Eagle Rock’s Innovative Courses this Trimester

Eagle Rock Classes are learner-centered, with a maximum of 12 students per class, featuring mixed ages and abilities, interdisciplinary instruction through collaborative curricula, and are designed to be culturally and historically responsive in line with our commitment to anti-racism and social justice; they are grounded in the 5 Expectations of 8+5=10 and continuously adapt to meet the interests and needs of current learners, incorporating academic learning models such as project-based learning, social-emotional learning, group learning, work-based learning, and experiential learning.  We’re proud to share what students are learning this trimester.

In Get Amped, students explore the physics of sound and apply the key concepts to design and build an amplification device that amplifies sound with and without electricity.  Students are splitting time in the lab exploring sound concepts, and in the Maker Space designing and building the amplification device, using Critical and Creative Thinking. 

Through From Dictionopolis to Eagle Rock students are diving into the fantastical world of The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster as they join Milo on his wondrous journey to Dictionopolis and beyond. Students are unraveling the rich layers of this classic tale and are examining how its lessons on curiosity, imagination, perspective, and perseverance can be integrated into our personal and ERS community experience. Using the book as a tool, students are exploring the world around them to locate joy and gratitude in unexpected places. Together, students discover the book’s themes, engage in personal reflection, participate in interactive activities, apply insights, and inspire the whole community. Students in this course are reading, discussing, and thinking deeply about themselves and the community.  Successful completion of this course’s expectations will result in an Effective Communication distribution credit and a traditional English credit.

Students in Are Elections Fair? Exploring the Mathematics of Voting Systems are investigating the fairness of election systems by analyzing the mathematical principles that govern them. Students are exploring topics such as gerrymandering, voting methods, polling, and representation while considering how different systems impact election outcomes. Through hands-on projects, students design and propose their own equitable voting mechanisms, using real-world data and mathematical reasoning. The course emphasizes critical thinking, problem-solving, and civic responsibility, encouraging students to engage with the democratic process in meaningful ways. By the end of the class, students will have the skills and knowledge to contribute to the ongoing discussion about fair elections and the integrity of democratic systems. Students are exploring how power dynamics influence electoral systems, and how certain groups may be marginalized or disenfranchised through these systems. This course is not only building mathematical skills but also fostering a deeper understanding of how math shapes the world around us and emphasizes how mathematical literacy can be a tool for social justice, allowing students to advocate for fairer and more inclusive electoral practices.

In Sk8 or Die Remixed, students are investigating how skateboarding can benefit mental and physical health while building community. In this 5-week Effective Communication Visual Arts class, students are becoming industry professionals in project management and film by partnering with the town of Estes Park to create promotional media for the new Lawson Skatepark. Students are splitting their time learning film-making to formulate a clear message that is aligned with the town’s vision, and students are spending time skateboarding at the new local spot. The intention is to move their bodies together, build community, and create a film that will help spread awareness about the benefits of skateboarding while promoting the town’s new local park. The class covers the basics of skateboarding and safety, like wearing required protective gear and learning skatepark etiquette. Students are also spending A LOT of time in the lab, working on video production, feedback, revision, and creating high-quality films.

Through Grad Seminar students are planning for their life after Eagle Rock which is a complex, multistep, goal-oriented process. It involves identifying where students might want to be in the future, but also what opportunities might look like based on the situation that they will enter after graduation. This class was designed to help students explore what their time after Eagle Rock might look like. Students will explore their support network and what that network might look like to support them after graduation. Students will engage in some self-exploratory activities, identify a collection of specific potential future paths, and dig deeper into what those paths mean for future learning. Students are assessing the development of their “adult backpack” and taking action on what they need to do to fill that backpack up with skills and things they’ll need to successfully “adult” after graduation. Most importantly, this class is about students’ future goals and the beginning stages of bringing these goals to fruition.  This is a 10-week class that offers traditional elective credit, EKB distribution credit, and the option for both Portfolio of Possibilities and/or Life Skills credits.

Our brand new students in Homespace learn about what it means to be a student at Eagle Rock and a part of the Eagle Rock community. The idea of Homespace is to create a space where new students can feel comfortable to learn, share, discuss, and grow. In Homespace, students are introduced to four pillars that serve to ground them in ER practices: Academics, Health & Wellness, Belonging, and Restorative Practices. Throughout the class, new students will explore the way Eagle Rock approaches education holistically through the lens of the four pillars to support them in understanding what it means to be a student at ER.  By the end of the class, new students will understand that they can create a Homespace at ER by reflecting on, building capacity in, and advocating for themself in these four areas: academics, health and wellness, belonging, and restorative practices.

In Octavia Taught Me: A course on political predictions & the upcoming election students are diving into the captivating world of Octavia Butler's "Parable of the Sower" and its relevance to the upcoming election. By analyzing the novel's themes and futuristic ideas, students are uncovering its parallels with today's political and social landscape. Through vibrant discussions and written assignments, students are gaining valuable insights into power dynamics and survival struggles, while also exploring their role in the political process. This Engaged Global Citizen power standard will help students deepen their understanding of Butler's work, enhance critical thinking, and shape a well-informed perspective on the upcoming elections & their impact at the global, national, and local levels. This course is tailored for students passionate about literature, social justice, and political involvement.  The course will conclude with the organizing of a community conversation “table talk” event to showcase learnings.

Through How to Math: Empowering Your Mathematical Journey, students are gaining the skills and confidence needed to thrive in high school mathematics. Focusing on problem-solving, skill-building, and connecting math to real-life scenarios, students are exploring key concepts such as algebra, geometry, and statistics. Students are beginning to see how math class can help them achieve their future goals, through collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. Along the way, students will develop a deeper understanding of their mathematical identity and learn how to approach math confidently and naturally. By the end of the course, students will be well-prepared to approach challenges in new ways and find success in future math classes.

By using Affinity Designer and empathy interviews students in Eagle Rock SWAG  are creating alternate uniforms for Wednesday intramurals! Students are learning how to create a design/logo in Affinity Designer, the screen printing process, and how to make uniformed multiples. Students are receiving and using feedback effectively to create a design that merges the ideas, wants, and needs of the houses and the talents of the artist.  This is a 5-week Effective Communication credit and Visual Arts distribution credit. 

In Humans Impact On The Earth students are learning that the Earth is over 4 billion years old, and modern humans have only been around on the Earth for less than 1% of the Earth's life. Yet in this time humans have had a HUGE impact on the planet. In this course, students are exploring these impacts on the air, land, water, and weather of the earth. Students are also spending time discussing ways they can reduce this impact through current science literature and hands-on experiments. Students are using all of this scientific data to inform others about what humans have already done to the earth, and what they can do to help the earth moving forward. 

“To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower… to hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour” (Blake)  “For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.” (Gorman)  “So we live like caged beasts waitin’ for the day to let the rage free. Still me ‘til they kill me.” (2Pac)  In Verse, Upon Verse, students are considering what all that even means?! Is it poetry? Why are those words important? Are they important? In this class, students are working to understand and answer those questions and more by discovering poetry together. Students are reading, watching, listening to, writing, speaking, and maybe even performing poetry. Students will figure out how to read poetry, how to feel poetry, and how to let their souls be moved by it… or at least just appreciate it. Successful completion of this course’s expectations will earn participants an English credit and an Effective Communication credit.

In La Resolana - Stories from the Front Porch students learn about villagers in northern New Mexico who refer to the south-facing side of a wall as la resolana, meaning “the place where the sun shines." Every culture has a resolana, a place where the resolaneros -- the villagers -- gather, dialogue, and reflect on society, culture, and politics. The buried knowledge that emerges from this process may be el oro del barrio -- pure gold from the community. There are stories that students are born into and stories that they choose to live, and students are the only experts of their own experiences and life stories. What stories do students tell themselves in their minds, and what stories do they share with others? When not authoring their own story, which external stories do they associate with, which stories represent them, who is telling these stories, and how are these stories being used? In this class, students will become Spanish-speaking resaloneros, exploring the stories of their individual and collective identities and sharing them in the community. Students will learn and practice  Spanish, answering the questions: ¿Quién soy - Who am I?, ¿Quién eres - Who are you?, and  ¿Quiénes somos - Who are we? Students are having conversations and practicing presenting their stories through various activities including poetry, interviews, and narrative/story writing.

Through Band of Mutant Kin, students are collaborating by making and performing music with others and amplifying music's power and uniqueness.  Additionally, students are co-creating the shape of this course.  This course is about exploring a healthy life choice.  Music's power to connect (with self, others, and issues) and heal (self and others) is ancient, mystical, and potent.  This can happen through listening to, creating, and performing music.  This course is about expanding one's knowledge of music terms, roles, equipment/instruments; histories and concepts; artists, and sounds.  Music is a synergy of things like sound, emotion, purpose, and sometimes words.  It's a synergy like no other.  Meaning, among other things, some feelings only find their true expression in that synergy.  Band of Mutant Kin is about encouraging that expression.  This course offers a distribution credit in music performance and effective communication.

From cave paintings to stained glass, to memes, images have forever been used to communicate ideas simply and effectively. One outcome of this intersection between art and communication is political cartoons! In Political Cartooning students are researching, analyzing, and creating political cartoons with the intent to persuade, think critically, inform, and/or create commentary. Using basic drawing skills and an understanding of symbolism, students are creating cartoons that effectively and efficiently communicate their thoughts and questions.

Whether a beginner, intermediate, or expert, students are increasing their swimming abilities and lifeguarding knowledge in Swim, not Die.  Students meet at the pool every day learning to swim, learn lifeguard skills, and explore our relationship with swimming. For the summative assessment, there will be an option for students to earn their lifeguarding Red Cross certification.