Workshop Offerings

*Returning students only

Facilitator: Shaniyah Scott and Enrichment Staff

Room 101

Tuesdays, 3rd Period

Fall, Winter, and Spring terms

Max Request: 25

In this enrichment, students will learn essential vocabulary and phrases to be able to carry out a basic conversation in American Sign Language. In addition, students will acquire a better understanding of the deaf community and the importance of ASL. Students will be expected to be comfortable signing and understanding signs by the end of the term.

Facilitator: Simeon Ristic

Room 304

Wednesdays, 3rd Period

Fall, Winter, and Spring terms

Max Request: 30

What is proof (technically, not philosophically)? What can you do with a secret? What is entropy? Must god throw dice? Come on a journey of math, physics, and computation as we pull ourselves up by our bootstraps to answer these questions and more.

A note from the facilitator:

I am a Masterman alum ('14) and Penn grad with a major in materials science and engineering and minors in math and computer science. I am currently a PhD candidate in materials science at Penn. I want to teach what I wish someone had taught me when I was in your shoes. There are so many awesome, advanced topics in STEM that we can and should explore earlier and more deeply.

We will begin with computing and programming languages, introducing functional programming languages and proof assistants. (If you’ve never been acquainted with the functional programming (prominent languages: Haskell, OCaml, Scala, and Scheme) paradigm and like mathy coolness, check it out.) We will then move on to algorithms and complexity, group theory and cryptography, information theory and thermodynamics, and quantum mechanics and quantum computation. This workshop will cover at least much of the content of the AP Computer Science Principles exam, for those of you interested in taking the exam in May.

This is ambitious, we'll see how it goes. The lectures will be interactive, visual, and move quickly in a way you will enjoy. This is the second year of this workshop, it’s open to both new and returning bootstrappers. We’ll blaze new ground, while staying accessible to all who wish to join. If this piques your interest, please join us.

**Students who would like a greater challenge are encouraged to also sign up for the advanced track workshop:

*BOOTSTRAPPING ADVANCED TRACK

Facilitator: Simeon Ristic

(take-home assignments only | successful participation merits an additional excusal from options)

Fall, Winter, and Spring terms

Max Request: 30

The advanced track is for those in the main Bootstrapping workshop who want more depth and experience.

Instead of class meetings, this workshop will consist of weekly one hour assignments that will complement the main workshop’s class meetings and help hone your understanding of ideas that can’t be learned just by listening, ideas that require thinking. The assignments will avoid tedious work, focusing instead on puzzles, and involve (functional) programming languages, LaTeX, formal and informal proofs, problem solving, listening and reacting to instructional videos.

NOTE: Enrollment in the main Bootstrapping workshop is required for enrollment in the advanced track.

*10-15 minutes of at-home review per day is highly suggested, but not necessary, for this workshop

Facilitator: Ms. Yanmin Wu

Fridays, 8th

Room TBD

Max Request: 25

Join us to learn the most spoken language on the planet: Mandarin Chinese. This well designed, self-paced course will teach you basic language skills needed to communicate with native Chinese speakers (introductions, ordering food, etc.). All are welcome, and together we will explore language, food, culture and much more!

Ms. Wu will teach common words and phrases as wells as an introduction to pinyin (Chinese characters). We will be using a combination of EdEx lessons as well as material from various text books for beginners. Ms. Wu will suggest resources for further development as we move along in the course.

*Preference will be given to returning participants

Facilitator: Mr. John Rea

Room 104

TUESDAYS, 8th period

Fall, Winter, and Spring terms

Max Request: 15

Find your funny bone even if you think you're not funny. Improv comedy is created on the spot - no script. You will use hilarious situations and characters to start a scene and you're off and running. Learn how to think off the top of your head, how to work with a team and how to be creative. Learn to make strong comedic choices about your characters and learn to set up your partner. The focus of the workshop will be on scene based comedy improvisation like the games on the hit tv show 'Whose Line is it Anyway?' Games include: Artist, Dubbing, Fairy Tale Special Report, Arms and the Man, Get Your Story Straight, Director's Cut and many more! There will be performances throughout the school year in and out of school. The workshop will be lead by MacGuffin Theatre & Film Company's Artistic Director, John Rea.

*This workshop will run until 3:30. Participants will be required to stay until the end to help clean up.

Facilitator: James DiDomenico

Room TBD

Tuesdays, 2:30-3:30

Max Request: 15

In this workshop, Drexel University’s EAT RIGHT PHILLY program will lead students in discovering delicious foods that are also great for our bodies, with a focus on recipes that are easy to make at home. In each session, students will learn about nutrition by preparing and sampling a healthy dish, related to the session’s topic. Note: No dishes will include peanuts, nuts, or shellfish.

*New and returning students welcome

Facilitators: Mr. Cody Swan & Special Guests

Room 402

WEDNESDAYS, 3rd period

Max request: 25 (drop-ins are welcome. If you would like to work on and print posters outside of the workshop, please arrange it with Mr. Swan)

This course will introduce "Maker Movement" to Masterman. The main learning objective is teaching profeciency with Adobe Illustrator so that participants may utilize our new Canon large format printer for printing striking, high resolution visual materials. Various school groups will serve as our "clients" for which we will digitally design and print large posters.

The school has recently acquired 100 Adobe Creative Suite licenses to be installed in both computer labs. It is our hope that this group of students will lead the way in teaching their peers the usefullness of Adobe.

For more information on the maker movement and what we hope to bring to Masterman in the future, visit the following links:

http://www.makerspaceforeducation.com/makerspace.html

https://www.makerspaces.com/what-is-a-makerspace/

Facilitators: Ms. Jessica Waber & Ellie McKeown

Room 12

Mondays, 3rd period

Fall, Winter, & Spring terms

Max Request: 30

Need an escape from the daily grind of high school? Create your own in mACTerman: Masterman's very own acting class! For years, mACTerman has nurtured all kinds of thespians - beginner and professional. We teach theater skills through games, improv, monologues, skits, and other drama exercises. This is an interactive class where we’ll all work together to develop our strengths and create scenarios of all genres, from drama to comedy. Students will learn through acting activities based on Shakespeare. A troupe will be formed to perform plays at Masterman. Hop on in for a chance to grow as an actor and have a whole lot of fun.

Facilitators: Mr. Marc Meola

Mondays, 3rd period

Spring Term

Max Request: 15

What is the point of it all? Does God exist? What is my purpose? Does my grade in Spanish really matter? Am I an existentialist? Is love all we need? How can I live a life of rich significance? Is the universe absurd? Do these questions have answers? Do these questions even make sense? Discuss all this and more in this enrichment. In the last class, the meaning of life and the secret to everything will be revealed.

*Note this workshop runs until 3:30. Participants are required to stay the full time to help clean up after each session.

Facilitators: Ms. Leah Macdonald

Room 15 (Darkroom)

Mondays, 2:28 - 3:30

Max Request: 12

Photography is becoming the number one communication tool! This course will cover all forms of photography from photo journalism to fine art. Explore how composition and content can help you take great photos, and enhance darkroom skills such as developing and printing. Delve into camera functions to understand the principles of how to make amazing pictures, and create your own portfolio of images. Study the history of photography and explore the work of great artists who have used film. No experience required. Cameras are helpful, but some equipment is provided. Ms. MacDonald is a college instructor, professional photographer, and has taught all over the world. Her website is www.leah-macdonald.com.

*This workshop is a repeat from the fall. Please sign up only if you have not participated in the past.

Facilitator: Matt Wray

Room TBD

Wednesdays, 3rd

Max Request: 25

If there is but one race—the human race—why subdivide ourselves into different racial groups? Where does this tendency to categorize and classify races come from and what purposes does it serve? Can we ever undo or repair the harms of racial divisions, and if so, how?

To answer these questions, we will delve into the long story of the troubled relationship between race and science, a curious tale of facts and fictions that has a clear beginning and middle, but no clear end in sight. Race and science are powerful forces shaping the modern world. This course charts the origins and emergence of these two forces in the 17t​ h ​century and explores how they have informed each other and continue to form each other in the 21s​ ​ century. Topics include slavery and medicine, eugenics and racial science, white supremacy and whiteness, genocide and the rise of medical ethics, disease and distinctiveness, racial disparities in health, and the status of race in the era of genomics and genetic ancestry testing. Theories and concepts from sociology, psychology, history, and anthropology power this course.

LEARNING GOALS

• students will gain understanding of the historical co-development of scientific and racial knowledge, with an emphasis on scientific systems of racial classification and their social and political consequences

• students will gain a critical understanding of the continuing legacies of eugenics and its historical applications in the US, Europe, and elsewhere

• students will become conversant with ethical and legal debates regarding race, ancestry, racial health disparities, and other bioethical concerns

• students will develop a critical perspective on the rise of genomics and the continuing role of racial classification in medical and scientific research

Facilitators: Lucas Jaeger, Theo Wyss-Flamm, & Mr. Christopher Lebold

Room 406

Fridays, 3rd Period

The Scrabble enrichment will be an introduction to the strategy and skills needed to increase proficiency. During this course we will be teaching strategy and useful words to know, to be the best Scrabble player you can be. The classes will include a short instructional introduction, followed by extended time with one on one and pairs games to sharpen skills. Participants will have the option of participating in district-wide competitions in the winter and early spring, as well as the national tournament in April. Facilitators have extensive experience in competitive Scrabble.

Facilitator: Dr. David Shapiro

Wednesdays, 8th period

Fall , Winter, and Spring Terms

Max request: 12

Students in this workshop will learn about some of the basics of creating original songs and pieces, including discussions of lyrics, melody, harmony, rhythm and form. Students will write small songs & pieces for each other to play, and will plan larger pieces that might be heard later in the year. The ability to read music is a prerequisite for this workshop.

Facilitator: Ms. Mary Ellen (Melon) King

Room 506

Tuesdays, 3rd period

Max request: 33 (drop ins welcome)

This course will provide students general standardized test taking skills by Masterman's favorite testing expert, Ms. King. The course is open to all grades, especially younger students looking to get a leg up on PSAT testing. Ms. King would like to relay that the workshop is open to all students, even on a drop-in basis, as long as there is space in the classroom. The course material will be adjusted based on the audience, and will cover strategies and tactics of test-taking, including time management and ranking questions by point value.

*This workshop takes place afterschool from until 4:30 on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays (YOU MUST ATTEND ALL THREE DAYS!)

*New AND returning students are expected to sign up using Sign-Up Genius.

Facilitator: Amanda Duckworth - Please text (215) 470-7974 with any questions

Location: Waring Elementary School

Slots available: 14

Waring Tutors is an enrichment for Masterman students to tutor children in grades K-4 at Waring Elementary. Tutoring sessions will take place from 3:30pm-4:30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. All participants will receive a stipend of $50 at the end of the term.

Facilitator: Ms. Anne Hunter

Room 305

Thursdays, 3rd

Fall, winter, and spring terms

Max request: 33

Storytelling is at the core of almost all writing. Now in its eleventh year, this workshop focuses on the craft of writing stories and building a cooperative community of writers. We group-write one or two stories each semester, working together from first genesis to rewrites. In the process, we invent characters and storylines, develop scenes, adjust pacing, and consider overall structure. The facilitator discusses issues of craft, provides examples, and is available as desired for individual critiques of student work.