Highland Hall Adds Advanced Biology, a Technology Lab and Modern Physics Electives to Science Curriculum
Beginning January, 2014, Highland Hall Waldorf School will add new electives to its already challenging science curriculum to include Advanced Biology, a Technology Lab and Modern Physics.
The Biology Elective is a high-level, advanced course that includes many of the lab experiences typically found in an Advanced Placement biology course. The course is a fast-paced expansion of Highland Hall’s current high school biology courses. It emphasizes cellular biology, biochemical processes of cellular respiration and photosynthesis, vertebrate anatomy and physiology, advanced genetics, evolution, plant anatomy and physiology, and ecology. Each week will include an AP lab, complete with background reading, experimental design and set-up, and written lab reports, along with practicing safe laboratory protocol and handling of experimental tools. The elective is open to 11th and 12th graders.
The Technology Elective is open to students in grades 9 through 12. It will cover the basics and the intricacies of computer technology in today’s world. Students will focus on the following components of computer proficiency: disassembling and rebuilding desktop and laptop computers, installing operating systems, keyboarding, working with Microsoft Office Suites, multimedia and database programs, and the creation of a web site.
The Modern Physics course complements the physics classes already in the high school curriculum. It will cover developments in physics from the beginning of the 20th Century until today. Important topics will include radioactivity, the physics of atoms in relation to chemistry, and the fundamental forces of quantum mechanics, special and general relativity, and how these topics inform modern cosmology. The course is open to seniors.
In addition to the vast array of music and art offerings available to Highland Hall high school students from water color painting to stone carving, to orchestra and handbell choir, the school will also offer Argentine Tango and Meditation & Mindfulness.
“We are pleased to add these new classes to our already broad and interdisciplinary curriculum,” says Lynn Kern, Highland Hall’s Administrative Director. “But it’s important to note that our students don’t choose between taking science and math electives, or a music and art offering, they choose electives from each category and do both. In this way, they receive an integrated academic and arts experience and graduate as well rounded human beings primed to make a difference in their world.”
Highland Hall Waldorf School, located in Northridge, CA, was founded in 1955, and is the oldest Waldorf school on the west coast. It provides Waldorf® Education from Pre-school through High School to families throughout the San Fernando Valley and the greater Los Angeles area. Its unique approach to learning successfully addresses the changing needs and capacities of children at each stage of development. Fully 98% of its high school graduates move on to renowned colleges and universities; 42% of Waldorf graduates pursue college majors in mathematics or science. Featuring a curriculum of academically challenging lessons infused with arts and hands-on learning, Highland Hall provides students with a solid academic foundation, the ability to think creatively, a sympathetic interest in the world, self-confidence, and an abiding moral purpose.
