ENGLISH

Creative Writing

Do you like to write stories, poems, or scripts? This writing workshop is designed to encourage you in your creative effort. Readings in both antique and modern styles introduce a wide range of strategies and techniques for developing writers to imitate or critique. Close editing by instructors and peers inspires developing writers to read their own prose with a more demanding eye.Students will hopefully discover their own unique voice through a close reading of poems, short stories, dramatic scenes, and excerpts of novels, while exercising their own creative faculties.

English Composition

Why do we need to write well? Writing is perhaps the deepest clarification of our thinking and demands particular attention to style and content. This composition course provides instructors with a forum for the exploration of the poetical and rhetorical aspects of composition, a reduced class size necessary for individual instruction in the practical mechanics of written expression, and the opportunity for a more intensive focus on each student and their individual writing style and development. All assignments are followed by a closer scrutiny of usage. Whether the assignments come from such foundational texts as Strunk and White's The Elements of Style or a complex descriptive essay on Gorgonzola, the hope is that the students will begin to write well and that they will see the act of writing as something intrinsic to being fully human. 

English as a Second Language (ESL)

Do you want to experience a new and different approach to learning a language that will give you a practical and functional grasp of English? This is an intensive language course for international students who wish to improve their English in a program that will instill the habits of true and effective learning. Students are required to speak English at all times and to immerse themselves fully in the language. Student interest, aptitude, and motivation are essential for the success of the program. We have created a learning situation that allows everyone to fully participate and experience a sense of progress that is exciting, stimulating, and self-rewarding. It is our expectation that the students will improve their mastery of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and culture. Preparation for the TOEFL exam is also incorporated into the program. This course meets for two periods each day to ensure the greatest concentration of effort.

Literature

Why should we read literature? Does literature really matter? The purpose of this course is to acquaint the students, in word and in writing, with the vocabulary necessary for the study of literature and initiate them into the conversation of ideas that informs our culture. Students are expected to understand the essential elements of fiction, establish a habit of close textual reading, and comprehend the four basic genres, tragedy, comedy, epic, and lyric, that make up the literary universe. The underlying hope of this course is to establish a mode of discourse that will reveal the essential meaning inherent in literature. This hope rests on the firm conviction that students will discover that reading literature is a task that should engender delight. Readings in the past have included Homer's Odyssey, Aeschylus' Oresteia, Dante's Purgatorio, Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Malory's King Arthur and His Knights, Shakespeare's As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Winter's Tale, Antony and Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello,and Romeo and Juliet, Twain's Huckleberry Finn, Faulkner's The Unvanquished and The Reivers, Flannery O'Connor's Short Stories, Eudora Welty's Delta Wedding, Isabel Allende's House of the Spirits, and numerous other works of wonderful fiction.

Public Speaking

Are you nervous about speaking in public? Do you ever wonder why some people are very comfortable speaking and others find it unbearable? Is it really important for everyone? More importantly why is public speaking so central to democracy? As the great Edward R. Murrow once remarked about Winston Churchill's oratorical power: "He mobilized the English language, and sent it into battle." Churchill overcame a speech impediment by constant practice and mastered his fear of making speeches through the meticulous preparation of speeches that came to rival Pericles' Funeral Oration and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. This course in the art and craft of public speaking is an introductory course for the inexperienced student. It covers the basic strategies of public discourse and provides the student intelligent approaches to a variety of speaking situations. From a simple speech conveying information to parliamentary debating techniques each student will have an opportunity to practice this craft and learn to offer positive critiques to other students. Public speaking is a valuable and useful skill that should prove invaluable in building the confidence of the students as they begin their own journey into the public realm.

LATIN

Introduction to Latin

This is the course for you if you will be starting Latin next year.  In this class, you will have an introduction to Latin to get you ready to take first Latin next fall.  Taught by a very experienced teacher, you'll will cover the basics of vocabulary and grammar to prepare you for everything you will see in your Latin 1 class.

MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

Algebra 1

Are you ready for Algebra? Do you want to have a really good start, or would you like to make sure that you have the basics down in Algebra? Linear and quadratic functions are the major topics explored in this review/preview of Algebra 1.

Algebra 2

Are you ready for Algebra II? Do you want to have a really good start by reviewing key concepts from Algebra I, and getting an introduction to the important ideas you will be seeing in Algebra II?   If so, this is the course for you, to set you up for success in Algebra II next fall.

Forensic Chemistry

Do you like to watch CSI? Are you interested in how science and chemistry can solve crimes and resolve mysteries? In this class, learn the techniques and methods used by real forensic investigators in the FBI and police departments around the world to examine evidence and determine "whodunit."

Geometry

Are you ready for Geometry? Would you like to make sure you have the basics down in Geometry? Congruence and similarity are the major topics presented in this review/preview of Geometry.

Pre-Algebra

Are you worried about beginning Algebra 1 in the coming year? This course is intended primarily as a review for students who wish to begin Algebra in the following year and want to make sure they have a solid foundation in everything they should know to do well.

Robotics

Are you interested in how to get machines to do what you want? Do you know how to program a robot so it completes a task successfully? In this class, using a basic robotics kit and program, students in teams will design their own projects for the summer, build and program robots that will complete the tasks, and then present their work at the end of the program. No prior skill in robotics or programming required, although students who have experience are welcome and can assume leadership roles in their teams. This course is taught by a highly successful team of instructors, who have led their groups to state championships and national competitions.

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Economics

What is money? How old should we be before we start thinking about personal finance and the responsibility to manage our money? This course provides the student with a clear and intense study of basic economic ideas and concepts. The market, inflation, recession, money, stocks and bonds, and many other economic fundamentals will be explored. It is the clear expectation of the course that the students will have mastered the tools with which to understand their economic world.

Lincoln and the Civil War

In the recent film, Daniel Day-Lewis's Lincoln deftly maneuvered the thirteenth amendment towards ratification despite formidable opposition.  This is but one of the hundreds of decisions the real President Lincoln made during the Civil War.  The students will explore primary source materials, as well as the work of historians like Pulitzer Prize winner James McPherson, to get a deeper sense of our sixteenth president's character, political savvy, and extraordinary statesmanship during a war that killed as many Americans as all of our other wars combined.

Psychology

How do our minds work? Why do people behave as they do? What does it mean to say we have a subconscious mind? What is consciousness, anyway? Explore these and other questions of psychology in this introductory course.

The Movies and American History

How accurately does Hollywood depict history?  Does it matter if the events and characters on the screen vary from what really happened?  Do writers and directors have an obligation to present things as they actually occurred, or is their main obligation to tell a good story, even if that means drifting from the truth?  In this course, students will study various historical events, and then examine popular films that depict them to determine their accuracy, and discuss the implications of the director's and writers' choices.  

Some potential movies to be studied: The Alamo, Glory, Cinderella Man, Flags of our Fathers, Thirteen Days, Blackhawk Down, Zero Dark Thirty

TEST PREP

SAT Mathematics

Preparing for the SAT Exam: Mathematics

Taught by expert instructors, Summit Educational Group's SAT Math preparation balances fundamental academic skills in algebra and geometry with essential test-taking strategies to offer a comprehensive and effective preparation program for all students. Each student receives an SAT course book and practice tests, as well as free access to Summit's online SAT preparation supplement. The online program is available 24/7 and provides audible and text-based lesson reviews, as well as unlimited SAT practice problems and quizzes. Parents and students will receive access to Summit's online portal, which can be used to monitor student attendance and homework completion, obtain homework assignments, and review detailed practice test score reports.

SAT Verbal

Preparing for the SAT Exam: Verbal

This course, taught by Summit Educational Group's expert Critical Reading and Writing instructors, will focus on the academic skills and test-taking strategies required to succeed on the SAT. Summit will provide students with a program of instruction customized to meet their individual needs and maximize their scoring potential. Each student receives an SAT course book and practice tests, as well as free access to Summit's online SAT preparation supplement. The online program is available 24/7 and provides audible and text-based lesson reviews, as well as unlimited SAT practice problems and quizzes. Parents and students will receive access to Summit's online portal, which can be used to monitor student attendance and homework completion, obtain homework assignments, and review detailed practice test score reports.

SSAT Mathematics

Preparing for the SSAT Exam: Mathematics

Staffed by an SSAT Math expert* from Summit Educational Group, this course will focus on the test-taking and academic skills necessary to maximize scores on the SSAT. Because each student truly learns differently, Summit customizes instruction to meet the needs of individual students. As part of the course, each student receives an SSAT course book and practice tests. Parents and students will receive access to Summit's online portal, which can be used to monitor student attendance and homework completion, obtain homework assignments, and review detailed practice test score reports. Students can expect an average of 1 hour of homework a week. Students can expect approximately 30 minutes of homework per class session. Class size will be limited to fourteen students per class section.

SSAT Verbal

Preparing for the SSAT Exam: Verbal

This course, taught by Summit Educational Group's expert SSAT Verbal instructors, will focus on test-taking strategies and academic skills in reading, synonyms, analogies, and essay writing. Summit will provide each student with a program of instruction customized to meet their individual needs and maximize their scoring potential. As part of the course, each student receives an SSAT course book, practice tests, and vocabulary flashcards. Parents and students will receive access to Summit's online portal, which can be used to monitor student attendance and homework completion, obtain homework assignments, and review detailed practice test score reports. Students can expect approximately 30 minutes of homework per class session. Class size will be limited to fourteen students per class section.

THE ARTS AND MUSIC

Movies and Culture

What does Paolini's "The Inheritance Cycle" have to do with "Star Wars"? What does "The Avengers" have in common with "The Hobbit?"; Toy Story" and "On the Waterfront?"; "The Dark Knight Rises" and "Harry Potter"?

This course offers students an intense, interactive seminar and workshop on the mechanics and substance of visual storytelling. Students will learn about the history and state of cinema through screenings, discussions and readings. They will be introduced to the larger story of cinema and its formal relationship to culture in the expectation that they will move from passive viewers to intelligent observers. After taking this course, students will be able to understand how their favorite movies work and why they are so compelling.

Music Theatre Workshop

This course is designed to develop your musical theatre skills.  The focus will be on the triple threat: Acting, singing and movement.  This is a performance- based class and all who sign up will be asked to participate in scene work with other classmates.  Over the course of the four weeks, you will put together a repertoire of songs and monologues to get you ready for any audition situation as well as creating group numbers for performance at the end of the summer school session. 

The Artist's Eye: Observational Drawing and Painting

How do artist's see the world? How do they make the choices they do to creatively and uniquely represent what they see? In this course, open to new and experienced artists, students will learn how to draw and paint from observation.  It is a great way to really begin to see the world around you. This course offers a variety of projects and media, including sustained still-life painting, figure drawing, a la prima landscape studies, and more.

The Sound Studio: Using technology to create music

In this hands-on creative course, you will be learning about sound recording technologies and music composition.  You will compose/arrange music for projects ranging from ringtones to dubstep as well as an introduction to filmscoring and making your own music video.

THEOLOGY

The Existence of God

Are you a fool to believe in God? Are you a fool not to? Can the existence of God be proven rationally? What is the relationship between faith, emotion, and reason when it comes to belief in God? This course: examines both traditional and contemporary proofs for and against the existence of God; explores current understandings of our universe from theoretical physics, quantum mechanics, and evolutionary biology; and examines the role reason plays in religious belief.