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
This is an advanced, semester-long course designed for students who wish to improve their Spanish language skills and cultural knowledge, with particular emphasis on the improvement of oral communication skills. Students will gain a better understanding of the culture, history and traditions of Latin America and Spain by watching films and participating in class debates and discussions. New vocabulary and expressions will be taught to allow the students a better understanding of the authentic materials used in class. The class will review some of the advanced grammar structures learned in previous classes, but no new grammar structures will be covered. This class will be conducted in Spanish, and students will be expected to speak Spanish at all times.
*This class will be offered pending adequate enrollment.
This one semester course will explore the origin, cultural value, and materials used to create a variety of Latin American handicrafts. Students will make their own craft for each unit. Scheduling approximately 9 class meetings per handicraft project would allow for 5-6 different units during a semester course. The class would be conducted in Spanish. Students would also learn new vocabulary and review a major grammar point per project.
Each craft project would be accompanied by:
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- historical background of object
- cultural value and meaning of object
- vocabulary list related to current topic
- at least one main grammar review point
- formal and informal commands
- preterite & imperfect
- present subjunctive
- future & conditional
- at least 2-3 reading comprehension activities
- music/videos/visuals
*This class will be offered pending adequate enrollment.
Students will explore Mexico through the lens of film for one semester in this advanced Spanish course designed for students who wish to improve their Spanish language skills and cultural knowledge. In class, students will view full-length feature films, shorts, and documentaries. Students will learn about the Golden Era of Mexican Film during the 1940’s and 1950’s. Students will focus on New Mexican Cinema with films from the 2010’s. Students will learn to appreciate Mexican directors, like Luis Buñuel & Claudia Saint-Luce, and actors, like Pedro Infante, Mario Moreno “Cantinflas”, Blanca Estela Pavón, Karla Souza, Eugenio Derbez. Students will gain perspective on the Mexican experience, taking a critical look at poverty and wealth, gender issues, music as a tool for change, migration, and the family unit amongst other themes. Students will be asked to view a brand new Mexican movie at a film festival. In-class discussions will provide a forum for students to think critically and trade ideas with each other. Writing assignments will include movie critiques and alternative final scenes. Students will get to make their own short films as well. In order to immerse students, the class will be conducted in Spanish and students are expected to speak Spanish in class.
*This class will be offered pending adequate enrollment.
Students will delve into Caribbean music for one semester in this advanced Spanish course designed for students who wish to improve their Spanish and cultural awareness. Genres include salsa, son, merengue, bachata, rumba, latin jazz, and cumbia. Through music, students will better understand the beautiful culture, complex history, and powerful influence of Caribbean people from Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Colombia. Students will learn to recognize styles and instruments, break down song lyrics, watch films like Buena Vista Social Club, and read related literature like stories by Gabriel García Márquez. Themes of the music include love and friendship, religious syncretism, political resistance, baseball and fútbol, and racial, geographic, and national identities. Students will experience artists like Bomba Estereo, Carlos Vives, Celia Cruz, Afro-Cuban All Stars, Gloria Estefan, Tito Puente, Juan Luis Guerra, Sara González, and Prince Royce. Students will create and dance to different Caribbean rhythms. Students are asked to go see a live concert and report back on their experience. Students do not need a background in music to take this course. In order to immerse students, the class will be conducted in Spanish and students are expected to speak Spanish in class.
*This class will be offered pending adequate enrollment.
Language Teaching Assistants provide support for the Language faculty for 1 hour/week. Teaching Assistants fulfill the following duties:
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- checking homework
- grading objective sections of tests
- doing Internet or other research
- decorating bulletin boards
- peer tutoring
Normally, the student will help before school or after school. There will be times when some of the correcting may be taken home for delivery on the following day. Interested students may apply by requesting and completing a Teaching Assistant Contract from their teacher.
In this one semester Spanish course, students will explore, use and improve their Spanish by reading outstanding short stories by some of the most successful authors of our time; Gabriel García Márquez, Isabel Allende, Julio Cortázar, Jorge Luis Borges, Carlos Fuentes, & Juan Rulfo, just to name a few. Students will read ONE short story per week. Students will be asked to read, understand, & analyze these short stories. For quizzes students will need to recall characters, vocabulary, and storylines and critically think about themes. Class discussions and debates will provide a forum for students to become literature critics and trade ideas with the teacher and classmates regarding the messages provided in the stories. Students will be able to strengthen their grammar, vocab and speaking skills in Spanish. In order to immerse students in the target language, the class will be conducted in Spanish and students are expected to speak Spanish at all times.
*This class will be offered pending adequate enrollment.
Through movement and in stillness, seeking balance and leaning outside the comfort zone, the PE 815 student has the unique opportunity to focus on personal performance and to build sustainable habits toward becoming the best version of themselves on and off the mat, be it for athletics, performing arts, academics, or for your personal life …. Do you have space in your schedule to focus on yourSelf?
*This class will be offered pending staffing availability and adequate enrollment.
This course prepares students to become student trainers. This is a lecture, reading, and activity course. In Sports Medicine 1, students will learn the fundamentals of anatomy, prevention, care, treatment, taping, and rehabilitation of athletic injuries. Students are exposed to a variety of situations/scenarios aimed at achieving a basic knowledge of sports medicine through various “hands-on” activities. Students are educated and evaluated on their performance through active participation, homework assignments, tests/quizzes, taping, and game day evaluation.
*This class will require 1-2 hours a week of practical work in the Training Room after school.
**This class will be offered pending staffing availability and adequate enrollment.
PE 210 is a weight lifting and fitness class which introduces resistance training as a lifelong fitness choice. Through safe lifting technique, appropriate progression and repetition, students will learn more about their bodies and how weight training can support their fitness goals. This class is centered on the development of Muscular Strength and Muscle Endurance and is appropriate for students new to weight lifting, as well as in and out of season athletes. In addition to our program, each student must complete a Standard First Aid & CPR (or an equivalent) course during the semester enrolled. We will offer the CPR/SFA course pending staff availability and enrollment.
*UC/CSU Subject G Approval pending
**This class will be offered pending staffing availability and adequate enrollment.
