This course is designed primarily for juniors and seniors.  It will focus on a variety of lab skills, experimental design, and data analysis.  It will provide the opportunity for students to design their own experiments, as well as to participate in long term data collection. This will also provide students with the opportunity to address specific indicators needed for graduation. 

Students will learn about the structure of matter, chemical interaction, phase changes, solutions, gas laws, acid-base reactions, and the scientific laws that describe these processes. Class will include a combination of lecture, projects, readings, and learning lab basics. Laboratory investigations will be used to illustrate concepts discussed, and students will be introduced to many tools and techniques commonly used in a chemistry lab. Lab safety will be a strong focus in the lab.

Few things are more important than how LIFE works. This class will first explore the study of the natural world, then move to the human body. We will learn more deeply the important role of the cell with a focus on genetics, further master evolution. and then study how the human body works- its anatomy and physiology.

Permission of instructor required to sign up.

This class will explore everyday science by looking at situations that might arise in your home. We will look at the chemistry of cleaning products, scientific reactions in cooking, and how to approach different types of stains in the laundry. We will look at how to grow herbs in our kitchen and ways we can use food scraps to minimize waste. 

Permission of instructor required to sign up.

This class will explore ways to interact with nature through introductory lessons in ornithology, dendrology, plant taxonomy, and ecology. We will look at ways we can enjoy nature through local edible plants (like leeks and berries), while learning to identify some of the local plants in our forests. We will practice bird identification, and perhaps even check out some of the local fisheries. We will check out some local trails, and see what nature has to offer us in central Vermont. By the end of the course, students will have a number of ways they can interact with nature, and a toolbox of skills to describe the world around them.

Dinosaurs have captivated the imaginations of countless generations of humanity, yet nobody alive has ever actually seen one. Why are we so fascinated? What is it about a pile of bones that makes us wonder about the organism that once lived? How has science been able to reconstruct the living, walking, breathing histories of these long extinct creatures that once ruled Earth? Where did they go? What brought about the demise of their thunderous footsteps, making way for the rise of mammals? Why did we call this course Terrible Lizards? We will explore these questions, and many more, as we engage with numerous pop culture depictions in both film and literature. Welcome, to Terrible Lizards!

Indicators addressed through this elective can meet those required for graduation (ELA/Science). The choice is yours. 

Bioethics will allow students to delve into a variety of highly controversial issues in society. Students will focus on issues through the lense of current scientific research, while also focusing on societal influences in the making of ethical decisions. In examining the morality of situations, students will formulate arguments based on scientific research, paying particular attention to evidence used to support those arguments. In addition, students will include in their arguments influences that are more difficult to quantify, such as background, personal experience, and religion. Students will also study literature, investigating how authors make connections to science and civilization and how science influences culture. Possible titles for study include The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Flowers for Algernon, and The Martian.