This course builds a strong foundation in chemistry through engaging projects and investigative labs. Students explore atomic structure, the periodic table, bonding, and chemical reactions while developing problem-solving skills through inquiry and collaboration. Labs incorporate modern techniques like temperature and pH sensors, titration, modeling, and graphing. Structured lab reports strengthen data analysis and communication skills. While fostering a deep conceptual understanding of introductory chemistry, please note, this course does not fulfill the prerequisite for Advanced Chemistry.

Honors Chemistry is an accelerated, comprehensive high school chemistry course. The Honors class requires significant independent effort and moves more quickly through the foundations of chemistry to allow more time for advanced topics and labs. This course places emphasis on fundamental concepts, such as principles of chemical reactions and chemical bonding, as well as the application of these principles to descriptive chemistry. Experiments play an integral part in the course and help students discover basic principles for themselves. Topics include atomic theory, the periodic table, bonding, formulas, reactions, solutions, acids, bases, stoichiometry, and an introduction to equilibrium. Students are required to have strong math skills and a solid foundation in the physical sciences.

This course is the equivalent of an introductory college-level chemistry course. Students who successfully complete this course should be well prepared to take the AP Chemistry exam in May. In this class we reinforce the chemical principles learned in introductory Honors-level chemistry courses including periodic properties of elements, chemical formulas and equations, states of matter, stoichiometry, and chemical bonding. Students in this course will also include new quantitative topics such as chemical kinetics, chemical equilibrium, and thermodynamics. The goal is for students to attain an in-depth understanding of fundamental concepts and to develop competence in dealing with general chemistry problems.

This course is the equivalent of an introductory college-level course. Core material includes fundamental principles of biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, cell biology, and organismal biology. These topics will address the structure and regulation of proteins, how such molecules are integrated into cells, the role of genes, the internal regulation of body systems, and the interactions of organisms. Special topics may include cancer biology, infectious diseases, and neurobiology. Students will be challenged to apply their understanding in search of the "why". Laboratory work will support the major themes of the curriculum, including modern genetic techniques and biotechnology. Other integral aspects to the course are attention to current scientific literature, project-based learning, hands-on activities, and student-led seminars.

This course will examine the topics surrounding energy production, climate change and sustainability. It will explore both the science of climate change and the human-related causes of climate change with a focus on how the need for energy drives greenhouse gas emissions. The course will also examine different ways in which governments and organizations can respond to climate change both in terms of mitigation and adaptation, with a focus on sustainable practices. Current events, lab activities and off-campus experiences will guide learning with a goal of students presenting sustainable action plans for either the school community or their local community.

This course delves into the intricacies of the natural world and its complex interrelationships, with a focus on evaluating human impact on the environment. Utilizing both regional and global ecosystems as examples, students will be introduced to the scientific concepts and principles necessary to comprehend the relationships between abiotic and biotic components. Students will combine hands-on fieldwork and ArcGIS software to create and analyze maps to illustrate the impact of abiotic components on the living world. This program emphasizes the use of data for projecting the effects of environmental changes, and involves the collection and interpretation of longitudinal data from a pond and watershed. Assessments include tests, quizzes, projects, presentations, map production, participation in class discussions, lab reports, and lab tests. 

This course utilizes previously learned science and higher-level mathematics to investigate several facets of problem-solving aspects in engineering. In addition to the hands-on emphasis of the course, it exposes students to software that is specific to engineering areas such as analog and digital input, structural design modeling, control systems, and programming. Other topics may include material properties, fluid dynamics, fuel cells, work design and ergonomics, operations models and production planning.

This elective course will explore the art and craft of writing about science for academic and general audiences. Students will learn strategies for reading and summarizing scientific papers as well as designing visual abstracts to explore the responsible use of data. Using these skills, students will write about science for general audiences, identifying ways to find the interesting news angles in recently-published scientific research, and writing explanatory prose that combines clear presentation with creative style and the use of storytelling. This course will also explore long-form science writing, reading excerpts from books by Rachel Carson, Michio Kaku, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Rebecca Skloot, Ed Young, Carl Zimmer, and Cat Bohannon. As the course progresses, students will be encouraged to choose a science "beat" and produce a portfolio of work characterized by their own distinctive voice and style. This course also fulfills a semester English credit.

This elective course focuses on hands-on project work in the field and lab, to introduce students to visual plant identification. Students learn to use leaf shapes, branching patterns, and the parts of flowers to identify plants. Students learn botanical terms through lab work and fieldwork in the EHS Greenhouse, the campus gardens, Laird Acres, and beyond.

This course utilizes previously learned science, principles with practical engineering applications. The course is hands-on with emphasis on student projects that incorporate data collection and processing, design drawings and modeling, and spreadsheet analysis. Topics may include roller coasters, robotics and programming, structural engineering, material properties, batteries and fuel cells, and optical instrumentation.

This elective course will explore the role of ethics in socioscientific contexts. First, students will examine ethics and science as systems of thought and action, distinguishing normative ethical perspectives (deontology, utilitarianism, and virtue ethics) and exploring how trustworthy science depends on adherence to an ethical framework. With this foundation, students will analyze the role of ethics in several socioscientific contexts, including: university-level scientific research; medical practice; the use of genetic technologies; global problems (e.g. pandemics and vaccination, plastic innovations/waste, climate change), and advancing technologies (e.g. AI, space exploration). This course may be taken for dual credit to fulfill a science elective and the senior theology elective.