Are you part of the revival of interest in handcrafts and DIY? Join us as we learn to knit and crochet in just one year! These classic handcrafts aren’t just for grandma; with the resurgence of diy comes modern stylish patterns and an amazing variety of quality yarns. I am excited to share my passion for these crafts with both boys and girls, as well as adults who would like to learn or refresh their skills. Students will need to purchase a learn to crochet kit and a learn to knit kit, as well as yarn for projects throughout the year.

This high school level college preparatory Algebra 2 course consists of lectures, homework assignments, problem set reviews, weekly quizzes and/or tests, group work, and mathematical journaling. Algebra 1 is a prerequisite of this course.

“Understanding the Faith is a fast-track, fast-paced theological education for those who want to understand God and his world in a profound way and share their faith intelligently with unbelievers. Theology and apologetics aren’t just academic exercises for pastors and church leaders; we are all “ambassadors
for Christ” (2 Cor. 5:20) charged with giving “reason[s] for the hope” we have in him (1 Peter. 3:15). Pressing questions about life and faith deserve thoughtful answers.”

This laboratory-based high school chemistry course covers fundamental aspects of chemistry. Combining concepts and their mathematical applications, the course teaches students how to think as a chemist so they can analyze the major changes that occur in matter. Qualitative and quantitative experiments will be performed. Throughout the course, the student is shown how chemistry reveals the amazing design that exists all around us. From the details of atomic structure to the makeup of the very air that we breathe, chemistry shows us the marvelous handiwork of God.

This class will encourage students to grow in their understanding and abilities of sports games while also being challenged to strengthen their fitness levels through cardiovascular, strengthening, and flexibility exercises.

Have you ever wondered why preschoolers ask so many questions, why do teenagers require more sleep, or why older adults seem so reflective? If so, this is the class for you! We will look at God’s wonderful design of human growth from conception to death. We will dive into experiential learning and development physically, socially, emotionally, and mentally in each stage of life which will lead to a better understanding of self and others. This class will meet the ½ credit of health that is required for a Michigan High School diploma.

Students will learn to identify common fallacies, build basic logical syllogisms, and analyze arguments. In doing so, students will develop an ability to express themselves logically and defend their own views, as well as understand and engage with others’ viewpoints. Students will take this learning and apply it to present day cultural arguments, learning to defend a biblical worldview in a clear and concise manner. This class is a perfect way to equip your high schooler as he or she prepares to enter college and/or the workforce, ready to not only be an excellent student or employee, but also to defend his or her own faith in God.

We will draw with pencil, charcoal, colored pencil, oil and chalk pastels, markers, paint with watercolor and acrylic, cut and paste with collage and mosaics, and sculpt with air-dry clay as we study the elements and principals of design. There will be a heavy emphasis on the basics of drawing including contour, value, line and texture. New material is presented each year for returning students.

Pencils and Palettes is an engaging class for middle school and high school students that want to grow and explore in creativity. We will be creating through drawing, painting, and more. Various genres of art will be studied as well as an emphasis on each student’s interests and areas in need of development. This class is ideal for experienced students and well as beginners.

This course consists of lectures, homework assignments, problem set review, weekly quizzes and/or tests, group work, and mathematical journaling. Learning math and honoring Christ!

This class will give students a foundational knowledge of psychology from a Christian perspective. We will explore the fundamental areas of the brain and human communication and interaction. Students will label parts of the brain and discover how they function, ways we communicate, explore the history of psychology, personality and theory, sleep and dreams, crisis intervention, counseling, abnormal psychology and more! Students will employ self-reflection and evaluation and study human behavior as it leads to a more meaningful level of communication. Modalities used will be: lecture, textbook, multimedia sources, assessments and analysis, writing papers, projects, tests and quizzes, and group discussion. High School Psychology is a wonderful addition for the students academic experience as well as fulfilling the growing requirements for college transcripts. Students will greatly benefit with a deeper understanding of human interaction from a Christian perspective.

Robotics Lab will provide an opportunity for students to learn how to code the Edison Robot using the EdPy coding language. Robots are all around us in daily life as well as in many workplaces. The goal of this class is to give students a basic understanding of coding and robotics to prepare them for further study.

Students who qualify for speech therapy services (see Requirements) will receive support for speech/language needs in areas such as articulation (speech sound production), expressive/receptive language (communication ability and effectiveness), fluency (stuttering), and social pragmatics.

History is a record of mankind’s experience over the ages. In this class we will learn about people, places, and events that have influenced the course of human history throughout the world.

In You Can Cook 2: International, students will build on the basic cooking skills they learned in You Can Cook 1 by learning about different techniques, traditions, and flavors found in cuisines from around the world. We will spend time cooking through some of the most culturally significant dishes from Central and South America, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Western Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. While we cannot include every well-known dish from these regions, we will seek to include sweet and savory dishes that are representative of their country’s or region’s culture, that are replicable using grocery store-sourced ingredients, that stretch the students’ palates somewhat while still being approachable. This is not a geography class, but we will spend some of our time learning about the cultural and environmental factors that influence a region’s food. You Can Cook 2 is only open to students who have completed You Can Cook 1.

This class is designed to help students become even better writers while preparing them for college writing, as well as doing some prep work for the writing portions of the ACT, the AP exam (specifically, the English Language and Composition Exam), the CLEP test (specifically the College Composition Exam and the College Composition Modular Exam), and the Accuplacer exam at KVCC.

To help students understand our country’s exceptional history and values which are being ignored, distorted, or discarded in today’s educational culture.

This laboratory-based high school biology gives the student an introduction to how living organisms are designed, how they interact with one another, and how they interact with their physical environment. Throughout the course, students see that life is the result of design and that organisms have been given the ability to adapt to their surroundings. In addition, they learn various problems associated with the modern evolutionary synthesis.

To help students learn persuasion through logic, data, and emotion
(Debate notebook provided for each student)

This Geometry course consists of lectures, homework assignments, problem set reviews, weekly quizzes and/or tests, group work, and mathematical journaling. The prerequisite for this high school level course is successful completion of Algebra 1.

Improv (short for improvisation) is a fun, fast-paced form of drama where actors make up scenes on the spot—no script, no planning! It’s all about thinking quickly, working together, and using your imagination to create stories, characters, and hilarious situations.

This comprehensive, year-long photography course is designed for aspiring photographers of all skill levels who are ready to grow their technical abilities and creative vision. Over 34 weeks, students will explore every major aspect of photography—from the fundamentals of camera operation and exposure, to advanced composition, lighting, editing, and storytelling. Each session builds sequentially to provide a structured and immersive learning experience, culminating in a final portfolio-worthy photography project and exhibition.

Class objective is to demystify and simplify economics so students will understand the importance of economics, making them wiser voters and decision-makers! Primary text is Whatever Happened to Penny Candy.

This class will provide your student with the tried-and-true methods and instruction from Dave Ramsey and his team. It will be a Hybrid of an interactive classroom experience where the students will discuss, consume and digest all they will be learning from Dave Ramsey and his team.

Learn how to play a musical instrument! Beginner through advanced! Keyboard/Piano, Guitar, Violin, Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, Baritone/Euphonium, Percussion/Drums, Voice

Students will learn how to organize, outline and deliver a variety of speeches and understanding that preparation and experience are the keys to speaking with confidence.

This is a beginning level Spanish course for students in the 7th -12th grades. Students will get introduced to both the Spanish language and culture and will be provided with the necessary skills to both communicate and understand basic Spanish conversations. Students will build a large vocabulary repertoire and will learn the basic grammatical structures of the language with the main emphasis of this course being practical communication. Therefore, students should expect to participate in reading, writing, listening, and speaking activities that will begin to build their literacy skills in the Spanish language. Additionally, students will dive into the culture of the people who speak this language and will be presented with opportunities to immerse themselves in the language and try on a different cultural lens.

This United States Government course will motivate and infect students with a lifetime appetite to understand and participate in the proper functioning of the government at the Federal, state, and local levels.

This course will explore many major types of essays, including: narrative (tells a story), descriptive (describes something/someone), comparison/contrast (compares and contrasts two items, ideas, or people), argumentative research (with the goal to sway the reader to accept the writer’s point of view), traditional research paper (exploring both MLA and APA formats), and timed writing (writing a response with only a certain amount of time to complete, which will be great preparation for college entrance exams as well as college courses). Kristen will take students through the entire writing process, focusing specifically on the type of essay at hand. Students will learn how to brainstorm, find research, take notes in an organized fashion, write an outline, edit one’s own work, edit other people’s work, and complete a final draft.

This high school level Algebra 1 course consists of lectures, homework assignments, problem set reviews, weekly quizzes and/or tests, group work, and mathematical journaling. Excellent instructor!

Biblical Archaeology will take students through the lands and cultures of the entire Bible. This class will look at the history and people of ancient Sumer, Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Persia, Greece, Rome, Israel and more. Students will be able to connect bible stories with the historical context they were written in, discover artifacts that prove the bibles accuracy, and understand key biblical places and peoples. Students will also learn about archaeologists and the stories of their findings and get a basic introduction in how to read Egyptian Hieroglyphics.

To provide students with a comprehensive appreciation for the
richness of Britain’s literary heritage & its impact on the U.S.

In this class, students will learn about early childhood growth and development, the importance of hands-on play, and multiple types of intelligence. They will study the history of education and different approaches to early education. By the end of the semester, students will learn practical classroom ideas and know how to implement them. They will plan and present lessons for various education styles and learn tips on classroom management. Students will also explore different careers in the field of early childhood education.

This class is geared toward students 8th – 12th grade who need to learn (or re-learn) the basics of grammar, go beyond the basics and learn more advanced concepts, and learn vocabulary along the way!

In this course we will focus our attention on small gas engines due to their simplicity and ability to lend themselves well to learning about the internal combustion engine.

Students will improve their research, speaking, and communication abilities by participating in the production of a class-wide student newspaper each semester. Students will learn the basics of how to craft a compelling news article firsthand by interviewing and researching sources, telling interesting stories, and looking out for local news topics of interest among the student body and the Kalamazoo area community. In doing so, students will learn to discern and analyze the news today despite a digital environment where accuracy and sourcing are often sacrificed for sensationalism and novelty.

The tutoring is geared for 5 year old children through adults who:
● are diagnosed with dyslexia OR
● have a suspected diagnosis of dyslexia OR
● struggle with reading, writing, and/or spelling

This laboratory-based course gives the student an introduction to the basics of physics, such as Newton’s Laws of Motion, Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation, work, energy, and power, waves, sound, and light, electrical potential, electric fields, circuits, resistance, and current, magnetism, and magnetic fields.

Learn how to stay organized, prioritize, resist procrastination, become accountable for yourself and to others. Student-centered lessons which are based around the needs and goals of each student.

This world literature class will guide students in readying, analyzing, and appreciating six of the world’s greatest books while acquainting them with many others! Your student will love this class!

This Spanish 2 course is for students in the 8th -12th grades who have already completed a high school level Spanish 1 course. This course will build on the foundational learning and skills from Spanish 1, therefore, the completion of Spanish 1 is required. Students will deepen their knowledge and skills of the Spanish language and culture and will be challenged to use the language to communicate through writing, reading, listening, and speaking activities and assignments. Students will add to their Spanish vocabulary repertoire and will learn more advanced grammatical structures of the language with the main emphasis of this course being practical communication. Students will have multiple opportunities to immerse themselves in the language throughout the class as well as be given outlets to practice communication in real life settings. Additionally, students will engage in projects and hands on cultural learning focusing on traditional meals, customs, holidays, and clothing.

This class will cover World Geography. We will look at multiple themes of Geography including locations, climates, environment, peoples relationship with geographical regions, cultures, and more. Included in the class is a miniseries on the Geography of Jesus. We will explore in depth the places mentioned in the Bible and why Jesus taught and did miracles in certain locations.

In You Can Cook 1, students will acquire the basics they need to be successful in the kitchen. Through hands-on lessons and in-class preparation, they will learn fundamentals of kitchen safety; basics of measurement; how to read, halve, and double a recipe; important kitchen terms and methods; and what kitchen tools to use and when. By the end of the year, each student will be equipped to prepare a variety of delicious foods on their own from scratch and will have begun to assemble a binder full of “keeper” recipes, tips, tricks, and techniques that they can build on for years to come. Plus, we’ll eat in nearly every class!