Private High School

Open Studio
Open Studio is a visual art class where the student is given a structured time to explore ideas and create new and unique two-dimensional and three-dimensional art. All students will be given the freedom to explore various media and ideas daily. An open studio is intended to foster creativity and encourage experimentation in an atmosphere of cultural exchange, conversation, encouragement, and freedom of expression.

#artsales
Promoting your artwork isn’t just a simple case of “Here is my thing – Please buy my thing – You will like my thing”. Through the development of a business plan, branding, logo and social media presence, the goal is for students to treat their Art life just like any other business and have the tools to become an entrepreneurial young professional in a creative field.

Character and Culture (Instructor Collaboration)
At Appamada School we assess initiative, perseverance, effort, and participation in our course evaluations. However, we hold the standard of maintaining a safe (physical and emotional), inclusive (gender, race, sexual orientation, age, background of any type), and compassionate culture to a higher standard than we hold our academics. This class for middle and high school embodies this philosophy and gives all of our students the opportunity to consciously curate and evolve the community we are all a part of. Some topics you can expect to study and discuss are integrity, diversity, inclusion, bullying, school policies, creating a safe space, boundaries, human connection, Appamada values, vulnerability, and mindfulness.

Wood Carving
(Admission to this class will require pre-approval by the instructor based on a one-on-one interview before you sign up for classes. Open to middle and high school students. )

For thousands of years, carpenters worldwide have used wood to build shelters, furnishings, and works of art. This class is designed to teach students how to design and create carpentry projects. We will cover various carving techniques for designing, planning, cutting, shaping, and finishing projects during class. Students will work with the instructor to create individual projects to be completed over the course of the semester using the techniques that we have covered.

Chess
Students in this class will learn the basic premise and principles of the game and participate in prepared analyses of famous games played throughout the last century. We will learn about the players behind these games, the cultures and countries they came from, and profile their individual playing styles. We will also run tournament-style brackets once a week in which students will compete in teams to accrue rating points.

Capstone
The Capstone course serves as a multi-faceted and interdisciplinary exploration of a specific passion in your senior year at Appamada School. This course will provide you with the opportunity to bridge knowledge and theory with practical application outside of the classroom. In addition to serving as a culmination of your academic studies at Appamada, we will also work towards a specific goal in better preparing you for steps after graduation.

Soccer
How is it that a country like Croatia, with a population of less than four million, can make the world cup, while a Country like the United States with a population of more than one-hundred times that amount can fail to even qualify? In this class for middle and high students, we’re going to explore the histories and infrastructures of countries that have historically had success at the game of football in an effort to understand what sets them apart. We will also play a lot of soccer, practicing individual skills and drills with the aim of getting better as a team.

Team Games
This course is designed to teach middle and high school students the correct and safe way to play team games. The games played in this class will fall into two main categories: core games and bonus games. The core game units for the semester will be determined by a vote on the first day of class. Options include but are not limited to: Volleyball, Basketball, Ultimate Frisbee, Baseball, Football, and Soccer. Throughout the semester, we will also spend class periods playing bonus games such as Kickball, Capture the Flag, Foursquare, etc. Bonus games will be played as often as the class’s learning progress within our core game units allows.

World Building
This is a two-period class, open to a mix of middle and high school students, in which worlds will be shaped and scoured and realities crafted and challenged. The core idea of creating worlds is the main purpose, but the medium of what that looks like is very much fluid. This course taught by two instructors, one focused on narrative development and the other on rendering the created worlds in 3D models, computer design, and other tech-based means.

Writing and Literature A/B, C/D
The curriculum in Composition will have the purpose of enhancing each student’s ability to express their thoughts, feelings, and opinions in an articulate and meaningful manner. Students will practice technical writing in the form of research papers, essays, and critiques of text. Proper grammar, spelling, vocabulary building, sentence structure, essay formatting, and source citing will be the focal points for technical writing practices. Students will also practice creative writing by writing personal narratives, poetry, short stories, and plays. Self-expression, capturing the author’s voice, and utilizing different styles of writing will be the fundamentals of creative writing that students will learn in this course.

Word Better
Come play with rhyme, meter, vocabulary, and verbal imagery to write better lyrics, raps, poems, stories, and, yes, Discord commentary. Each class will present writing challenges, games, advanced vocabulary, prompts, and more, all in the service of expressing ourselves more originally and capably. Come to class prepared to write and share (yes, you will be required to let others hear and/or read your linguistic musings), and by the end of the semester, you’ll have a portfolio of your lexical creativity and, more importantly, mad wording skills that you can use to speak your truth in the world. If you believe words are beautiful and important, this class is for you!

Algebra I
In Algebra I, students will further develop their understanding of real numbers and acquire fundamental skills necessary to reason symbolically. The skills and concepts learned in this course enhance students’ problem-solving abilities and prepare them for more advanced courses.

Geometry
This course focuses on understanding the properties of two and three-dimensional geometric figures and their real-world applications. High school students utilize inductive and deductive reasoning skills in order to formulate proofs for geometric theorems. These skills help students to further analyze the world around them and prepare them for more advanced topics in mathematics.

Algebra II
In Algebra II, students build upon concepts they learned in Algebra I by expanding their knowledge of functions and their behaviors. Students build on writing equations to develop systems of equations, further explore different types of functions, and are introduced to matrices and the use of trigonometric functions. The topics covered in class help students develop abstract reasoning and critical thinking skills necessary for complex problem-solving.

Business Math
This course is designed to give students an introduction to the ways that math is used to influence business. Topics will include but are not limited to: basic finance, commission, depreciation, inflation, mark-ups, discounts, basic accounting, taxes, tax exemptions, basic and compound interest, payroll, and installments. We will cover these topics in a variety of ways to include: independent reading, small group discussions, project-based exploration and application.

Math Lab
Do you have math homework you would like extra support to complete? Do you need a little extra time for math class assignments to really understand a concept? Do you need to practice some SAT material? Do you want some tutoring? Are three days per week of math just not enough for what you want to cover in high school? Do you have math work from outside of Appamada you would like support completing? Are you preparing for math at ACC? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this is the math elective for you!

21st Century Music Fan
In this middle school course, we are going to explore what it means to be a music fan in the 21st century. We’ll talk about the different eras of music and some of the hallmark recording techniques that dictated the aesthetics of those specific time periods, cover how apps like TikTok and Spotify have disrupted the music industry and fundamentally changed what people are exposed to and how they form their tastes, changing popularities of different mediums (CDs, vinyl, mp3, etc.) and go over specific methods and avenues of finding more obscure and underground music both of the new and old varieties.

Audio Production
Digital audio workstations have become instruments in themselves, and if you know how to use them effectively, you can bypass a lot of the impediments that formerly prevented bands and artists from being able to make records. To that end, the middle and high school students in this class will become familiar with a DAW, either FL Studio, Reason, or Cubase (if a student wants to use a different program, that’s fine, as long as they have access to it). Using these programs, we will explore different methods of making music, such as: using MIDI, micing real instruments and amplifiers, and sampling.

Guitar, Bass & Ukelele
While it’s not a perfect instrument, the guitar provides just the right amount of harmonic options and complexity while still being intuitive and easy to use. There are many ways to play the guitar, including: tapping, pull-offs, hammer-ons, palm muting, vibrato, and finger picking. Your style on the instrument will be a direct result of how you combine these different techniques to get to that musical pearl that sounds like you. Open to middle and high school students.

Piano Fundamentals
This mixed middle and high school class will go over ways to attack the piano to make its eighty-eight black and white keys less intimidating. We will learn the four basic triads, how to use inversions to maximize efficient voice leading and economy of movement, how to identify notes and rhythmic durations on sheet music, and tricks to help remember the number of sharps and flats in each key.

Jam Session
In this high school class, we will cover a setlist of songs picked by the students and the instructor to play at the end of the year on expo day. In addition to learning all the individual parts that go into performing a song, we will be practicing soft skills that are integral to being a good musician and teammate.

Intro to Psychology: Sensation & Perception
Have you ever wondered why our brain falls for optical illusions? How about when our brain makes us feel in motion when we could be standing still? Open to both middle and high school students, this course will primarily explore the basic visual processes of perception (and will ultimately introduce students to all of the bases of perception) along with a brief overview of psychology as a whole.

Disease Detectives
What are viruses? How do they compare with bacteria? How and why do viruses enter our bodies? What do they do when they get inside? Are they actual living creatures, or just some kind of weird zombie/alien hybrid that hijacks our cells? Middle and high school students will investigate all of those questions in this class!

To Infinity and Beyond!
Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered what’s out there? In this class for high schoolers, we’ll explore the mysteries of the universe, from our own solar system to distant galaxies. We’ll learn about the planets, moons, stars, nebulae, and other celestial bodies. We’ll also delve into the history of space exploration and the latest advancements in space technology.

Current Events
This class is designed to provide students with the opportunity to discuss, understand, and explore local, national, international, economic, and social issues in a respectful, meaningful, and active way. Throughout the semester, students will stay up to date on current issues and trends. Because the subject of the class is ‘contemporary events,’ topics will vary considerably depending on the current news cycle. Students will be challenged to defend their opinions on many different issues.

The Impact of Popular Music Trends on American Youth, 1955 – Present
This course will study the different generation trends that revolved and evolved around popular music, particularly in the past seventy-five years. The focus of the course will be to understand how music came to represent social and cultural revolutions, norms, eccentricities, and attitudes.

3D Art
High school students, take your artwork into the 3rd dimension with 3D Art! As we dive into the exciting world of 3D art, we’ll learn how to model, texture, and render professional-looking art in 3D, all using intricate modeling software such as Probuilder and Blender! Ever wanted to sculpt out some super cool character designs? Or maybe some stunning landscapes and set pieces to decorate your own virtual world? In 3D Art, the only limit is your own imagination.

Coding in C#
As we venture further into the modern era of technology, computer programming has become an integral part of our everyday lives. From smart devices, to social media, to video games, just about anything you encounter in your day-to-day life runs on code. This entry-level class is for both middle and high school students who want to learn how to code computer programs themselves!

World Crafters
In World Crafters, you’ll bring your very own fantasy worlds into reality! Learn how to harness powerful world creation tools such as Unity, Blender, Minecraft, and more to build out all those breathtaking landscapes and iconic landmarks that dot your virtual world. Middle and high school students not only explore techniques of world creation, but also how to achieve cohesion with the theme and lore of your world. Let your imagination run wild as you bring your out-of-this-world ideas into reality!

Yearbook
A yearbook is more than just your average novel – it’s an unforgettable story told through a plethora of experiences coming together as one, created through photographs, interviews, projects, and more! In Yearbook, middle and high school students will unite as a team to share our experiences and adapt them all into a piece of art that we will surely remember for years to come.

Improv
A favorite of the school has been Improv, which is the act of spontaneously creating characters and scenes; it is about living in the moment, thinking on your feet, and making gifts for audiences. Over the course of the semester, students hone their skills in creation and teamwork, collectively creating scenes and characters. This class is open to both middle and high school students.

Production
In the past, this class brought Forever Christmastown, The Apocalypse Project, The Odyssey, and more to life. We've generally started from scratch - an idea, an image - and created characters, scenes, and situations in class. These were then fashioned into a play script that the students rehearsed, teched, and performed. The end goal is a full production in the theatre space of a high-quality play that is both fun to perform but also contains a multitude of meanings. Over the semester, students help co-create the play, plan and execute the tech, memorize lines, rehearse, and perform in the production.

Stage Combat
This class will focus on how to safely create theatrical stories using movement and fight choreography. Projects/Events may include the following: movement and tableaux-based stories; comedic/slapstick fight choreography; a fight choreography workshop from a professional; sword choreography; or a clowning workshop. This is a devising class, so the skills we learn will be used to create vignettes. The concept of devising is that it is theatre that doesn’t start from a play script – it starts from the people collaborating to create it.

Theatre Tech
Technical theatre is the design of lighting, costume, set, sound, properties, and more. This class is intended to teach core design and build principles middle and high schoolers, as well as to incubate the designs for the high school production and other theatre classes. Per students’ request, the first segment of this class will likely be focused on costumes and makeup. As the semester moves on, we will work to design and build props, set pieces, costumes, and more for the high school show.

Introductory Spanish
This class brings the study of the Spanish language and culture to new learners. Middle and high school students can expect to understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at satisfying needs of a concrete type.

Intermediate Spanish
In this class, middle and high school students will feel confident using the language more independently. Learners will gain an understanding of familiar matters that are regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, and other environments. Students will deal with the most likely situations to arise while traveling in an area where the language is spoken, and they will produce simple connected texts on topics that are familiar or of personal interest.

Bilingual Worldviews
Culture is something diverse and wonderful where people, beliefs, traditions, language, food, music, education, and politics merge. We are living in the age of Globalization. Gone are the days when people used to stay centric only about their own heritage. If you are a middle or high school student who adores reading and gaining more knowledge regarding the widespread range of cultures all around the globe, then you are in the right spot. So fasten your seat belts because we are all set to take you on a trip to learn about many different societies, civilizations, cultures, and areas of the world.