This one-semester course offers middle schoolers a dive into the world of performance and production. Students will explore theatre theory and diverse forms and styles, moving from foundational acting techniques to advanced performance skills.Throughout the semester, students rotate through the roles of actor, director, creator, and designer. The curriculum culminates in the development of original theatre, where students apply their technical and creative skills to both individual and collaborative projects

Step into the spotlight and discover the magic of the stage! This dynamic, one-semester course offers students a comprehensive look at the world of musical theatre. Designed for both the aspiring performer and the creative technician, this course focuses on the "triple threat" disciplines—acting, singing, and dance—while diving deep into the essential stagecraft that brings a story to life. Throughout the semester, students will evolve from individual performers into a cohesive ensemble. The journey begins with skill-building and historical research and culminates in a live musical production performed for an audience.

In Orchestra, students develop their skills through hands-on learning and ensemble practice, gaining experience by rehearsing and performing throughout the year. They learn to communicate through music, express emotions without words, and collaborate to create a unified sound. Working with other performing arts classes, they help produce dynamic performances that blend music with theater and dance. Through active participation, they refine their abilities, build confidence, and explore how music connects people and cultures. Orchestra fosters teamwork, creativity, and lifelong musical skills.

Band offers students the chance to develop their musical skills and build confidence while learning the fundamentals of playing their instruments. They focus on coordination, breath control, and technique to enhance their musical expression. The course explores how music conveys emotions and ideas, helping students understand its universal power to connect people. Students collaborate with peers in other performing arts classes, combining music with theater, dance, and multimedia for exciting performances. They explore a variety of styles, including concert band pieces, jazz, pop, and film music, while also having opportunities to perform solos and showcase their growth. Intermediate Band is about more than just playing music, it’s about learning to express, create, and collaborate together.

In Choir, students strengthen their vocal technique and expand their range while gaining confidence as singers. They perform as part of an ensemble, blending voices to create harmonies and expressive music. Students learn how to record themselves using professional music equipment like microphones and recording software. The course helps develop communication skills, using the voice to connect with others and tell a story. Students collaborate with peers from other performing arts classes to create performances that combine music with performance. 

Digital Music lets students compose, create, and arrange music in any style or genre, using technology to make, perform, and share their work in new and exciting ways. Students learn to craft accessible compositions that can be adapted for different performance settings, even if they don't play an instrument. They also develop basic recording skills while producing original songs, soundtracks for movies and video games, and music for advertisements. By exploring real examples and practical strategies, they connect music theory, composition, and songwriting to their personal interests. All that's needed is a computer and creativity to make some music!

Students in 7/8 Dance will explore new ways of moving their bodies by learning new styles. We'll study both social dances and stage styles while focusing on coordination, flexibility, memory, and performance. Students will also be learning how to collaborate on original choreography, understanding that dance is both a physical and creative art form. 

MYP Media Arts is a creatively stimulating and collaboratively engaging course that introduces future filmmakers to the art of cinema. Over the semester, students critically explore the cinematic language, including cinematography, editing, and sound design. They gain hands-on experience in filmmaking, learning to use Adobe Animate and various video platforms. The course also exposes students to different film styles, genres, and movements, helping them understand how directors convey intent and meaning through the screen. Students collaborate to create original films, practicing scriptwriting, directing, filming, editing, and sound engineering. The course nurtures creativity, innovation, and artistic expression, encouraging students to work together and develop their filmmaking skills.

In this course, students will develop foundational drawing skills by observing three-dimensional objects from analytical perspectives. They will learn to create the illusion of reality in two-dimensional space, using various value contrasts to enhance their drawings. Students will explore both 2D and 3D subjects, focusing on contour lines and shading techniques. In the second unit, they will experiment with different materials, including charcoal, pens, colored pencils, pastels, and crayons, to understand the unique effects of each medium. By the end of the course, students will select their favorite medium and theme to create a final passion drawing. This project will involve planning, the creative process, and reflection, and will be shared in a final presentation.

In this course, you will learn the foundations of painting, including mixing colors, understanding color harmonies, and mastering composition. You will explore value mapping, painting shapes, and experiment with different media, such as watercolor, color pencils, oil pastels, and acrylic paint. Additionally, you will work with mixed media and paint on various surfaces and materials.

In this class, students learn basic clay making techniques to hand-build, and to use an electric wheel to make both functional and ornamental ceramics. 

In Grade 7/8, students will learn the History of Comic Books, while gaining knowledge of both the fundamentals and introduction to Comic Book art. Some featured highlights of the course will be, Sequential Art & Storytelling, Working With Scripts & Comic Book Writing, Figure Drawing, Character and Background Design, Inking and Color Theory. Additionally, students will keep a proper art portfolio which will contain the work produced throughout this semester-long course. Finally, their comic book will be printed professionally and presented in the MYP Visual Arts Exhibition.

In this course, you will learn how to fabricate cool creations with the forgiving and fun mediums of wood, cardboard and other materials. You can create furniture, toys and other fun and useful objects by learning how to use a variety of hand and electric tools, laser cutters and more to cut and shape wood!

Design is about creation and understanding the process of going from an idea to a finished product. If you like to do things with your hands, sketch ideas and create useful and/or fun objects, then this class is for you!

Why are some places more appealing than others? How do visions become reality? In this class, you will learn that good designs are a mix of form and function to get the best results! How is an environmentally friendly house designed? A theater set? 

In this course, students will learn to use sketching, digital drawing programs and construct actual 3D scale models to design a variety of places and spaces dependent on the needs and desires of their client. How do we use empathy to shape these places?

In this course, students will become skillful problem solvers by learning how to use the design cycle to address real-life challenges. They will explore different types of problems, research possible solutions, and learn to plan, create, and evaluate their work. Students will develop technical skills through product sketching, technical drawings, and prototyping, while also gaining hands-on experience with 3D modeling tools such as SketchUp and Autodesk Fusion 360. These experiences help students understand how professional designers think and work, while strengthening their own ability to design creative and practical solutions. The semester concludes with a project where students design an innovative product that addresses a real need within the community.

In this course, students explore the fundamentals of robotics, including mechanical engineering, structural design, and command and control systems. Using VEX robotics kits, they apply their learning to design, build, and program a custom "battle-bot" for a class competition. Students will work in teams to solve complex engineering problems, moving from initial sketches to a functioning robot through a process of testing and refinement. This unit serves as an introduction to competitive robotics, encouraging students to think like engineers while documenting their creative journey in a professional inquiry portfolio.

In this course, students will take the role of web designers by applying the design cycle to virtual challenges. They will explore the architecture of the internet, research user needs, and learn to plan, create, and evaluate functional websites. Students will develop technical skills in HTML and CSS, while gaining a deep understanding of UI (User Interface) and UX (User Experience) principles. These experiences help students understand how professional web developers and digital designers think, strengthening their ability to create accessible and user-centered digital solutions. The semester concludes with a collaborative project where students act as a design agency to create a website for a client within the CA community.