H-Term

Overview

This unit endeavors to build Third Form community and connectivity as students who have just arrived on campus relative to the older forms.  This course is designed to keep the Third Form together in creating a background in their new “hometown” and sense of place within the broader Hill community.  This approach also recognizes the inherent difficulty of Third Formers to pursue independent projects, internships, and jobs given their young age.

Designed as a six-week in-person or online experience with the history, people, and traditions of The Hill School and Pottstown, a common curriculum will be followed for three to four weeks before students are regrouped for the remaining two to three weeks.

Unit Objectives

Students will develop the skills that will serve all courses at The Hill and beyond, namely: original research, presentation, creative group work, and editing across multiple media. 

Week 1:  Overview of Pottstown History—Potts, Feroe, and Meigs Families
Students will explore the following topics:

• Founding of Pottstown
• Anchor Families—Penn, Potts, Meigs, Feroe, Firestone
• Anchor Businesses—Bethlehem Steel, Kiwi Shoe Polish, Mrs. Smith’s Pies, etc.
• Famous Pottstown People & Events

Potential Guest Speakers:

• Pottstown Historical Society
• Staff who are long-time Pottstown residents
• Local Business Leaders & Officials

Primary Sources: Photos, Reading Times, Record, Hill News, Dials

Secondary Sources: Paul Chancellor’s History of Pottstown, Pottstown Historical Society

Week 2:  The Family Boarding School for Boys & Young Men (1851-1920)
Students will explore the following topics:

• Founding of The Hill: Boarding School vs. The Family Boarding School
• Creating a Quad: Expansion Booms—1883-5 & 1900-1910
• Famous Early Alumni & Faculty
• Spanish Flu and The Hill School

Potential Guest Speakers:

• Headmaster Lehman
• John Wendell
• Alumni who recall famous early alumni and faculty
• CDC/Medical Alumni

Primary Sources:  Local Newspapers, Photos, Archives, Record, Dials & Hill News

Secondary Sources: Various History of The Hill Books (Chancellor & Pierre)

Week 3:   Alumni Ownership to Modernity (1920-2020)
Students will explore the following topics:                                 

• Transfer of Ownership - 100th Anniversary
• Governance Structure and People
• Call to Action and Service
• Overcoming Flood and Fire

Potential Guest Speakers:

• Hill Board of Trustees Chairman: Preston Athey ’67
• Hill Alumni Association President: Wallace Gundy ’04
• Hill Military Association President:  Pete Sniffin ’81 P’18 

Primary Sources:  Local Newspapers, Photos, Archives, Record, Dials, and Hill News

Secondary Sources: Various History of The Hill Books (Chancellor & Pierre), Audio Clips, Video

Week 4:  Family for All: International Students, Desegregation, Coeducation
Students will explore the following topics:

• International Students
• Desegregation and First Students of Color at The Hill
• Coeducation
• Global Admissions Study

Potential Guest Speakers:

• Tom Chen ’64
• Lenny Simpson ’68
• Courtney Neese ’00
• Other alumni, faculty, or staff

Primary Sources:  Local Newspapers, Photos, Archives, Record, Dials, Hill News, Admissions

Secondary Sources: Various History of The Hill Books (Chancellor & Pierre) 

Exploratory Period - Weeks 5 and 6: Student Choice Topics
Students will choose from the following topics:         

• Modern Traditions:
  • Tie/Blazer Dress Code
  • Dell Jump
  • Seated Meals
  • Chapel & School Song
  • Colors, Seal/Logo, and Mascot
  • J-Ball
  • Other Traditions
• Famous Alumni and Faculty
• Art and NC Wyeth Paintings
• Major Buildings Through the Years, Plaques, and Awards
  • Buildings No Longer Standing
  • Alumni Chapel
  • Hunt Upper School
  • Athletics Spaces
  • John P. Ryan Library/Memorial Hall
  • Dormitories
  • Dining Hall
  • Other Buildings
• Athletics and Rivalry
• Your Hometown
• Pottstown (continued)
  • Industrial Boom, Bust, and Rebirth
  • Military Calling
  • Cruising Culture
  • Religion and YMCA

Potential Course Catalog (Final Two Weeks)

·       The History of The Hill School and Its Relation to U.S. History
Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Chirieleison | 8:30-10:30 a.m. EDT (Jan. 4-15, Part 1 of 3-Part Course)

In each of the six eras of Hill designated in the Hill history chronology, the class will read, study, and discuss certain events or transitions in each period and consider the backdrop of U.S. History events occurring at the same time. The class will consider certain noted alumni from each period of Hill development, and the impact they or their relatives or family members had on historical developments. Students will select a period of Hill history and consider the important events of that period. They will research the life and family of an important alumnus of their choosing from that period.

·       Developing Neighborhood Strategies: A Pottstown Seminar
Ms. Fisher offered 8:30-10:30 a.m. EDT (Jan 18-29, Part 2 of 3-Part Course)

Why do some neighborhoods thrive, and others appear to fail? What can be done to reverse deterioration and provide decent, affordable housing and clean and safe neighborhoods? One way to explore answers to these questions is to closely interact with community-based organizations dedicated to working with a community as it defines and responds to its problems. In this seminar, each student will do a community learning project/internship at such an organization in Pottstown. Equally important is a way to understand and interpret your experiences at the organization. This course will review rich case studies on how neighborhoods are organized and function and on models of community responses to neighborhood conditions, which will provide a lens through which to evaluate student experiences with their organization and community.  

·       Connect with Pottstown 
Mrs. Skitko offered 8:30-10:30 a.m. EDT, (Feb. 1-12, Part 3 of 3-Part Course)

Students will begin the session with a few short readings and discussions related to community service and, essentially, the importance of showing kindness and giving back to others.  They then will connect with a Pottstown service organization/nonprofit involved with serving a need of particular interest to the student.  Students will talk with the organization's leadership to learn more about their mission and challenges, then prepare a brief summary of their findings.  Finally, it is hoped that students will engage in some sort of short-term service project for the focus organization, either virtually or, if possible, in person. Examples of nonprofit partners may include -- among others --Keystone Villa and Manatawny Manor senior living communities; Steel River Playhouse; The Ricketts Center; Edgewood Historic Cemetery;  Pottstown Community Action; Habitat for Humanity; Operation 143 (formerly known as Operation Backpack , providing food to Pottstown children in need); Community Health and Dental Care; and the Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities.  

Overview

This course aims to educate Fourth Form students about foundational concepts of social justice, equity, civil rights, and anti-racism, then explore a topic upon that foundation that particularly interests them. To that end, the course is divided into two major time periods: a one-week Introductory Period, followed by a five-week Exploratory Period.

During the Introductory period, students will explore the dynamics of privilege and disadvantage, and the way this imbalance is tied to complex issues of racism, classism, sexism, and other forms of social oppression. Processing sources from a variety of current media, students will develop the language to discuss topics in meaningful, respectful, and thoughtful ways.

During the Exploratory Period, students will break into small cohorts of four to six students to explore and present upon a topic that interests them. Students will have the chance to locate and analyze sources of their choosing, design a central question, and construct a thesis grounded in evidence, then present their project to a Faculty committee.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will learn a framework upon which to analyze an array of issues related to social justice.
• Students will examine the history of oppression and conduct a dialogue of change.
• Students will develop a coherent project, utilizing a collaborative team approach.
• Students will explain their developed and cited argument to a panel of judges.
• Students will become agents of social change to promote social justice in our society.

Class Meetings, Format, and Assessment

Class meetings will be remote and take place four days per week. During the Introductory Period, students can expect to spend approximately two hours daily engaged with work, including at least 75 minutes of synchronous meeting; this will be a mixture of instructional time, discussion in small groups, and completion of assigned viewing, listening, or reading.

During the Exploratory Period, students can expect to spend approximately 12 hours per week working towards their self-designed final projects. This time will be a mixture of group discussion and planning with one’s team, and independent work on the group’s final project.

Students will be assessed qualitatively on their completion of assignments, and their work on their final project. Feedback from the panel of judges during a special showcase event will be integrated into the narrative summary.  Throughout the course, students will be expected to complete work for each of the major checkpoints outlined below.

Week 1:  Introduction to Social Justice
The following topics will be explored through teacher lecture, alumni or parent guest speakers, or student discussion groups.

• Welcome and Introduction to Core Concepts
  • Terminology: Privilege vs. Oppression, Scales of Oppression. Microaggressions
  • Categories of Oppression (e.g., race, gender, class, religion, etc.)
  • Defining Social Justice, Equity, Recognition, and Inclusion

Assignment:  Invisibilia: The Culture Inside 
Assignment:  The Atlantic: Why Diversity Training Isn’t Enough

• Stereotypes, Attitudes, and Implicit Bias
• Cycles of Socialization
• Acknowledging Personal Social Status of Dominance and Weakness
• School Desegregation and Segregation
  • NYC Schools

Assignment:  The Weekly: The Fight to Desegregate NYC Schools (half-hour episode)

• Criminal Justice

Assignment:  13^th Documentary
Assignment:  Instagram: Audre Lorde Project, Colorlines, Antiracism Center

• Modern Systems of Oppression
  • Social Media
  • Recent History of Policing in the U.S.
  • Black Lives Matter Movements

Week 2: Course Specific Social Justice Issues
Teach Designed Course Content

Exploratory Period
Week 3 – 5

Week 3:  Choose Project
H-Term groups identify project and establish group roles.  Sample project ideas provided below:

• Social Protest Through Popular Music
• Women and Minorities in Science
• Busing Controversy in Boston
• Classism in Independent Schools
• Women and Minorities in Science
• Classism in Youth Sports
• Social Protest in Arts
• Lawsuit Regarding Asian-American and Asian Admission at Harvard
• Domestic Violence Awareness
• White Privilege in Media
• LGBTQ+ Pride Movement
• Societal Beauty Standards
• Dating Violence on College Campuses
• Free Education/Student Loan Forgiveness

Week 4:  Identify Sources and Develop Hypothesis

• Checkpoint 1:  List of Sources
• Checkpoint 2:  Statement and Explanation of Guiding Question
• Checkpoint 3:  Statement of Hypothesis

Weeks 5:  Create and Defend Final Project

• Checkpoint 4:  Identification of Showcase Format
• Checkpoint 5:  Rehearse Showcase Assessment

Week 6:  Final Project Completion and Reporting Out

Potential Course Catalog

·       Gender, Race and Class in America
Dr. Malone | 9-11 a.m. EDT

Based on a wide variety of written, visual, audio, and experiential sources to study the deeply rooted realities of the contradictions between the values we espouse as a nation, and our ability to live up to them.

·       An Introduction to Chinese History, Language and Culture
Mr. DeLucia | 8-10 p.m. EDT

Including some attention to the national psyche, geopolitics (now and then), and a history of political movements and protests.

·       Poetry Bootcamp: Reading, Writing, Building Community
Mrs. Hudak | 9-11 a.m. EDT

In 1870, Emily Dickinson said, “If I read a book [and] it makes my whole body so cold no fire ever can warm me, I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry." Find yourself agreeing? Then this is the course for you! This engaging course is created for the lover of poetry who wants to learn how to appreciate the art even more. It is also for student poets who are eager to become part of a community that will help them improve their craft.  We will begin by immersing ourselves in great poetry from across a wide cross-section of cultures and periods and continue by creating our own poetry through exercises, imitations, workshops, and lots of revision. Students will grow as writers, hone their creative skills, and deepen their passion for the writer's craft.  

·       #Getwellworld
Mrs. Neese and Mrs. Body | 9-11 a.m. EDT

Through poetry, song lyrics, short stories, novels, drawings, paintings, or sculptures, creativity has the power to communicate, inspire, and heal. In this course, students will take a deep dive into their world and into the process of being alive. We will explore newspaper articles, news magazines, plays and films, listen to NPR, read poetry, watch movies, and TED talks, and in turn create our own representations. Join us as we create, write, paint, draw, sculpt, but most importantly work to foster respect and acknowledgment for racial, cultural, religious, LGBTQ+, gender, age, and socioeconomic differences.   

·       Race, Science, and Social Justice
Ms. Erin Ruane and Ms. Ehrenwerth | 9-11 a.m. EDT 

The first week would include instruction on the history of the role of science and race as well as the history of racism in the field of science.  The second week would explore the more modern view and highlight the racial inequalities that still exist in modern science. The course would consist of guest speakers, readings, videos, and discussions.  Students would explore a variety of ideas for their projects, but potentially research influential minority scientists, looking at the disparity between COVID infections and race, and medical ethical dilemmas that show racial disparity. The course would ideally be capped at no more than 10 students.

·       Music and Social Change
Ms. Lim | 9-11 a.m. EDT

The course will deal with role of the arts and answering what are the needs of the day and how as artists we can serve the world in its constantly evolving form. We will learn and discuss:

• How does music impact the way people think and act?
• How can music encourage people to participate in their community, their nation, and the world?
• What role can music play in a movement for social change?

·       Justice in Public Thought and Speech
Mr. Malinak | 9-11 a.m. EDT

Through the examination of speeches, debates, and public discussions that have shaped society, students will explore how rhetoric and public debate has both the potential to support themes of social justice, as well as repress those movements.  Potential primary sources may include the Declaration of Independence, FDR’s “Four Freedom’s” Speech, MLK’s “I have a Dream”, as well as examples of when social justice was repressed through public speech, such as campaigns against desegregation.  Examples will include major moments in public thought such as the Declaration of Independence, where the phrase “All men are created equal” simultaneously promoted equality while reinforcing the gender and race roles of the era.  We will spend the term discussing how both what we say, and how we say it, impacts our world.

·       Protest Art: History, Issues and Creation
Mrs. Nelson | 8-10 a.m. EDT 

Students will dive into an immersion of Protest Art by increasing their understanding of what Protest Art is, its history, and some of the various issues surrounding social inequality and injustice. Students will use the elements and principles of design to analyze current Protest Art, looking for ways a composition can emit an impactful, sometimes subliminal, image and message. While using a choice-based curriculum, students will select an issue of interest, integrate learning from the formal analysis discussion and create their own Protest Art.

Overview

The Fifth Form will be assigned the theme of “Whatsoever Things Are Universal” for the H-Term.  While there is a myriad of topics that could be studied under this theme, the course will focus on universal truths as they relate to human rights, governments, and religion.

Unit I:  Comparative Study of Human Rights

Everyone is endowed with the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but how are these rights exercised or restrained around the world?  In this unit, students will explore topics from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and how countries support or prohibit those rights.

Unit Objectives:

• Gain a greater understanding of human rights from a cross-cultural perspective.
• Assess past and current thinking about the nature of human rights.
• Become empowered to use knowledge and insights from this unit to become effective global citizens.

Week 1:  Lecture and Classroom Discussion
The following topics will be explored through teacher lecture, alumni or parent guest speakers, or student discussion groups.

• Right to Equality
• Freedom from Discrimination
• Right to Life, Liberty, Personal Security
• Freedom from Slavery
• Freedom from Torture and Degrading Treatment

Week 2: Application
Students will work on a project to further develop their understanding of human rights and to become aware of the topic’s presence across multiple disciplines.

• Literature:  How are human rights championed in works of literature?
• Art:  How are human rights depicted in art?
• Music:  How are human rights expressed in music?
• Film and Theatre:  How are human rights portrayed in films or plays?

Unit 2:  Comparative Study of Government

Governments provide the parameters for everyday behavior for citizens and protect them from outside interference.  There are vast differences in how governments around the world are established as they seek to meet these objectives.  In this unit students will study the political structures, policies, and social challenges of selected countries.

Unit Objectives:

• Gain a greater understanding of governments around the world.
• Learn to analyze government structures in a scientific and systematic way.

Week 3:  Lecture and Classroom Discussion
The following topics will be explored through teacher lecture, alumni or parent guest speakers, or student discussion groups.

• Methods of Political Analysis
• Power and Authority
• Legitimacy and Stability
• Democratization
• Internal and External Forces

Note:  Topics taken from AP Comparative Government.

Week 4: Application
Students will work on a project to further develop their understanding of government structures and to become aware of the topic’s presence across multiple disciplines.

• Literature:  How are forms of government depicted in works of literature? 
• Art:  How are thoughts about government depicted in art?
• Music:  How are thoughts about government expressed in music?
• Film and Theatre:  How are governments portrayed in films or plays?

Unit 3: Comparative Study of Religions

Everyone has a belief system, even it if is the conscious choice not to believe in anything.  In this unit, students will examine the doctrines, practices, themes, and impacts of the world's religions.

Unit Objectives:

• Gain an understanding of religions from a cross-cultural perspective.
• Develop mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs.

Week 5:  Lecture and Classroom Discussion
The following topics will be explored through teacher lecture, alumni or parent guest speakers, or student discussion groups.

• Study of the most internationally widespread religious movements: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
• Analyze the role of religion throughout history.
• Explore how to respect the values, ideas, and beliefs of others.

Application

Students will work on a project to further develop their understanding of world religions and to become aware of the topic’s presence across multiple disciplines.

• Literature:  How is religion depicted in works of literature?
• Art:  How is religion depicted in art?
• Music:  How is religion expressed in music?
• Film and Theatre:  How is religion portrayed in films or plays?

Week 6:  Final Project Completion and Reporting Out
Students will be assigned a final project in which they will take the concepts taught throughout the course, as well as their own research obtained in the application phase, and develop a presentation which expresses individual thought on one of the topics.

Potential Course Catalog

·       An Introduction to Chinese History, Language and Culture
Mr. DeLucia | 8-10 p.m. EDT

Including some attention to the national psyche, geopolitics (now and then), and a history of political movements and protests.

·       Poetry Bootcamp: Reading, Writing, Building Community
Mrs. Hudak | 9-11 a.m. EDT

In 1870, Emily Dickinson said, “If I read a book [and] it makes my whole body so cold no fire ever can warm me, I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry." Find yourself agreeing? Then this is the course for you! This engaging course is created for the lover of poetry who wants to learn how to appreciate the art even more. It is also for student poets who are eager to become part of a community that will help them improve their craft.  We will begin by immersing ourselves in great poetry from across a wide cross-section of cultures and periods and continue by creating our own poetry through exercises, imitations, workshops, and lots of revision. Students will grow as writers, hone their creative skills, and deepen their passion for the writer's craft.  

·       Life, Death, and the Afterlife in the World’s Religions 
The Rev. Khristi Adams, The Rev. Anne Confer Martens ’02, and Dr. Katherine Erickson | 9-11 a.m. EDT

What happens when we die?  Though there are no definitive answers to this question, we will examine beliefs about death and the afterlife from a variety of religious and cultural perspectives.  By exploring the world’s religions, we will reach a deeper understanding of views about death, rituals around grief and mourning, ways of remembering the dead, and wisdom about how to live.  We will investigate teachings from diverse religious traditions while also working with sources from literature, history, film, and current events.  As students consider the topics and issues raised in class, they will investigate these claims and will be able to articulate their understanding of their meaning for their own lives.

·       Student Short Play Festival
Mr. McGriff | 7-10 p.m. EDT

The theater department will present a series of student written, directed, and produced short Zoom plays.  Students will be responsible for creating a short play based on a variation or creative translation of their form theme.  Students will create the story, write the script, cast the other student actors, direct, rehearse, market, and ultimately produce their short play in conjunction with the other student plays submitted.  All the student plays will be combined to create a H-Term Student Short Play Festival.  The festival will be presented once via Zoom and then again live at the beginning of the spring term.  This project will have plenty of opportunities for the theater tech students and for students who may not have participated in theater in the past.

·       #Getwellworld
Mrs. Neese and Mrs. Body | 9-11 a.m. EDT

Through poetry, song lyrics, short stories, novels, drawings, paintings, or sculptures, creativity has the power to communicate, inspire, and heal. In this course, students will take a deep dive into their world and into the process of being alive. We will explore newspaper articles, news magazines, plays and films, listen to NPR, read poetry, watch movies, and TED talks, and in turn create our own representations. Join us as we create, write, paint, draw, sculpt, but most importantly work to foster respect and acknowledgment for racial, cultural, religious, LGBTQ+, gender, age, and socioeconomic differences.   

·       Philosophy and Science of Elite Performance
Mr. Tkachuk | 9-11 a.m. EDT

This seminar style course will explore several different authors and researchers’ views on elite performance in sport. It will also include some modern stoic philosophy and incorporate mindfulness and other strategies for success in sport and life in general. We will also examine some of the important cultural and societal impacts sport has on the wider world.

·       Justice in Public Thought and Speech
Mr. Malinak | 9-11 a.m. EDT

Through the examination of speeches, debates, and public discussions that have shaped society, students will explore how rhetoric and public debate has both the potential to support themes of social justice, as well as repress those movements.  Potential primary sources may include the Declaration of Independence, FDR’s “Four Freedom’s” Speech, MLK’s “I have a Dream”, as well as examples of when social justice was repressed through public speech, such as campaigns against desegregation.  Examples will include major moments in public thought such as the Declaration of Independence, where the phrase “All men are created equal” simultaneously promoted equality while reinforcing the gender and race roles of the era.  We will spend the term discussing how both what we say, and how we say it, impacts our world.

·       Constitutional Law
Mr. Ciraolo | 9-11 a.m. EDT

American society is filled with concerns about rights and power.  This H-term course will examine real cases and controversies to understand the legal structure of our society, with particular attention to issues ripe in 2020.  For instance: "You have the right to remain silent...": What are your rights if you are arrested?  Tried?  Put on death row?  Can a public school require random drug testing for membership on the football team, and if so, what does "random" mean and what about drug tests for all students?  Does your right “to keep and bear arms" include AK-47s?  Tanks?  Do illegal immigrants have rights, and if so, what is the source of those rights and what happens if they conflict with the foreign policy powers of the president?  The states have the nation’s “police powers,” but can the president send Homeland Security officers to Portland or Seattle to defend federal property?  What are your rights if you are stopped by the police while driving?  Is it an unconstitutional interference with your free speech rights to be told by the government that you may not support financially your best friend's campaign for Congress?  Who, if anyone, has the power to “shut down” a state’s economy: the president?  The governor?  If either, does he or she need a statute from Congress or the state legislature?  Do racial set-asides designed to address historic discrimination in the awarding of construction contracts or college admissions decisions that attempt to produce a "diverse" student body ever pass legal muster?  Although the focus of this course is on American answers to questions about rights and power, we will look also at how other constitutional systems (especially “Westminster” systems) handle such questions.

·       Exploring Music (e.g., Cuban Jazz, Afro Caribbean music, etc.) as an Identity and Racial Affirmation Gesture
Dr. Marcano-Ogando | 9-11 a.m. EDT

This course will be offered in Spanish.

Overview

Mobilize around a cause.  Propose around a need.  Put into Action.
This H-Term course aims to provide Sixth Form students the opportunity to actionably apply what they have learned throughout their academic and non-academic lives to “orchestrate positive change” in their community. As students prepare for life beyond The Hill, this project is intended to provide a platform upon which important and enduring bridges can be assembled, rooted in awareness and empathy.

Unit Objectives

• Create an all-encapsulating project for social betterment on a local, national, or global scale.
• Apply learning in an actionable way to achieve greater equality for some deprived and/or disenfranchised person or persons.
• Put initiative into action with support and resources from the community.

Proposal

As an individual or within a group, propose an action plan for social betterment to achieve measurable growth for any person or persons who are discriminated against or disadvantaged in any way.  This can be within The Hill School, locally, nationally, or globally. This plan should consist of overarching goals and primary purpose, but also a specific timeline (general schedule/calendar provided to all students in advance) with measurable desired outcomes.

Support

Initial proposals will be reviewed and supported by at least one faculty member.  That faculty member will provide logistical and planning guidance as well as assisting with providing applicable community resources, e.g., staff, faculty, parents, alumnae/alumni, etc.  Resources of all types will be provided specific to the needs and circumstances of each person/group.

Action

After approval of initial proposal, student(s) will attempt to put plans into action along the designated timelines and utilizing available resources.

Meetings

Project groups will meet four times a week during the proposal process.  During the action phase, meetings will take place one to two times a week.

Final Product and Reporting Out

The most important result of this work will be measured by the progress made in the name of the targeted social action.  Reflective and summative content would be shared in a written summary of the project as well as in a formal presentation during “H-Term Exhibit Week” in February.

Potential Course Catalog

·       Faithful Adaptation
Mr. Turner | 9-11 a.m. EDT

A student-produced podcast that rates a novel's cinematic adaptation (Classics films/series welcome!). Read the book; watch the movie/series; talk about it (Popcorn Book Club podcast can serve as inspiration).   The creators of Popcorn Book Club can even be contacted and join student podcasts. A multi-media project (podcast, show notes) complete with marketing and editing. Potential to loop in authors / directors / screenwriters looking to amplify their brand. Students whose interests or talents lie in visual or graphic design could adapt a Classics/Classics-inspired tale in the form of a novella (e-book option, too) in the target language of their choice (World Languages, Classics). Does not need to be limited to Classics, of course; The Little Golden Book Series adapted several Disney movies to illustrated children's books. Novellas would strive to provide beginner language students with comprehensible and compelling content, complemented by elegant illustrations (analog or digital). Students are encouraged to consider re-telling tales from different or non-traditional perspectives (e. g., an episode of Homer's Odyssey from Circe's POV) to breathe new life into old stories.

·       My Dad’s Record Collection
Mr. Lagor | 8:30-10:30 a.m. EDT

Over the course of the H-Term, students will be asked to identify a family member or friend from a different generation and inquire about their “record collection.”  That collection might be comprised of 8-track tapes, cassettes, CDs, or albums, but it is the music on them that is important.  Students will be asked to:

• develop a list of interview questions
• conduct the interview
• summarize and report on the interview
• research the music discussed in the interview
• identify historically significant context from the interview and the music
• write about all of it

Each student will make a presentation summarizing the interview and another on the significance of the music that was researched.  The course is intended to serve as a vehicle for learning more about a generation other than the student’s own and to develop a better understanding of the transformative power of music in general.

·       NPR Podcast Challenge
Mr. Ide | 9-11 a.m. EDT

Students will research a contemporary issue, setup interviews with relevant people, and create a podcast explaining the issue.

·       Big Data and Society
Ms. Shipper | 8-10 a.m. EDT

Big data has been integrated in the decision-making process across a number of industries including criminal justice, finance, education, and marketing.  While algorithms and mathematical models are viewed as being non-biased and objective, has this been the case thus far? In this course we will investigate the rise of big data in society and discuss the resulting ethical and humanitarian consequences.  

·       Music Production Workshop
Mrs. Neiswender and Mr. Brian McTear ’91 | 9-11 a.m. EDT

This workshop will cover topics and studies of current interest in music technology.   Focus will be placed on an introduction to the music software Pro Tools and to offering each student the opportunity to mix, edit, and master a recording. (Limited to 10 participants).

·       Female Leadership
Mrs. Dollhopf and Mrs. Deitrich | 9-11 a.m. EDT

This course will look at various forms of female leadership and how to develop one’s own leadership style.  The course is open to everyone.  We will include books, articles, Ted talks, movies, and speakers.  We will investigate large issues of stereotypes, implicit bias, and the strength of diversity.  We will learn about specific tools such as power poses and salary negotiation.  Daily journaling and self-exploration are regular expectations of this course.  The course will culminate with a capstone project regarding how female leadership choices will influence their futures.

·       Art Activism
Mrs. Richards | 8:30-10:30 a.m. EDT

Art creates impact – and impact is needed to create change. What is art activism? What effects can it have on social change? This will be a discussion led by images seen in the public from various social movements such as #Blacklivesmatter, Political Graffiti and Street Art, Feminist African American Art, Mexican Muralism, Poetry/Spoken word, Political Hip-Hop, and Street Demonstrations. Students will find their own example of Art Activism and give a brief explanation of the image, event, and its impact. Students will choose a social movement and discuss why they are choosing to bring awareness to this movement and what impact they would like to see.

·       Sustainability H-Term Scholar Program
Mr. Dioguardi | 9:30-11:30 a.m. EDT 

The course would include an introduction to the concept of sustainability as well as design thinking. This will help students connect to a cause they are interested in exploring more and a way to create an impactful end of term project.

·       Media Literacy and Media Production
Ms. DeOrnellas | 9-11 a.m. EDT

Students will review media literacy concepts and will work on multimedia pieces that will be eligible for submission to The Hill News. We will experiment with audio, video, and photography to complement our writing.