This list is intended to give everyone an idea of what's coming next term! Classes are entered in the order they're received. The board will try to balance what is proposed across the periods. Being on this list doesn't indicate board approval, final approval of classes will happen after the proposals due date. If you see a need, please propose something or talk to friends about filling in the gap!
Fall 2022
| Class Name | Desrciption | Ages | Teacher |
| Banned Book Club | Join us this fall as we pour a warm drink, enjoy a snack, and discuss books that have been banned and / or challenged in the last five years. Over the course of the semester, we will read a variety of types of books that have sparked controversy including children’s picture books, graphic novels, non-fiction, and fiction books. Students are expected to read each book before the designated class and come to class prepared to have respectful conversations with other members, including those who have a difference of opinion. Families should source their own books, which are all available through the public library system. Snacks, hot chocolate, and tea will be provided. | 12 - 19 | Holly Schnur |
| Exploring Mixed Media | In this class we'll create various types and styles of mixed media artwork using materials such as magazines, painted paper, yarn, newspaper, acrylic paint, and found objects. We'll think about how to express meaning through materials, color, perspective, and form. | 11 - 18 | Jaime Horst |
| Trees - Art, Science, and Belief | This will be an interdisciplinary examination of trees... We'll explore the science of trees - how they communicate, their seasonal cycles, and how to identify common local trees. We'll spend time studying the form of trees - the structure of roots, branches, and leaves - and drawing and painting those features. And we'll learn about the role of trees in religion and mythology around the world and throughout history. We will go outside several times for observation and drawing. | 11 - 14 | Jaime Horst |
| Unmaking & Remaking | This will be a hand-class. Students will have instruction on taking clothing or other fabric or knit items that are beyond mending/too small/etc and UNMAKING them down to base materials to then REMAKE in to something new. This might be something like unraveling yarn from a thrifted sweater to knit into a creation of your choice, or cutting panels from old tshirts and sewing in to a bag. So many options that we can explore together! | 11 - 19 | April Lechwar & Abby Kuftic |
| Don't Read That Book! (Banned Books Book Club) | "Why do people ban books? Often it's for religious or political reasons: An idea, a scene, or a character in the book offends their religion, sense of morality, or political view. Some folks feel they need to protect children from the cursing, morally offensive behavior, or racially insensitive language in a book. Or they think a book's content is too violent or too sexual," Regan McMahon for Common Sense Media* Honestly, that makes us want to read all the banned books that we can get our hands on. And in this class, we'll do it together before we hold space for thoughtful and respectful questions and discussion. | 7 - 11 | Becky Spevack & Cristie Bloom Gabuzda |
| Tinkering | Have you ever wondered what's inside a clock? Or how a speaker makes sounds? In this extremely hands-on class, we'll take apart everyday objects and machines to see what's inside! Together we'll look for clues about how they work, and (if they're broken) why they stopped working. We'll try to put them back together again, combine parts from multiple items to make new inventions, create art from our materials, and play with tools and parts! We'll practice using tools like screwdrivers, pliers, and hammers, and learn how to work safely with potentially dangerous materials (such as glass, batteries, and sharp edges). | 8 - 13 | Steph Sorensen & Liz Hare |
| Yoga/mindfulness | For the younger students, this class will begin with a simple craft before we move our bodies with basic yoga poses and movement games. We will end class with a brief guided meditation or mindfulness activity. For the older group, we will do a full class beginning with breath awareness, warm up, different poses, cool down, and end with savasana and guided meditation. No prior yoga experience is required for either class! | 4 - 7 and 8 - 19 | April Lechwar |
| Debate | Students will learn different ways to form complex arguments, as well as identify flaws in arguments. We will finish the course with several 1 on 1 Lincoln Douglas style debates between classmates. Participation is highly encouraged, but not mandatory. | 11 - 19 | Ben Meyers, Rachel Meyers |
| World Building | In this workshop based class we will be creating individual settings or "worlds," with a focus on how cultures realistically develop in different environments. Concepts involving geography, history, government etc. will be discussed. Each class will begin with a discussion of the week's concept, while the remainder of our time will be developing and sharing your unique "world" with classmates. If desired, you can then utilize your world for fiction writing or to create role playing games. | 11 - 19 | Anita Hager |
| Tales from Equestria roleplaying | We will be role-playing as unicorns, Pegasus, and magical ponies working together in the "My Little Pony" setting. After creating their characters, the group will solve mysteries, rescue some lost pets, trick or fight some villainous bad guys, and bring peace to the land! No need to be familiar with the setting, and the rules of this role-playing game are easier to learn than Dungeons and Dragons... so a perfect game for both newbie and experienced role players. Creativity and a willingness to cooperate with your teammates is all that is required. | 9 - 12 | Anita Hager |
| Pokémon Club | This is a supervised unstructured class where students can come to share, discuss, swap, admire, and do all things related to Pokémon cards. Students should bring their own Pokémon cards to do whatever it is students do with them. | 7 - 11 | Kirstin Swenson |
| It Happens to Everyone: Puberty and Your Changing Body | This class we will discuss body changes of puberty, growth and development, and reproduction. We will also cover topics like consent and bodily autonomy, with no prior knowledge needed. This discussion style class is for students of all genders and will be inclusive of LGBTQIA students. | 9 - 13 | Noel Medici and Rachel Meyers |
| Graphic Novel book club for early readers | This graphic novel book club is for beginning readers. We will enjoy together early reader graphic novels such as The Little Robot, Peter and Ernesto, Hilda, and Smell My Feet. You child will be expected to have read (or have the book read to them) for class each week. The library has plenty of copies of these books for you to check out. It would also be great if each child brought their own copy to class so they can look up things they don't remember etc. Each week will look a bit different, but expect a lot of chatting about the book, dramatic readings, optional drawing your own graphic novels, and whatever else the group feels like doing. | 6 - 9 | Cosette Cornelius-Bates |
| Visible Mending | Don't throw away those holey clothes! Save them from the landfill and bring them to visible mending class to learn how to creatively patch and stitch them. In this class you will learn techniques to mend and personalize your clothes, making them unique one-of-a-kind pieces. In this form of mending, you use the mend as a new decorative element instead of something to hide. We will patch, learn different stitches, and explore some mini looms. We will also talk about different fabrics and discuss which kinds of mends/fabrics would be best on which pieces. | 12 - 19 | Cosette Cornelius-Bates, Jessica Rudmin |
| Let Learn Spanish! | Let’s learn Spanish! This class is all about exposing kids to Spanish through interactive lessons including stories, games, music, and crafts. Students will hear spanish vocabulary used in a meaningful context. Topics could include but are not limited to family, parts of the body, types of clothing, animals, vehicles, emotions, food, weather, numbers. Topics will be modified to meet students’ interests. | 4 - 7 | Kirstin Swenson Jes Sciulli |
| Comics Club | Read comics, learn to draw favorite characters and create original comics. This class will start with a focus on Dav Pilkey’s Cat Kid Comic Club series and will branch out to other comics based on student interest. We will learn and practice some basic comic drawing techniques, practice reading comics aloud, and discuss what makes comics a great genre. | 6 - 10 | Katy Frey |
| Circuits, Sounds, and Synthesis | Students will learn the very basics of sound synthesis and electronic circuit design. Material will be geared toward those with no familiarity of either, and will include a mix of lecture and hands-on activities. Students should understand some mathematical concepts (coordinate planes, simple multiplication / division) and be able to manipulate small pieces. Students will be able to practice what they have learned by constructing their own simple noise-making circuits on a breadboard. | 9 - 19 | Mark Frey, Katy Frey |
| Poetry Writing Workshop | What makes a poem a poem? We will begin by reading poetry from a variety of traditions and explore the elements that make us call a piece of writing “poetry.” The majority of the class will be dedicated to guided writing exercises and time to create original poems. Students will learn to use a rhyming dictionary, thesaurus, and how to give and receive feedback to improve their work. | 10 - 19 | Katy Frey |
| Gothic Lit | Delve into classic works by some of the most famous masters of macabre. In this reader-response class, we will learn about the genre and read and discuss short stories by famous Gothic-style writers, including Poe, Hawthorne, Faulkner, Irving, and more. | Allison Johnson, Jessica Rudmin | |
| Soccer Fundamentals | This class will be an active class where students will be taught about soccer fundamentals, including dribbling with a ball, receiving, passing, and shooting. The curriculum will loosely follow the guidelines published by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. The developmental skills will focus on both technical and social aspects of the game. Each class will begin with brief warmups followed by drills. Some classes will include scrimmages as the course progresses throughout the semester. This class is appropriate for beginners or for students who have had a limited exposure to soccer and would like to advance their skills. | 6 - 9 | Heather Brady, Glenn Gallacher |
| Lab Science | This is a hands-on, lab science survey class! It'll be half discussion and half lab work, with a focus on basic lab skills including safety, proper procedures and equipment use. We'll be doing some cell biology and basic chemistry, and can expand if interest allows. We will be handling delicate lab equipment and students will need to be trustworthy and responsibly handle both equipment and the chemicals we'll be using. | 9 - 19 | Jessica Rudmin, Elizabeth Peterson |
| Jedi Gym | This class will definitely be active so expect to move during the whole class period! We will play lots of classic backyard and traditional gym class games jazzed up with a Star Wars twist. Each class will begin with a warmup, followed by a game or two, and end with a cool down. Games may include "Capture the Death Star" and "Stormtrooper Dodgeball" along with others that are suggested by students during the semester. May the force be with you! | 8 - 11 | Heather Brady (I'm not sure yet about a co-teacher, I'd like to have one if possible) |
| Music Appreciation / Intro to Music Theory | Let's learn about, listen to and make music together! We'll listen to music selected by students and teachers each week and discuss music works, how it affects us and its role in society. This class will touch lightly on music history and music theory and will serve as an introduction to reading western musical notation and guitar tabulation, but the focus will be more geared towards exploring music rather than being heavily academic. No prior musical experience is required! | 6 - 12 | Kegan Heiss |
| Portraiture and Figure Drawing | This class will focus on drawing people. We'll learn about proportion and anatomy, practice drawing poses and the body in perspective, explore how to imply movement. We'll also focus on drawing the human face, techniques for rendering a realistic portrait and drawing expressions. We'll work from photographs, anatomic models, use each other as reference and draw from imagination. | 11 - 19 | Kegan Heiss |
| For the Love of Stories | I love stories! I love stories of all styles and moods and I especially love exploring different stories with kids. I love to find and share stories that make you happy or sad, stories that entertain and are silly, and stories that seem simple, but carry important messages and sometimes surprising endings. I love to give children the chance to explore and talk about stories and to relate them to their own lives and experiences. First, I was going to focus on only stories about animals. Then, I thought maybe I'd do stories that make us feel different emotions. But then I realized that the world of story is so vast, I simply cannot choose. We will enjoy all kinds of stories, in all kinds of ways. In this class, we will read different stories each week and have fun and interesting crafts and activities that relate to that week's story(ies). | 4 - 7 | Becky Ashkettle |
| Patterns! | Patterns are all around us. Some of them have meaning, and some are just interesting to look at. In this class, we will discover some of the various patterns in the world and then have fun inventing different patterns of our own. We will talk about repetition in pattern, and also picture patterns. We will do this in lots of ways, including paper quilt patterns, paint patterns, jewelry and bead patterns, etc. | 7 - 12 | Becky Ashkettle |