Check, Matie!

Mrs. Davis

In this enrichment course, Raiders will be exposed to the world of playing CHESS. Playing chess teaches planning and foresight and helps develop problem solving skills, foster self-confidence, increase creativity, improve memory and concentration, and enhance decision making skills. It’s a great way to exercise your brain (both the left and right sides) and is a game you can play for the rest of your life! Chess is a “sport for the mind.” Students will learn the rules (novice) and/or develop/research strategies (advanced); we will do tactical and positional exercises, appropriate for various levels of play; students will have the option of practicing and playing face-to-face or online against comparable competitors; we will hold an Anchor Time tournament with brackets for novice and intermediate/advance players; students also have the opportunity to prepare for chess tournaments outside of school (we will enter teams if we have enough participants; individuals may enter separately). Students will set their own goals for what they want to get out the program; they will keep statistics on wins and losses and have the opportunity to obtain a USCF rating; students will also research past and current national and grand masters to determine ways to improve play. New this year, we will receive instruction from a local Grand Master, International Master, or FIDE Master.

A Capella: Momentum and Hype

Mrs. Levesque

Momentum and Hype are two a cappella groups at Alpharetta High School that perform around the community and compete each year at the International Championship of High School A Cappella. These groups are a great way to meet new people, and you are sure to have a blast while singing your favorite pop tunes with your friends! This enrichment class is open to all students who want to learn more about a cappella, but participating in performances and competitions with our groups requires an audition which occurred in August

Survey of Organic Chemistry

Mr. Martinez

Organic chemistry is one of the most failed courses at the university level. It is the barrier that stands in the way of students’ dreams of med school. On the other hand, organic chem is one the most interesting, meaningful, and useful topics that can be studied. Organic chem affects the areas of biochemistry, medicine, pharmaceuticals, dyes, polymers (clothes and plastics), food/agriculture, energy, and even electronics. What if you could take a survey of organic chemistry? No pressure for grades. No late-night study sessions. No dreading the test. Just straight chemistry distilled for the amateur and the expert alike.

So what are we going to be doing exactly?

We will cover the bare bones basics of ochem:

1. What is organic chemistry?

2. Drawing and naming structures

3. Functional groups and classes of compounds

4. Types of reactions

5. Mechanisms of reactions

6. Proving structures through spectroscopy.

That all sounds very complicated. What if I’ve never taken a chemistry class? While chemistry experience is preferred, organic chem is different enough from general chemistry that you should be able to follow along with little prior knowledge. Just bring a periodic table and your willingness to learn.

Table Tennis

Coach Lacy

A fun and active sport, table tennis club was created to offer an alternative sport for students to participate in. Students will learn about forehand, backhand, top spin & under spin, including the physics & math underlying these techniques.

Unified Raiders

Mrs. Schlosser

Attention Leaders, Athletes and Party Planners! We will be hosting Unified Raiders during Anchor Time. You will have the opportunity to grow an in area of your interest while working with the special needs population here at AHS. Athletes: We will have the opportunity to learn new sports and play on unified teams (half gen ed and half special ed). Leaders: Students that want to share their passion and skills in sports can take a leadership role as a Peer Coach. Party Planners: We have opportunities to plan lunch activities, dances, Special Olympic Activities as well as organize Exceptional Children’s week.

Model UN

Coach Floyd

Interested in world issues? Like to persuade others? Welcome to Model UN! This seminar will teach you the skills necessary to participate in Model UN conferences with other high schools. We will work on how to develop proposals for the General Assembly and participate in training simulations dealing with real world issues like climate change, the Ukraine crisis, Syrian civil war, and other issues.

Lightsabers and Mockingjays

Mr. Fortunato

Whether Luke Skywalker or Katniss Everdeen, Wreck-It Ralph or Queen Elsa—archetypal heroes tell the story of our culture’s myths and legends. Join us for a lively look at heroes and heroines of all shapes and kinds—from Batman and Frodo Baggins to Emmet Brickowski and Rapunzel—whose stories are told through films, television shows, and even video games.

Creative Writing

Dr. Lester

Poetry, Fiction, Non-Fiction, even Manga! If you are interested in creating and writing, then this Anchor Time opportunity is for you! Join Dr. Lester to explore your own ideas and stories and learn how to bring them to life.

I'm Board!

Mr. Cohen

In this enrichment course, Raiders will teach, learn, and play board and card games. Playing cards and board games have many benefits for students. For one, these activities help build problem solving skills. Students will also get to teach games to other students and learn games from other students, helping to build memory, instructional skills, and collaboration skills. In addition, playing cards and board games help reduce stress by allowing students to have fun and laugh with their peers. Students will be expected to bring in their own board games and playing cards and take responsibility for their own materials. Students will also need to keep track of the game play if the 45 minute anchor time period is not enough to finish a game. The environment will be kept neat and noise level will be maintained at a proper level.

Read in Peace

Sra. Parris

In this day and age of high anxiety, stress and no time to do anything; we want to give students an opportunity to just read in peace. This class is based on the Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) program, where students get an opportunity to just read. Being that we do not offer regular reading classes, this class would benefit students greatly. There are multiple advantages to SSR such as:

1. Enhances reading enjoyment

2. Increases comprehension

3. Builds vocabulary

4. Improves writing skills

We have seen students who carry around leisure reading books, and they try to squeeze in any time they can to read, even during their regular classes. This class would provide them the opportunity to have that solid block of time to just relax and read. In order to ensure that the students are actually reading, we will be tracking how many pages they read on a weekly basis and will reward them based on their performance. Also, every other week we will dedicate some time for each student to give a review of the book(s) he/she has read with the group and possibly have a book swap program. We cannot wait to just sit and read in peace.