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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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.