Fall 2023 Course Descriptions
Global Adventures – World Cultures & Geography
Mrs. Mary Machado
Grades 2-4
This hands-on course will take your student on an exploration of 10 countries around the world. Through music, art, food, language, mapping, symbols, prayer, and saint activities, students will learn about a different country each week while completing a “passport” record of their travels.
Required text: None
Materials fee: $30
Grades 4-6
This hands-on course will take your student on an exploration of several countries around the world. Through music, art, food, language, mapping, symbols, prayer, and saint activities students will learn about a different country each week. Students will also be doing some research and sharing with classmates.
Required text: None
Materials fee: $30
Literature: The Art of Adventure
Mrs. Carolyn Speer
Grades 4-6
This class will develop important reading skills, such as character analysis, identifying cause and effect, and plot structure, while discussing the “Art of Adventure.” The book list for this class includes: The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Orczy, The Prisoner of Zenda, by Anthony Hope, and The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame.
Required text: The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Orczy, The Prisoner of Zenda, by Anthony Hope, and The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame
Materials fee: None
Fit for Heaven
Mrs. Grace Defilippis
Grades K-2, 2-5
By training our bodies in strength and endurance, we can practice training our souls in virtue. There are so many virtues that can be practiced explicitly in sports, while also just having fun and getting energy out. There will be a balance between some fitness goals like push ups or squats, lots of sports like soccer and kickball, and finally some casual games like sharks and minnows or capture the flag. Our goal is to grow in physical and spiritual strength.
Required text: None
Materials fee: None
Storytime & Art
Mrs. Claire Rojas
Grades 2-4
Explore literature and art as students listen to beautiful stories and create illustrations inspired by the stories. This class will tap into the children’s creativity and encourage good listening skills. Literature works include Urchin of the Riding Stars by M.I. McAllister and the Viking Quest Series by Lois Walfrid Johnson.
Required text: None
Materials fee: $30
The Art of Storytelling
Mrs. Claire Rojas
Grades 4-6, 5-9
In this class the focus for each student will be to write an original story and illustrate it with watercolor illustrations that will support the story. Students will learn how to write a good beginning, middle and end of a work of fiction and how to make a point or moral through their writing. Students will learn about making an interesting plot and making their characters believable. There will also be instructions about how to illustrate their story with watercolor illustrations that go along with their story. Lastly, they will get to bind their own book with string to create a “real book”!
Required text: None
Materials fee: $30
Crafting with the Saints
Mrs. Veronica Carrillo
Grades 2-4
In this class, we will use hands-on projects and stories to introduce students to various saints and their lives. Stories will be read from Stories of the Saints by Carey Wallace.
Suggested text: Stories of the Saints by Carey Wallace
Materials fee: $30
Biology
Mrs. Jennie McCabe
Elementary Level
Grades 2-4, 4-7
We will begin with studying the cell – the basic building block of life, then move on to the Six Kingdoms, and important figures in biology with emphasis on notable Catholics in the field. We will use the microscope, conduct lab activities and complete other activities to learn about life.
Required text: None
Materials fee: $30
Middle School Level
Grades 6-9
We will begin with studying the cell – the basic building block of life, then move on to the Six Kingdoms, Taxonomical Classification (how living things are named) and important figures in biology with emphasis on notable Catholics in the field. We will use the microscope, conduct lab activities and complete other activities to learn about life. In the spring semester, we will move onto Anatomy with dissection labs. Since this is a middle school level course, students
will be expected to do approximately 2-3 hours of work outside of class per week, consisting of reading and some homework assignments.
Required text: Life Science from Catholic Heritage Curricula, Workbook for Life Science from Catholic Heritage Curricula
Materials fee: $30
High School Level
Grades 8-12
We will begin with studying the cell – the basic building block of life, then move on to the Six Kingdoms, Taxonomical Classification (how living things are named) and important figures in biology with emphasis on notable Catholics in the field. We will use the microscope, conduct lab activities and complete other activities to learn about life. In the spring semester, we will move onto Anatomy with dissection labs. Since this is a high school level course, students will be expected to do approximately 3-4 hours of work outside of class per week, consisting of reading and some homework assignments.
Required text: Biology for Life by Seton Press, ISBN: 978-1-60704-168-9
Materials fee: $30
Martial Arts
Mr. Anthony Gallegos
Grades 6-12
This is a beginner’s class designed for grades 4-12 who have little or no experience with a stand-up striking art. It will be rigorous. It will also be engaging and eye-opening by way of providing an excellent introduction to various aspects of a martial tradition. This idea of a “martial tradition” warrants a bit of discussion. It should never be forgotten that at its core the techniques introduced to the students are derived from combat sports and the battlefield. Students should come knowing that they are expected to conduct themselves with a certain amount of seriousness, and they will be expected to work hard, always mindful of the instructor and the safety of other students. At the end of this 12 hour course, we can consider the class a success if the student comes away with a good understanding of whether or not they might wish to pursue a program of martial arts study in the future.
Required text: None
Materials fee: None
Theatre – Anne of Green Gables
Mrs. Elise Epstein
Grades 5-12
The story of Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery, is a classic which I have loved since I was introduced to it in high school. Although the story is named after the red-headed central character, it is filled with a wide range of colorful characters, both male and female. I look forward to working with the students to bring this hilarious and heartwarming story to life!
Here’s a brief introduction to the story:
When Matthew Cupthbert arrives at the train station to pick up a boy orphan to work with him on his farm, he finds a mistake was made: A precocious Anne is waiting there instead. This was the first of many hurdles Anne must overcome in order to find her home in Avonlea, Prince Edward Island. Along the way she meets her rival, the intelligent Gilbert, her first teacher, the inattentive Mr. Phillips, and her kindred spirit, Diana Berry. Anne of Green Gables is about an orphan girl whose vivid imagination and unique passion for life help her win her way into the hearts of the people that at first struggle to comprehend her!
Required text: None
Materials fee: $10
Creative Drama – Rainbow Fish Stories
Mrs. Elise Epstein
Grades 2-4
For nearly thirty years the original story of Rainbow Fish sharing his sparkling scales with his new friends has enchanted children and grown-ups all over the world. Marcus Pfister went on to write several more stories about the little fish and his many friends. Take the plunge into this fun class and improve in the skills of reading and expression. At every other class we will hear a different Rainbow Fish story, read it together and experiment with bringing to life each of
Rainbow Fish’s colorful friends. The weeks in between we will review the story from the week before and record it on video so that parents and friends can swim along with us and experience the performance on a private YouTube channel. It will be exciting to see the students improve from week to week and gain more confidence in their abilities as readers and performers!
Required text: None
Materials fee: $10
Play Production
Mrs. Darci Byrnes
Grades 5-12
Enjoy the theatre but not the stage? This class is for you! In this class we will pull together costumes, design and build the sets, design and execute sound effects and lighting for the Anne of Green Gables production in the fall and the Tom Sawyer production in the spring. We will have chance to get creative, use a variety of art, design and construction skills, in addition to supporting the cast from behind the scenes!
Required text: None
Materials fee: None
Civics
Mrs. Darci Byrnes
Grades 8-12
This year long course provides students with the principles and procedures of our government. In the fall we will cover the founding documents; The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and The Bill of Rights. This will lay the foundation for our spring study of the three branches of government; The Executive Branch, The Legislative Branch and The Judicial Branch. We will be using the video series from Hillsdale College during our classes to provide a basis for our lecture and discussion. Students will be given quizzes throughout the semester and there will be opportunities for student presentations. In the spring, we will take two optional fieldtrips to see the Colorado State Legislature in action and visit the Colorado Judicial Learning Center (dates TBD).
Required text: None
Materials fee: $10
Colorado History
Mrs. Monica Mayhak
Grades 4-7, 6-10
This interactive course will walk students through a history of Colorado. The course will be presented in timeline fashion to encourage students to connect the dots of history with regional and world events of the times. Students will be able to get hands-on history experience with artifact material loaned to CCE by History Colorado and other sources. There will be a corresponding optional field trip component to this course, with excursions planned approximately once per month, as well as the opportunity to hear speakers from the local community. There is homework with this class including reading at home, video assignments, and activity pages. There will also be the opportunity to present presentations in class.
Required text: None
Materials fee: $30
International Towne
Mrs. Monica Mayhak
Grades 4-9
The International Towne education program helps students learn about global economics through fun hands-on techniques. Topics covered include international business, trade, currency exchange, diplomacy, and responsible credit card use. The Towne is a life-like simulation of a global marketplace where students physically apply concepts they’ve learned as they step into roles as world citizens. All this takes place on-site at Young Americans Center in a 5,000 square foot space architected to be a 16-country mini-world.
Important Dates:
Meeting for all participants: April 12, 2024
Towne Day: April 19, 2024
Required text: None
Materials fee: $20
Choir
Mrs. Carolyn Speer
Grades 2-5
The aim of this class is to introduce, expand, and perfect students’ ability and love of singing. Some basic music theory and sight reading skills will be taught as needed for the individual pieces the choir will work on. Technical ability goes hand in hand with proficiency, and a greater love for the art of singing, but it should never supplant it. All that to say, the goal of this class is to sing, and sing a lot! Students will begin by singing in unison and work on maintaining proper pitch, and then progress to rounds, two part harmonies and eventually simple four part harmonies (time and ability permitting!)
Required text: None
Materials fee: $15
Iconography
Mrs. Claire Rojas
Grades 8-12
Writing icons has a very long history in our Church, dating back centuries. Icons are particularly rich with symbolism in theology and thus serve as catechesis–the teaching and instruction of the True Faith. Students in this class will learn the history, methods, and techniques that go into writing an icon, as they work to write one themselves throughout the semester.
Materials fee: $30
Intro to Aristotle
Mrs. Carolyn Speer
Grades 9-12
Sir Isaac Newton said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.“ It is not an exaggeration to say that the giant which all of Western civilization stands on is the philosopher Aristotle. In many ways, he is the key to understanding Western civilization more deeply. He is able to unlock our appreciation for and understanding of great thinkers from Aquinas to Ratzinger. This class will begin with a brief overview of Aristotle’s philosophical background and then work through his foundational work: The Physics (or Natural Hearing). This is a dense and difficult texts, so students will be expected to read through it in advance and come to class prepared to ask questions and discuss what they have already read.
Required text: None
Materials fee: None
Composition
Mrs. Carolyn Speer
Grades 6-8
As a reflective middle schooler, you may have begun to realize that the spoken word comes naturally but the written word has a more elusive nature than you would expect! Or perhaps you are one of those blessed souls like Shakespeare to whom the works of the pen come as readily as the work of evading your chores? Regardless of which camp you are in, this class is for you! Whether you want to become a better writer, or hone your natural skill, writing takes practice, and breaking the barrier of passable, or even decently good writing, takes a lot of practice, a lot of correcting, and a lot of incorporating feedback into your original work. That is what this course will primarily aim to do. It will focus on developing elegant and eloquent writing skills, beginning with an overview of some basic writing skills, such as how to generate an outline, come up with topic sentences and supporting details, and how to enlarge your initial idea into a logical, cohesive whole. The majority of the course will be spent working on writing in its various forms (essay, short story, perhaps even poetry) and then going over your written work to make any needed corrections. The course will also include some reading, for the purpose of analyzing compelling writing (and of course, to be inspired by great writers!).
Required text: Strunk and White’s Elements of Style
Materials fee: None