Course Description
Everyone loves a good story, and in this course, students will learn how to craft their own captivating narratives as they explore the art of storytelling. We will use story prompts that we develop in class, find in nature, or collectively and creatively brainstorm. We will discuss components of a story (e.g., who, what, where, why, when) and sequence of a story (beginning, middle, and end). We will support each other in telling stories using our prompts and imaginations. Some of our stories will be collaboratively told, with students building on each other’s ideas and some stories will be imagined and told individually. Our goals are to have fun with visual and verbal storytelling, practice active listening skills, and support each other in developing our storytelling skills.

MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $25 materials fee is required.

Course Description
Since the beginning of time humans have told each other stories. Whether to teach a lesson, signal a warning, or explain the unexplainable, different societies across the earth and throughout history have told these stories. Students in this course will be introduced to a wide variety of myths and legends, pantheons and cryptids which will then be transformed into art like posters and dioramas. By the end of this course they will be able to pass these stories on to others and come up with their own myths and legends.

Course Description
Have you ever read a book and wished you could walk around in the world it created? From Lord of the Rings to Star Wars, a great fantasy or sci-fi series can change even how we look at the real world around us. In this class, we’ll look at these series, figure out what makes them so engaging, and use those tools in our writing. Then, we’ll write our own parodies and spin-offs of our favorite stories and work on developing our own fantastic worlds. Finally, by learning writers’ secrets, we’ll learn how to banish writer’s-block, support our fellow authors, and bring people into our stories the same way the best fantasy authors do.

Course Description
This course is for students who are eager to dive deeper into the world of mathematics. We will use an inquiry-based approach and will cover a wide range of topics, from fractions to graphing, measurement to place value, and of course, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. We’ll even tackle order of operations and explore mathematical reasoning. By the end of this course, students will feel confident in their new, sharpened math skills.

MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $10 materials fee is required.

Course Description
In this course, students will build their own mBot robot and then tackle advanced robot challenges! They will learn engineering and coding methods while testing and building designs using multi-port Hub motors and actuators. In each class, students will learn a new coding sequence, from programming light sensors to object avoidance, and then take on a challenge that incorporates these skills. Will your robot succeed? Let’s find out!

MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $100 materials fee is required. The materials fee for this class covers the cost of the MakeBlock mBot robot kit. Students will be able to take home their completed robot at the end of the course.

Course Description
Dungeons and Dragons and other tabletop roleplaying games give us the power to play together in imaginary spaces, but being a player is very different from running or designing a game. In this course we will take a peak behind the curtain of how these games work, from being the game master to creating your own systems. Students will learn about the different component parts of tabletop role playing games like D&D, Blades in the Dark, Index Card RPG, Fate Core and others. Students will play sample games, craft systems, write lore, draw maps and playtest their designs. By the end of this course students will have created their own original one shot adventure they could play with a small group of people.

Course Description
You don’t need an expensive laboratory to challenge your chemistry skills – look no further than your kitchen cabinet! By combining everyday ingredients, you can create exciting colors, weird sounds, creepy textures and sometimes – explosions! In this class, students will learn essential scientific equations and elements, conduct safe and fun experiments, and watch different materials react in surprising ways as they explore the exciting world of science. Students will demonstrate their understanding through a project using the processes of the Scientific Method: hypothesis, observations, experiment, analysis, results, conclusions, and discussion.

MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $25 materials fee is required.

Course Description
Have you ever wondered how much water it takes to produce a pound of beef, what the most ecofriendly straw is made of, or why bugs are so important to our food systems? Now more than ever, it’s important to think about the state of the planet for future generations. In this class, students will learn about the biological processes that sustain the earth, the ways in which they are being disrupted, and what we can do to set things right. Using a hands-on, inquiry-based approach, students will learn about environmentally restorative initiatives as well as create inventive solutions of their own. Some of the topics covered will include biodiversity, farming, water, and natural resources.

MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $25 materials fee is required.

Course Description
Ready to put your imagination to the test? Innovation Lab is all about taking what already exists and reimagining the possibilities. Students will have the opportunity to develop their creativity and engineering skills as they collaborate to tackle real-world challenges that result in new and improved methods and creations. How could you make an earthquake proof building? How could you make an aircraft invisible to radar? Get ready to bring your ideas to the table for innovative and interdisciplinary solutions that play on your ingenuity!

MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $25 materials fee is required.

Course Description
You’ve seen hundreds, if not thousands, of printers in your life, but have you ever thought about what is inside of them? You know about the ink, but what about the “guts” that make it work? What else could the “printer guts” do? In Advanced Reverse Engineering, we’ll be taking apart discarded ink jet printers and using engineering analysis and design to repurpose the machinery to create new devices. Students will use various tools (but not hammers!) to take apart the printers and use what’s inside and create an automaton – a machine that can draw! Students will also be challenged to see how far they can take their projects to find new uses from the repurposed parts of the ubiquitous printer. In this advanced version of this course, students will also use Arduino to create interactive robots using their sourced printer parts.

MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $100 materials fee is required for this course to cover the cost of an Arduino Student Kit and Adafruit Motorshield. Students will take home all components at the end of the course.

Course Description
From aluminum to zirconium, the periodic table organizes every element that exists – and those that have yet to be discovered! This class will dive into how elements are different at the atomic level and how those structural distinctions give them physical and chemical properties we can observe. Students will explore the different groups of elements, what gives them different qualities, why they react with one another, and how to interpret the symbols and structure of the periodic table.

MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $10 materials fee is required.

Course Description
In this course, you will become a problem solver, get creative with innovative designs, and discover solutions. You will learn and build unique ideas and engineering maneuvers, and architectures. You will apply principles of science to design for production and processing materials. You will be an explorer solving problems, building tools, bridges, homes, structures, and working as structural, space, robotic, environmental, biomedical, and chemical engineers, and much more!

MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $25 materials fee is required.

Course Description
Get ready to set off on a fantasy adventure! While playing this quintessential tabletop role-playing game, students will navigate complex scenarios and unravel the secrets of a mysterious new world, riddled with monsters and magic. The players will form a party to work together as they create and explore their own characters’ stories, delve into dungeons, and overcome great challenges. They will decide the ultimate outcome through social interaction, in-game conflicts, and rolling of the dice. While playing, students will also hone their storytelling and worldbuilding skills. Will you answer the call of the Dungeon Master?

Students who have participated in this course previously are welcome to take it again.

MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $10 materials fee is required.

Course Description
Taught by planetary scientist and spacecraft operator, Dr. Scott G.C. Edgington, this course explores the world around us made of atoms. Dr. Edgington will draw from his experience working with JPL on multiple NASA missions, including Cassini, Europa Clipper, and InSight in this course.

Made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons, atoms come together to form molecules both simple and complex. Some we breathe. Some we use as desks. For almost 100 years, modern scientists have understood that the ways in which atoms interact are based on rules determined by quantum mechanics. These rules govern how light interacts with atoms and molecules. They determine how the bonds between atoms work to form either a gas, liquid, solid, or plasma.

Starting with a historical review of concepts of matter held by ancient philosophers, students taking this course will gain an understanding of how scientific inquiry through the millennia has shaped our knowledge of the world around us. They will learn of the experiments that led scientists to accept that the world adheres to quantum rules. We will take a look at everyday phenomena and explain how a quantum world can explain how they happen. Students will gain an appreciation of how mathematics can improve their understanding of the physical phenomena and how to predict the behavior of the world around them.

Course Description
Technology changed the world very quickly in the second half of the 1800s. It was an era of larger commercial ventures and world-circling, fiercely competitive trade. The Age of Sail culminated in the speedy Clipper Ships, but steamships that were not as dependent on wind came on the scene. Railroad companies performed incredible feats of engineering in the American West, in part to get people to the California gold fields faster. The telegraph compressed the world in ways that presaged the internet of today. However, excesses abounded too, with many lives and fortunes lost along the way. Students will learn about these technologies by creating models in Tinkercad (for 3D printing) and craft materials. Then they will role-play advisors to actual or imagined industrialists and military leaders of the time, addressing issues like whether to convert fleets to new-fangled steam ships, where best to lay transcontinental railroad lines, and whether to convert their handcrafted goods factories to steam power. They will also have to consider the fallout of their actions in the context of the social upheavals of the Victorian and Gilded ages, and the US Civil War. Students will learn to synthesize strategies to solve problems, based on technology appropriate to the period.

MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $15 materials fee is required.

Course Description
Students in this course will role-play a group of space colonists as they create a settlement on a planet of their choice. They will form a new system of government after navigating the logistics of space travel, establishing a new colony on a foreign planet, and examining the complexities of extraterrestrial daily life. Through a storytelling approach, students will create a constitution and outline the framework for their space colony government.

Course Description
Why do we raise our hands in class but not at the dinner table? This class is an introduction to Sociology and the different tools social scientists use to study society to answer questions like this. Students will get an introduction to several modern schools of thought with both quantitative and qualitative analysis. By the end of the course students will design their own study using surveys, interviews, and observation. Students will use tools like mock interviews and Census data to practice researching.

Course Description
Ready, set, code! In this creative course, students will learn how to design and build their very own digital games using Scratch, a beginner-friendly coding platform. They’ll design characters, create exciting backgrounds, use animations, and bring their ideas to life while developing coding skills. By the end of the course, students will have their own playable games to share with friends and family.

Course Description
Have you learned how to program a robot using block code? Do you want to learn how to take a robot to the next level? This class will quickly review the process of creating a basic LEGO Mindstorms EV3 robot, and then students will create robots largely independently to meet a variety of accuracy, speed and strategy challenges. For example, they will design and program their robot to solve a maze as quickly and accurately as possible. There will be both friendly competitions with pre-defined tasks and rules, and time for students to create something following their own interests. Note that this is not a make-and-take class; students will need to stick to the materials in their in-class kits for their creations, and take it all apart at the end for the next student to enjoy.

MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $15 materials fee is required.

PREREQUISITE: Prior programmable-robot or Scratch block-coding experience, comfort with assembling LEGO projects, and at least modest keyboarding skills.

Course Description: F1 Auto Racing is known for its speed and control. To get the best performance from the cars and the drivers, a lot of science goes into every aspect of F1. Since every millisecond counts, great detail has to be put into the mechanics of each car’s powertrain and engine. The engineers also have to consider the aerodynamics and force when designing their cars. It’s not just the cars that need to be carefully engineered, but the tracks as well. This course will explore all of the science that goes into making F1 cars fast and exciting!

Course Description
Students will apply their math skills to geometry concepts such as perimeter, area, symmetry, types of shapes, surface area, angle types and relationships, parallel and perpendicular lines, and more! This hands-on course will include engaging learning activities and application projects while seeking to expand students’ knowledge of geometry. We will also apply these concepts to art, architecture, probability, and other areas of math to ensure student understanding of geometry’s important presence in the world around them.

MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $15 materials fee is required.

Course Description
The best way to learn and improve at art is through drawing mileage! In this course students will learn introductory drawing concepts such as perspective, rendering, observational drawing and illustration techniques to gain a basic understanding of visual arts. Students will learn design principles and the art history context in which they were developed. These fundamental drawing principles will be explored each week as students fill up a sketchbook with their drawings. Each principle will have an introductory phase and experimental phase where students will be able to practice with more open ended assignments. The knowledge gained in this course will give students a baseline to continue learning in fine art, illustration, graphic design, industrial design or animation!

MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $15 materials fee is required.

Course Description
Have you ever wondered about the smell in the air after rain fall or what keeps our immunity strong against diseases and pathogens, and that there are certain bacteria that can survive high radiation as well as highly acidic waters? In this course you will learn about the discoveries, exploration and a systematic examination of the microbial world.Topics covered include morphology, physiology, and genetics as well as the metabolic and enzymatic reactions associated. Learning about the current techniques for the growth, isolation, and visualization of microbes and diagnostic methods. The causative agents and treatment strategies for various pathologies are emphasized. Microbial composition, replication, and the associated disease states are also covered. The laboratory component of this course is delivered using virtual labs and interactive simulations with detailed instruction, demonstrations and experimentations.

MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $25 materials fee is required.

Course Description
Have you ever watched the cool robot characters in movies or TV shows and wonder if you could make one? Many of these are animatronic creatures, which means that they are robots that are built both for their appearance as a character in the show and also for their functionality. In this class, we will build an animatronic creature (basically an electronically-controlled puppet) that the student will take home. Along the way students will learn how to design 3D printed functional parts in Tinkercad and interface them with servos and an Arduino-compatible microprocessor. We are planning to use a very new open source software system (currently in beta test) to define the movements of the creature that should make the mechanics of coding simple, although creating a character that comes to life through its movement will require planning and attention to detail. Students should have some keyboarding skills in case we need to fall back to regular Arduino coding.

MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $60 materials fee is required, and if students have an Xbox controller they can bring it in for the later sessions to control their creations.

PREREQUISITE: Ability and dexterity to put together electronics, and some keyboarding skills.