GRADES 6-8

If you are finding trouble finding a scheduled time that works for you, we would be happy to accommodate a private group of 3 or more students. Just let us know!

PLEASE SCROLL TO FIND COURSES LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

The Cultural Literacy Course

Teachers: Cherokee Washington and Emilia Delgado Heinz

Grades: 6-8

Day: Thursdays

Time: 4pm-4:45pm

6 weeks, Start Date TBD

$270

This is a crash course in the ABCs of social justice advocacy and identity politics. Through group discussions, theories, reading assignments, and other material, we will explore concepts that are critical to becoming “woke.” Specifically, this course will cover topics such as intersectionality, allyship, the Core Cultural Identifiers (sex, race, gender identity, age, ability, socio-economic status, immigration status, and religion), systems of oppression, and other relevant concepts. The intentions of this course are to provide students with:

  • An understanding of the ever-changing terminology (both harmful and useful) that is used to unpack, discuss, and conceptualize social issues (i.e. LGBTQ+, anti-racism, womxn, differently abled, etc.) 

  • Approaches by which we can actively participate in conversations on race and other identities with confidence, rather than discomfort or fear

  • A safe space to unlearn, re-learn, learn 

  • A stronger foundation for engagement, advocacy, activism, civil discourse, and disruption  

  • An understanding of the importance of intersectionality as a tool for liberation and discussion 

  • Perspective on the relationship between whiteness and anti-Blackness as it relates to today’s movement 

  • An understanding of identity politics, their implications, and the ways in which we interact with them on a daily basis 

  • A brief, supplemental education that will prepare students to re-enter classrooms within this iteration of the civil rights movement

Little Zines, Big Ideas

Teacher: Natalie Godfrey

Grades: 6—8

Day: Wednesdays

Time: 6pm-6:45pm

6 weeks, Start May 19th

$270

Whatcha mean, what's a zine?* A zine (pronounced ‘zeen’) is a homemade, self-published mini-magazine. Containing both text and image, either found or forged, a zine can be anything: a comic, a how-to guide, a rant, a diary entry, a list, a letter, a story, an interview, an article, even a piece of art. It can be personal or political, simple or complicated, silly or serious, private or shared. Anyone and everyone can make one-including you!

Zine-making is fundamentally about self-expression: you control the content, structure, and distribution of your message. Though this course will cover the history and philosophy of zine-making, you will ultimately learn the basics of articulating your own voice. What is important or interesting to you? How would it feel to share it? How and for whom would you craft it? By the end, you will have several tools - and zines! - to save and share. 


*Title of a seminal text on zine making & history (Todd & Watson, Whatcha mean, what's a zine?: the art of making zines and mini comics, 2006).

Power of Perspective -A personal historic journey

Teacher: Kelvin O’Bryant

Grades: 6-8

Day: Wednesday

Time: 6pm-6:45pm

8 Weeks, Start Date FALL 2021

$360

Deep diving into the history of our passions has the potential to throw gasoline on an already burning fire. Participants will be encouraged to give careful thought to what really gets them excited (an incredibly beneficial exercise in itself). Anything goes. It could be a person (Simone Biles), specific period in time (The roaring 20's), place (Rome), or a thing (X-Box). We will delve deep in their specific origin stories, discover interesting facts, & fearlessly take whatever detours may spark an interest.

New Voices: A Podcast Class for Storytellers and Truth Speakers 

Teacher: Lauren White

Grades: 7-12

Day: Friday

Time: 4pm-4:55pm

8 Weeks, Start Date TBD

$440

In this class students will work together to critically examine the current political, social and cultural landscape and connect it to their lives and communities. Students will then work in small groups, selecting an issue that is important to them and crafting a story together from a personal and journalistic standpoint. We will then write and record our pieces and assemble them into a podcast. 

This class has some tech requirements, a laptop with the ability to record your voice and software (Garageband is fine!) to edit and compress files. Having a USB mic or recording equipment is great but not necessary. 

Slam Poetry - Activate Your Voice

Teacher: Kyle Donald

Grades: 6-8

Day: Monday

Time: 3:30pm - 4:15pm

6 Weeks, Start Date January 25

$270

This will be an interactive class teaching slam poetry as an art form, as a tool to push for social change and create social awareness, as a way to explore self identity, and to learn different writing techniques to create poetry of our own. We will breakdown different slam pieces, discussing what the poet was trying to express and the tools they used to express them. We will have an open discussion about the content of poems that have to do with racism, sexism, classism, and other social inequalities. We will then go through a series of writing prompts to create poetry of our own and help sharpen our writing/performance skills. No need to have any background in writing or poetry, just an openness and a passion for expression.

Watch This!

Teacher: Carolyn Ellis

Grades: 3-6

Days: Monday

Time: 3:15-4pm

8 Weeks, Start Date January 25

$360

Are you the kind of kid who likes to act out loads of characters from movies or books? Do you have a bunch of story ideas that you'd love to share? Then get ready... In this class you will learn improv games, acting exercises, and creative writing tools to make short performances. You'll learn how to create interesting characters, dialogue, and wild twists and turns in your stories. We will also experiment with simple costume and design elements to really make things come to life. Students will be encouraged to let their epic imaginations fly!