will also design ideas to start your own business with empathy and a purpose in mind; business ideas that can have a meaningful, positive impact on others. This social entrepreneurship course will look at the change-making potential of people to pursue ideas, solutions, philanthropy and advocacy. You will hear from experts; analyze how businesses operate; explore Boston's thriving entrepreneurship ecosystem; and brainstorm your own startup idea. This class will allow you to present your ideas to investors and organizations that look for purposeful social entrepreneurs to make a difference.

Calculus – Derivatives & Integrals

The Derivatives course includes all of the topics of an introductory Calculus course including limits, derivatives and their applications. The Integrals course includes all of the topics of an introductory Calculus course including definite integrals, indefinite integrals and their applications. Prerequisite: Precalculus. Offered at the Honors and Standard levels. Honors level requires departmental recommendation.

Introduction to Investing

Should you invest in the common stock of Apple Inc. or Exxon Mobil? How do you decide whether to get a car loan or a lease? How do you determine how much a small business is worth? In this course, we will learn about (a) the fundamentals of the stock market, investment vehicles, and basic principles of investing, (b) key aspects of personal finance, including budgeting, credit cards, and investing for retirement, and (c) the time value of money and risk as it applies to analyzing these personal finance questions. Students will learn to create and maintain a diversified portfolio through a virtual stock exchange, and there will be opportunities for research and other projects based on student interest.

Storytelling Workshop

In this course, students will expand their creative capacity and explore their voice through learning elements of writing craft and engaging in a workshop community. Students will identify what elements of storytelling matter most to them and will produce fiction, poetry, memoir, or oral stories. They’ll learn workshop protocols and engage in revision processes to refine their work. We will read writing about writing and mentor texts to inspire and inform our writing. Students will end the term with a social action project, using storytelling to create cultural change within their communities. Learn to own your voice, recognize its power, and use it for impact in your community. This class will have a particular focus on the skill of creative writing.

Great Books

When was the last time you were responsible for picking your reading for a course? At the beginning of this class, you will generate a list of books you want to read, and then you will campaign for your favorite; after the campaign season ends, you’ll vote, and several books will win. We’ll spend the term reading them, examining them for character, theme, structure, style, and message. How does choosing the text intersect with investment in the reading? Is the text a great book? Ultimately, you decide whether the books deserve spots on the shelf and how you go about choosing your next read. You will respond to the reading in various forms of writing, class discussions, projects, and presentations. Previous winners: 1984, Room, Lolita, Brave New World, Catch-22, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Lord of the Flies, The Scarlet Letter, Little Women, On the Road, The Kite Runner, Gone Girl, Fight Club. This class will have a particular focus on the skills of reading and analytical writing.

Literature and Film

Did you like the movie or the book better? Is this a sensible question, or are we being asked to compare unlike genres? In this course we will investigate these two art forms, comparing the narrative possibilities — and limitations — of each. How do these modes of storytelling differ in terms of their effects? What can film achieve that a novel or play cannot, and vice versa? What is lost in the translation of literature into film, and what makes a “good” adaptation? We will read novels and plays, and we will study a film based on each. You will think and write critically about how these stories are told on the printed page and on the screen, analyzing the cultural impact of each medium. This class will have a particular focus on the skills of reading and analytical writing.

Senior Studio (Honors)

Culminating with the annual Senior Show, this 2-term class creates the community, structure, and space for the most serious artists to pursue their own work. Students taking this class have shown to be independent, dedicated artists who are prepared to bring their interests to the class. No projects are assigned. Group critiques, research in contemporary art, readings, and documentation of the creative process will be major elements of the course. Open to 12th graders with the recommendation from the Visual Arts Department Head. 

Sculpture

Go deeper into the how and why humans have made things throughout time. We will investigate objects that were designed for functional uses as well as objects that were made to function as art. You’ll have options to build with your hands and/or software, including woodworking, ceramics, plaster, resin, and 3D modeling. Regular discussion of The World of Art and Art History will provide context for our work. Critiques, documentation, and presentation will be essential elements of the class, with an emphasis on both process and product.  Prerequisites: 3D or by the recommendation from the Visual Arts Department Head.

Statistics

This course includes the gathering of data and a variety of sampling techniques, hypothesis testing, frequency distribution, normal distribution, correlation, linear regression, theoretical distributions, and inferential statistics. This course asks students to consider questions such as these: How is data summarized so that it is intelligible? How should statistical data be interpreted? How can we measure the inherent uncertainty built into statistical data? Students will be asked to collect, analyze and interpret real data to answer real questions in their areas of interest. Students can opt to take this class at the Honors level. Prerequisites: Integrated Math 3 or Algebra 2 and Geometry

Advanced Biology – Anatomy and Physiology (Honors)

In this medical simulation-based course, we explore the integrated systems that make up the incredible human body and learn about how the structures of the body perform the functions necessary to maintain the balance of life (homeostasis). Students investigate the relationship between structure and function through dissections, projects, and discussions. We look into the pathophysiology of diseases and disorders that compromise the functioning of our body systems and visit the Harvard MEDscience program once a week to apply this content to hands-on medical simulations. Students should note that this class deals with medical content and skills that  include simulated blood, the use of needles and scalpels, and animal dissections. Students should be prepared for patient simulations which, while fun, are also realistic and intense in nature. Prerequisites: Students should take one Chemistry Applications AND one Biology Applications course to be eligible to take this class, and at least one of those application courses should be taken at the Honors level and with departmental permission. Offered at the Honors level only. ***Open ONLY to students who have NOT attended the Harvard MEDscience Clinical summer program. Please note: seniors who take this course in the spring are still required to attend Harvard MEDScience visits on Fridays throughout their senior experience.