As a follow-up course to Studio Art A, the Studio Art B class will place emphasis on the concept of connection and progression in developing and expanding a visual image. A more refined sense of visual decision-making and creative initiative will be stressed and expected of the mature visual arts student. Students will use a variety of materials, techniques, and styles to explore themselves in relationship to their personal history, community, and their God. We will work in acrylic paint, water color paint, pencil, oil pastel, colored pencil, linoleum block prints, and a variety of mixed media materials. A special project involving an in depth self-study through visual images will urge the student to see her/himself in various aspects; with a connection to a specific community, a realistic self-portrait and a non-objective symbol that strikes a familiar resounding chord.
Sculpture 1B
3D Studies/Mixed Media Sculpture B continues the exploration of the visual world; its relationships of form and space — in the context of historical examples, environmental/cultural impact, creative self-expression and collaborative pieces. Field trips to local museums and sculpture collections and some written work will complement the original work created by the student in the studio and at home.
*This class will be offered pending adequate enrollment.
Photography 1B
Photography 1B builds on the skills developed in Photography 1A. In this course, students will learn basic lighting techniques and explore more advanced strategies while using DSLR cameras. Still life, landscape, and documentary photography are the three major themes of the class. The work of a variety of photographers, including Aaron Siskind, Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier Bresson, Robert Frank, W. Eugene Smith, Sebastião Salgado, and others, will be presented and discussed.
By the end of the semester, students will research the life and artistic style of a photographer who has made significant aesthetic contributions to the history of photography. The final project will consist of creating a cohesive series of images that demonstrate thematic unity.
AP Music Theory
Advanced Placement (AP) Music Theory is a fast-paced course including a substantial amount of homework in preparation for the AP music theory exam in May. This course prepares students to complete college level work in the areas of reading and analyzing notated music and aural training. Particular emphasis will be placed upon developing listening skills, sight-singing ability and knowledge of rhythm, melody, harmony, form and other compositional devices.
Class receives honors weighting in SI weighted GPA and UC/CSU GPA calculations
*This class will be offered pending adequate enrollment.
**This course meets during the regular school day, periods 1-7, during fall OR spring semester.
***If you would like to consider signing up for AP Music Theory for next year, you need to come to the band room during either lunch on Tuesday February 3rd, 2026 to take an entrance exam.
Jazz Band C
Jazz Band prepares students to perform a variety of musical competitions from the 1920s through the present, focusing primarily on large-ensemble jazz in the Big Band and swing tradition. This class is available to students who have taken private lessons for at least one year, or participated in their middle school Band program. Jazz Band will perform at the Winter Concerts, the Spring Pops Concerts, the Performing Arts Assembly, and several festivals or adjudicated performances.
This course is offered outside of the 9:00 am – 2:45 pm school day. Meets 2 afternoons per week for 2 hours each, plus performances.
*This class is not counted in the student’s SI GPA
Jazz Combo C
Jazz Combo prepares students to perform a variety of musical competitions from the 1940s through the present, focusing primarily on small-ensemble jazz and solo improvisation. This class is available to students who have taken private lessons for at least one year, or participated in their middle school Band program. Jazz Combo will perform at the Winter Concerts, the Spring Pops Concerts, the Performing Arts Assembly, and several additional performances at SI and around the Bay Area.
This course is offered outside of the 9:00 am – 2:45 pm school day. Meets 1 afternoon per week for 2 hours each, plus performances.
*This class is not counted in the student’s SI GPA
Latin 1
The Cambridge Latin Course, Units 1 and 2, open the door to the Latin language and literature for the beginning student through adapted readings about a Roman family living in Pompeii. Students will engage in the following activities: reading Latin aloud and silently; asking and answering Latin questions about the readings; translating Latin sentences into English and vice-versa; memorizing and using vocabulary; developing listening and speaking skills; studying the history and origin of English words derived from Latin; and learning about the customs, history, and mythology of the ancient Romans, especially as they have affected our own culture today. The aims of the course are: to teach students to read Latin accurately and confidently; and to familiarize students with life in the early Roman Empire.
Mandarin 3 Honors
Mandarin 3H is an advanced language course designed for students identified during their first two years as superior Mandarin students, who wish to become fluent in Mandarin and prepare themselves for Mandarin 4 AP. This course broadens the range of grammatical structures the students can effectively use in communication. Considerable emphasis will be given to enriching the students’ active vocabulary and increasing their ability to comprehend and express themselves in spoken and written Mandarin. The students will be required to speak in Mandarin in various situations ranging from class discussions to oral presentations and skits. Students will be able to read with comprehension selected short stories and various articles. This course includes a closer look at the classic and modern Chinese culture, enriching the student’s vocabulary and deepening his or her awareness of the Mandarin-speaking world. This class is conducted mainly in Mandarin and students are expected to speak in Mandarin at all times.
*Class receives honors weighting in SI weighted GPA and UC/CSU GPA calculations
Mandarin 2 Honors
Mandarin 2H is an accelerated course designed to challenge the student who, during his/her first year, has actively participated in class, mastered the grammar and vocabulary presented in level one and/or demonstrated the ability to advance more rapidly than the average college preparatory student. The teacher will aid students in acquiring the following skills: increased oral proficiency on a variety of topics, an expanded vocabulary, the ability to read selections appropriate to low intermediate level students and increased ability to write essays. The course materials are designed to stimulate conversation and to perfect that skill, striving to imitate the native speaker’s pronunciation, accent, and rhythm, as the student’s abilities increase. Students will also become more informed about some of the contemporary problems and difficulties affecting Chinese communities. Students will further develop their ability to express themselves in spoken and written Mandarin Chinese.
*Class receives honors weighting in SI weighted GPA
Mandarin 2
Mandarin 2 is a two-semester course that continues the study and development of Mandarin. This course will have combination of acquiring elementary to low intermediate level of Mandarin language use along with Chinese culture information. Students will continue developing skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and expanding knowledge of grammatical structures. Instruction in written Chinese will be a combination of simplified and traditional characters. The transcription of Mandarin sounds will be in Hanyu Pinyin.