High School Curriculum

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12th Grade

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curriculum

12th Grade

Power of Synthesis 

Twelfth Grade students reach new heights of analytical and imaginative thinking. They seek to synthesize knowledge and experience, as they begin to see their emerging place in the world. The twelfth grade curriculum encourages their emerging abilities to assess multiple viewpoints, find common elements, and identify creative solutions. They develop a global consciousness by examining the critical questions: What guides peoples’ actions? How can I make a difference in the world? Why might I choose this path? They are challenged with questions of freedom, individualism, knowledge, and self in Transcendentalism, and they explore the interrelationship between the living and nonliving worlds in Biochemistry.

• Main Lesson Blocks: Transcendentalism; Senior Class Play; History through Architecture; Zoology; Visual Physics; Ecology; Spirituality and the Senses

• Academic Track Courses: English IV; Calculus; World History; Biochemistry,

MUSIC

The music program in the high school focuses on developing mastery of one instrument over multiple years, while allowing for some flexibility to switch between programs if interest shifts after a year or two. We have recently been offering music as elective classes twice a week, choosing from an introduction to guitar (and some ukulele), advanced guitar, percussion ensemble, social strings, and chorus. Human development shows that musical engagement is an important complement to academic work, leading students into the flow state immersed in the beauty and creativity of tone. Practice of musical instruments is therapeutic and activates dexterity in the fingers, subtlety and power in breathing. Music both calms the nervous system and invigorates the nervous system, allowing for more informational learning to be ‘digested’ more deeply. As most students are commonly listening to recorded music at home, it is vital that they engage music as a creative experience at school, and so we require all students to participate at varying levels of skill in our program. 

DRAWING, PAINTING, SCULPTURE AND PLACE-BASED CRAFTS

Every high school student participates in a sequence of Visual Arts classes designed to develop skills and gain insight into their own creative capacities.  By refining their technical skills, intellectual understanding of material and forms, and becoming acquainted with history and practice, students develop a strong relationship to their own creative process and experience themselves as artistically capable in a variety of media. Drawing, painting, sculpture and a variety of crafts rooted in local tradition facilitate student dialogue with materials that also align with particular developmental stages.  They are therefore brought at specific times with particular pedagogical aims.  

ELECTIVES

The high school offers a variety of project-based electives, including photography, collage, robotics, world cultures, poetry, and more! 

Senior Projects

All Seniors conceive their independent Senior Projects in May of the Junior year, and then work with a community mentor throughout the senior year until their presentation to the community in April. Senior Projects are meant to challenge the student to learn new skills and perform significant research in a specific area of interest. Recent projects include architectural design, neuroscience research, contra-dance calling, 3D animation, book publishing, writing and directing a one-act play, music composition/arrangement/directing, and statistical research. 

Plays

In 12th grade, the class stages a full-length play as one of their main lesson blocks.  The students participate in every aspect of bringing the page to stage from costumes and make-up to lighting, set construction and sound.  Recent performances include “1001 Nights,” “Blithe Spirit” and “The Odyssey.”

College Counseling

Our goal is to support each student in identifying and being accepted into the choice that is his or her best fit. Options include colleges, universities, conservatories, art institutes, vocational programs, and apprenticeships. Emerson Waldorf School honors the individual student by providing personalized college and career counseling. Through our curriculum and through the guidance program, we strive to assist students in discovering and venturing out onto their paths. Emerson Waldorf has a 100% college acceptance rate, but not every student chooses that route.  Ninety percent of EWS graduates attend a four-year college, university, conservatory, or art institute immediately after high school graduation. The other ten percent attend two-year institutions, work, travel or take a “gap year” before matriculating at a four-year college.

Recent College Acceptances