In this introduction to emergency medicine, students learned life-saving techniques and even some advanced procedures such as intubation and placement of IVs. Through their daily work with a Greenwich Emergency Medical Service (GEMS) ambulance team, students earned certifications in AHA first aid and BLS Healthcare provider. And beyond this 3-week course, several students have pursued further training on the path to becoming certified emergency medical technicians.

What makes a neighborhood? What makes a city? What makes a New Yorker? … and how do people afford New York City? Students will become experts on navigating the neighborhoods of NYC, beginning on the Lower East Side with a visit to the Tenement Museum which showcases New York’s rich immigrant history, to explorations of Chinatown, the Upper East Side, Jackson Heights in Queens, and Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. Students will focus  on the rich histories and cultural identities present in these neighborhoods, and we will reflect on how the neighborhoods changed over time, including current trends of gentrification. 

No trip to any of these neighborhoods would be complete without a sample of the food from each neighborhood, which is why students will be having lunch at restaurants specific to what we are studying for that day.

A behind the scenes look at the NYC art scene including talks with gallerists, visits to drawing rooms, gallery walks, and related art making. Institutions to tap into: the Met, MoMA, the Whitney, the Morgan. We will also invite guest artists to enhance our visits. There will be limited enrollment as there are number limits to the drawing rooms and gallery visits.  The final product will be the development of an original work of art.

Eligible for Diploma Credit: Visual Arts

An immersion in the brilliant cultural life just down the road. An avid exploration of museums from the Natural History Museum to the Cloisters, with sidetrips into theater, concerts, and the architecture that houses it all. This will be married to a deep dive into what (and who) defines artistic validity, and the timely questions of the ethics behind it all, and will culminate in students writing a paper on, or creating an artistic response to, facets that spoke most profoundly to them. 

Eligible for Diploma Credit: Visual Arts

In this intersession, we will explore the people, places, and landscapes of Connecticut and Massachusetts – their geology, botany, and history.  We’ll survey local sites in Greenwich and the shore of Long Island Sound, as well as locales such as Mystic Seaport and the Mashantucket Pequot Museum in the eastern part of the state. The culmination of the course will be an overnight trip to Massachusetts and visits to key sites on Boston's famed Freedom Trail. Here’s a chance to learn more about the place you call home.

A multi-disciplinary study of the human body, its structure, mechanics, and meaning through the lenses of art and…(fill in the blank here: science, dance, fitness, medicine, sports, fashion, religion, policy, etc.) Life figure drawing & sculpting sessions, trips, and guest speakers. Later, students will create a project on a topic of their choice around anatomy, merging two or more fields of inquiry/industry. 

Eligible for Diploma Credit: Visual Arts

Today, sport is big business.  Career opportunities are increasing.  Fan interest and participation evolve with technology.  How did we get to this point?  Where might it go?  Other relevant questions we will ask are: If we want to pursue a career in this field, what can history teach us to prepare for it?  How can we better engage with what we see and hear?

In addition to learning about food insecurity, students will have opportunities to cook, organize, and serve food that will support organizations that fight this issue every day. Beyond volunteering in the community (Stamford, Greenwich, NYC…), we’ll learn about the systemic issues that cause food insecurity and homelessness in the wealthiest nation on earth.

Connect with local seniors by delivering meals with Meals on Wheels, running technology classes at the Senior Center, exchanging stories at a local senior home, observing and creating programming at a dementia unit at Edgehill and Riverhouse Adult Day Center, and more. In addition to “filling your and others’ buckets”, students and teachers will have a chance to reflect on the place this aging population has in our society (and others) through movies, media, and journaling. 

In this course, students will explore the regulation, economy, and systems behind the service animal industry in the United States. Applying what they learn from class, students will embed in local organizations, such as Champs (landmine dogs), Pegasus (therapeutic horsemanship), and Guiding Eyes for the Blind (therapy dogs). They will produce reports meant to assess opportunities and benefits for their organization.

Project Typical will be an opportunity for students to dive into the study of neurodiversity and physical disabilities. Students will enrich their understanding of the spectrum of human experience by both planning and participating in events with individuals of this population, as well as learning basic therapeutic strategies and considering how society includes/isolates/celebrates this population. 

Students will explore and assess leading pedagogical methods in elementary science topics, demonstrations, and experiments. They will then apply their knowledge in the design of curriculum for for elementary students. After trial/demo lessons on Old Church Road, students will take their show(s) on the road to spread the science love at local schools. 

Eligible for Diploma Credit: Engineering

In this intersession experience students will follow the life of a start up from the initial spark of the idea to a full VC pitch Shark Tank style. Along the way, Students will learn how to come up with a marketing plan, how to balance cost against revenue, calculate basic financial statements, and build a management presentation that will blow the “Sharks” away.

Over the course of 3 weeks students will be able to engage with games in brand new ways, learning the fundamentals behind these virtual experiences by making their own. Through communal peer-focused discussion and conversations with experienced mentors, students will receive an introduction to the core concepts of game design, exploring their interests in coding, digital art, storytelling, project management, and more within the medium. We’ll also give students the opportunity to practice these skills by starting the development of their own games, crafting a personal project that they can take with them beyond the classroom. 

Eligible for Diploma Credit: Engineering

A dive into the immense world that is the automotive industry. We will examine culture around auto racing, contemporary media, the business of transportation along with many other topics. Part of the session will include a hands-on exploration into the mechanics and engineering of vehicles including routing maintenance, detailing and modification. Students will work on one problem in the car industry and work on their own creative solution. 

During this intersession, students will build a robot to compete in a proposed obstacle course at the end of intersession (e.g.  In a Nutshell: FEH Robot Competition). Students will combine their robotics skills with an overarching societal theme for the year. Students will apply their skills toward developing solutions.

Eligible for Diploma Credit: Engineering

In this intensive intersession course, students will learn to navigate the complexity, energy, and strategy of the American political landscape in our current election cycle. Each day, we’ll explore the full range of media coverage, polling data, and political punditry, ensuring that students develop a critical eye for identifying bias, seeking accurate sources, and analyzing conflicting information. We’ll synthesize the day’s front-page news, television coverage, and social media strategy.

When we can, we will take advantage of connections to local government and national government officials, seeking to hear from and challenge voices from across the political spectrum. This is NOT a partisan course, and while we understand that students may have chosen a political party, we ask that they enter with an open mind and a willingness to have their beliefs challenged.

Do you love to read?  Is your idea of a perfect day relaxing with a good book? Then this intersession is for you!  Through this course, we will read 3-4 books of contemporary fiction, discuss those books in a small group, meet and interview authors, and meet with bookstore owners and book marketers to gain an understanding of the process of being an author, the economics of literature, and platforms for publishing.

Students will grapple with and analyze food and food related texts across various mediums: movies, literature, menus, cookbooks and more. This will provide insight into Italian cultures as students question authenticity, “ethnic” cuisine, and (mis)interpretations of some of America’s beloved Italian dishes. This intersession will include hands-on experiences, field trips to “Italian” restaurants, and film screenings. 

Gastronomy; an exploration of the food culture of NYC, celebrating the immense diversity of the city’s scene, from the basic street vendor, through ethnic foods, to Danny Meyer’s restaurant empire. Would include “backstage” visit to “Top Chef” environment of a working restaurant. Includes visits to multiple restaurants, and watching food-centered films, and immersing ourselves in the world of the chef. We will look forward to collaborating with Chef Gregory Stein, our brilliant CIA-trained in-house chef, who is a sparkling speaker as well as a passionate chef. This will culminate in our own Top GCDS Chef competition. 

This intersession hopes to explore the diffusion of food across identities and how food and nutrition trends have a deeper connection to people. To be informed consumers we need to understand the physiological mechanisms of digestion and absorption of nutrients, the chemical roles of ingredients in food products, and the cultural context in which these foods are consumed. You will investigate the history, policy, ethics, food science and nutrition of current and past food trends. Where did golden lattes come from and are they actually good for you? Why is everyone talking about fermented foods? What does the rise of cloud bread tell us about food trends in the world? Should we really eat this much quinoa? How do you decide what milk to put in your cereal? You will develop scientific and cultural literacy to become a skeptical consumer and evaluate the next trend to hit your feed. 

Based on a popular elective at UC Davis, students will use a non-mathematical approach to how chemical engineers think about and solve problems through the process of roasting and brewing coffee. Key principles are illuminated through hands-on activities like reverse engineering a drip coffee brewer, measuring the energy used to make coffee, and optimizing strength and extraction. The experiments lead to an engineering design competition where students strive to make the best-tasting coffee using the least amount of energy. 

Eligible for Diploma Credit: Engineering

Students will learn how to cycle, stock, aquascape and maintain a saltwater aquarium. This intersession will include volunteer work and/or training at the SoundWaters Coastal Center, perhaps a trip on the SoundWaters Schooner to collect marine animals and vegetation for a temporary saltwater exhibit, and visits to the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium, Mystic Aquarium, local aquarium shops in and around Greenwich and Stamford, as well as tidal studies at Greenwich Point, Cove Island Park and Shippan Point. 

Over the 3 week period students will learn about the physical, psychological, and physiological aspects of self defense. Students will engage in both hands-on self-defense (defend) as well as developing self-awareness (detect to avoid) and the ability to defuse and de-escalate. Guest speakers and self-defense instructors in different forms of martial arts will come to the building to instruct. 

Flyfishing has become a popular sport and booming industry in the United States. Learn to tie successful fly patterns used to catch trout and other species. Using clever combinations of feathers, fur, and wire – a fly tyer does his or her best to imitate the look, flutter, wiggle, color, and silhouette of a bug or bait fish. We'll explore a wide range of methods and technical and biological research at the heart of this industry.

Have you always wanted to be in a play but just can’t fit rehearsals into your schedule?  Or maybe you’re an actor who just can’t get enough time on stage?  This is your opportunity to shine!  Students in this class will perform in a festival of exciting one-act plays directed by faculty and Senior Theater Diploma Teaching Assistants.  We’ll also take some inspirational trips to see shows in NYC. 

In this ceramics Intersession we will be practicing different forms of ceramics:  throwing on the wheel,  handbuilding, and sculpture.   We will explore the chemical makeup of clay and glazes and try to understand the chemistry and physics of firing a kiln.  We will delve into the history of ceramics as well. A few trips to local potteries and visits from guest artists will round out our time together. We will also strive to create a ceramic installation for the school and perhaps build and fire our own raku kiln on campus. 

Eligible for Diploma Credit: Visual Arts

Students who want to explore music as an independent or small group venture, may propose a special focus and design their own curriculum that works towards a final presentation or performance. Students are required to seek at least 4 students as a group project. Two current proposals include 2 Bands (7 students) and 1 Composers Forum (3 students). All students start the day with morning skill sets and master classes. The day ends with Jam sessions, Composer’s Forum & other collaborations.

Well-designed interior spaces are functional, aesthetically pleasing and sustainable. As an introduction to this broad and exciting field you will undertake a design project of your choice. By creating a process book for your chosen space you will learn about lighting, acoustics, textiles and material choices. We will introduce you to techniques to translate your initial drawings into scaled 3D designs. You will have the opportunity to meet professionals in the field both at school and on trips to showrooms. We will also take at least two trips into New York City to further our understanding of the latest design trends. This Intersession will culminate in a design presentation to a group of potential “clients.”

Eligible for Diploma Credit: Visual Arts

In this course, we will explore public spaces in NYC and in the Greenwich community. We'll visit parks and public venues, and we'll examine their history, their "public good," and the need that the public has for them. In addition, we'll explore the politics, financing, and operations of public spaces, and we'll explore how different communities define access to these spaces.