Advanced Studio Practice

For Seniors who have built their skills and developed personal concepts for their artwork. How will you continue to build your creative voice after graduation? Pablo Picasso said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist when we grow up.” This course will explore creative strategies to keep art in your life after high school, including workshopping, refining your interests, and learning to seek out and enjoy seeing art in the world.  Open to 12th graders who have taken at least one level 2 class and with the recommendation from the Visual Arts Department Head.

Advanced Biology – Molecular Research Techniques (Honors)

This course provides students with an opportunity to learn advanced techniques in molecular biology and their applications in biotechnology. Students delve deeply into advanced topics such as genetic engineering and synthetic biology, with a specific focus on CRISPR technology and how it can be leveraged to address real-world problems in medicine, agriculture, and more. Students travel each week to the BioBuilder learning lab at Allston Labworks for an immersive experience in which students learn the skills and tools of molecular research through an ongoing research project.  Prerequisites: One Chemistry or Biology Applications course at the Honors level and with departmental permission (Biology Applications: Evolutionary Genetics highly recommended).  Offered at the Honors level only.

Student Directed Project – SDP

A Student-Directed Project empowers students to do an in-depth exploration of a topic of interest throughout the term.

The student designs, plans, and leads their research project in collaboration and with the guidance and support of a coach (faculty advisor). It allows students to delve deeper into their passion and to be the designer of their own learning. There is a wide range of Student-Directed Projects; they are multi-disciplinary, non-linear, and most importantly, student-created and led.

That’s what makes them so interesting.

Here are some examples of past projects:

• Creating an architectural model using 3D architectural software
• Through their eyes: Photo and interview series of veterans
• Robosub electromagnetic linear accelerator
• Acoustic pinger for Robosub
• Virtual Reality game for visually-impaired persons
• Creating a concept album
• Dispute: Landlord-tenant board game
• Multimedia journalism: Producing a podcast series
• Perplex: English and Theater Study
• Sensors and fiber optics: Building a fiber optic dress
• Haptic technologies: Force-Feedback Virtual Reality
• Applications of integrals to analytical continuation of functions

Advanced Costume Design and Construction (Honors)

Advanced Costume is a one-term, process-to-production course designed to prepare students for 2 public performances at Beaver. The course begins by focusing on script analysis and design, and then students work as costume technicians and designers to bring the play to fruition with the Advanced Theater Acting and Advanced Tech Theater and Design classes. Costume roles can include design, draping, construction, craft, and wardrobe. Students entering this class should be highly motivated and interested in an intense and exciting experience that requires a great deal of commitment. This course involves two weeks of rehearsal outside of the regular school day at the end of the process so that the play can be performed in its entirety while adding technical elements and costumes. Recent productions include She Kills Monsters and Exit, Pursued by a Bear. One Term Course: Winter Term  Prerequisites: Costume and Fashion Design Studio and permission of the instructor.

Studio Practice

This class creates the community, structure, and space for the most serious artists to pursue their work. Students taking this class have shown to be independent, dedicated artists prepared to bring their interests to the class. Group critiques, research in contemporary art, readings, and documentation of the creative process will be major elements of the course.

Open to 11th graders who have taken at least one level 2 course and with the recommendation from the Visual Arts Department Head.

Costume & Fashion Design Studio

Drawing from many disciplines and utilizing a variety of skills and technology, students will learn to research and communicate their ideas through a series of student-driven individual projects and mainstage shows. Students will explore the visual communication, history, and impact of clothing both on the stage and in everyday life, and they will deepen their understanding of the principles of costume and fashion design. Students will also learn the skills and techniques needed to then create their own designs. These techniques may include research, collage, sketching, digital sketching, figure drawing, sewing, draping, pattern making, tailoring, dyeing, distressing, painting, and craft. Students entering this class should be highly motivated and work well independently. This course can be taken more than once and at the Honors level with permission from the instructor. Students interested in taking more than one art class should reach out to the registrar or the Head of Performing Arts to discuss possible options. Three Term Course No Prerequisite Required.

Drama Workshop

This one-term spring workshop is designed for the actor developing his/her craft. This course is for students who wish to explore theater for the first time and the dedicated drama student. It will focus on exploring each student’s areas of interest and curiosity. Projects may include scene study with an emphasis on improvisation, contemporary theater, monologue preparation, musical theater scenes, stand-up comedy, devised work, directing and other forms of performance art. Past classes have included trips to see professional improv shows in and around Boston and we hope to do this again. One Term Course: Spring Term No Prerequisite Required.

Chemistry Applications – Quantitative Analysis

In Quantitative Analysis, students build on the basic chemical concepts and skills learned in the foundations course. The concept of a mole is explored and students learn to predict the products of chemical reactions. In this lab-based course, students conduct a variety of experiments and use stoichiometry to quantitatively analyze their findings and the efficiency of their experimentation. Finally, students explore molarity and solution chemistry, including acids and bases, through both conceptual and quantitative lenses. Prerequisites: Chemistry Foundations and Biology Foundations.

Advanced Engineering Design – Project Studio (Honors)

This course is intended to give students a more challenging and demanding environment to apply the skills they learned in either Engineering Applications: Robotics (formerly Engineering Design Foundations) or at NuVu and allow them to continue to wrestle and build on solutions to real problems. This course is largely project-based, and students are expected to use class time to research and design solutions to engineering design challenges. All projects are teacher guided but student led, with the goal of learning and using the tools and approaches of the engineering mindset. Prerequisites: Engineering Applications: Robotics or NuVu. Departmental permission required. Offered at the Honors level only.

Advanced History: Independent Research (Honors)

An intensive, inquiry-based course that will require students to pursue an advanced independent course of research on topics of their choice. Students in this class will be expected to work through several multi-step research assignments, including producing research-based papers and presentations and participating in research projects. This course is designed to hone the research skills of critical thinking, problem-solving, analysis, and dissemination. It is designed for the student who is interested in possibly pursuing advanced humanities research in college.

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.

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.