Exploring Curiosity, Creativity, and Challenge: ER-98 Trimester Course Offerings

At Eagle Rock School, learning is an active, immersive journey shaped by curiosity, creativity, and a commitment to growth. As outlined in our approach to academics, our classes center authentic inquiry, real-world relevance, and personal transformation. This trimester, the ER-98 course offerings invite students into 13 lucky, dynamic learning experiences. Each is designed to build essential competencies and honor the brilliance, identity, and potential of every learner.

In Creative Couture, students step into the world of cosplay and wearable art, transforming imagination into stitched, sculpted, and constructed reality. This course highlights the Universal Language, Artistic and Expressive Theory and Practice, and Imagination, Originality, and Creativity competencies as students invent original characters with fully developed backstories. Through sewing, measurement, cardboard construction, and mixed-media wearable design, learners develop craftsmanship, resourcefulness, and creative confidence. The trimester concludes with a runway show where students debut their custom characters and showcase the discipline, flexibility, and vision that carried their work from concept to couture.

Beep Boop: Man vs. Machine invites students to investigate society’s complicated relationship with artificial intelligence. Anchored in the competencies of Investigation and Deeper Understanding and Reading Evaluation, this class explores how AI shapes environmental, economic, and social landscapes. Through articles, podcasts, documentaries, and hands-on experimentation that includes playing with ChatGPT, students consider when and how technology can or should be used. This inquiry-based exploration challenges learners to evaluate claims, synthesize information, and grapple with the evolving question: What happens when humans and machines learn together?

In Data Detectives, students become statistical investigators who use real datasets to uncover real-world insights. This course develops the competencies of Numerical Processes and Collecting, Analyzing, and Interpreting Data, helping learners understand how numbers clarify and sometimes distort our understanding of complex issues. From building graphs to running basic models, students examine topics such as school safety, racial disparities, and social outcomes. In the process, they learn to question misleading correlations and develop a deeper appreciation for how data reveals patterns that shape the world.

In Creative Computing, students explore the logic behind computer science through game design and hands-on circuitry. Guided by the competencies of Creative and Innovative Solutions and Using Digital Tools, learners use Scratch to build arcade-style games and design their own joysticks. The class emphasizes problem-solving and iterative design. No prior coding experience is required. Curiosity and the willingness to experiment are the essential ingredients for success.

Fighting Your Math Phobia blends quantitative skill development with emotional resilience, supporting students as they transform their relationship with mathematics. Competencies include Mathematically Representing and Communicating Information, along with Growth Mindset and Strategic Planning. Through hands-on practice, collaborative problem solving, and real-world applications, students explore not only how to do math but also why math sometimes feels intimidating. Lessons in emotional regulation, productive struggle, and confidence building help learners see themselves as capable mathematicians who can persist through challenges and understand the deeper purpose behind their own learning process.

Human Sexuality offers students accurate, holistic, and empowering knowledge about their bodies and identities. Centered around the Human Sexuality competency, this course explores reproductive systems, gender, sexuality, hormones, and safe sex practices. Students gain tools to navigate a world filled with opinions and misinformation. Through honest conversation and evidence-based learning, they develop confidence in making informed decisions that protect their well-being and the well-being of others.

In Guided Spanish Independent Study, students strengthen their Spanish communication skills while developing independence as learners. This course builds competencies in Multilingual Communication, Accountability and Diligence, and Grit and Resilience. Class time includes independent study on IXL, practice with Spanish-speaking peers, and group lessons on strategies for self-directed learning. Students at any proficiency level can grow as communicators while developing the organizational and work habits that drive academic progress.

Crime in America challenges students to examine the changing definitions of crime and justice throughout United States history. Students build competencies in Argumentative Writing, Reading Evaluation, and Iterative Process and Synthesis as they investigate topics ranging from land theft to political violence. Activities include documentaries, debates, articles, journaling, and field trips. By the end of the trimester, students construct a thesis that reflects their understanding of how narratives of justice shape American identity and how those narratives continue to evolve.

Food Is Everything uses the cultural world of food writing to explore identity, global traditions, and the power of storytelling. Students develop competencies in Exploration, Iteration, and Refinement along with Informational Writing as they read and analyze food writing from diverse authors. Through daily reading and writing, learners reflect on the foods that have shaped their lives and cultures. They also craft original creative writing that reveals the connections between flavor, memory, and perspective.

In Mechanics of Movement, students investigate the science behind exercise and human physiology while practicing habits that support holistic wellness. This course develops competencies in Investigation and Deeper Understanding, Holistic Health and Wellness, and Collecting, Analyzing, and Interpreting Data. Students begin each day with movement and collect data about their own bodies, which they analyze to understand the short-term and long-term health effects of exercise. Lessons on the musculoskeletal and cardiorespiratory systems help learners understand how the body functions and how intentional movement supports lifelong health.

Podcasting Development introduces students to the creative and technical processes involved in producing a podcast. Grounded in the competencies of Investigation and Deeper Understanding and Argumentative Writing, the course teaches students to research, script, record, and edit an audio story. Learners evaluate sources, build arguments related to issues they care about, and experiment with storytelling techniques that highlight their unique voices. By the end of the class, students create an original podcast that demonstrates clarity, credibility, and purpose.

Adapt or Die brings students outdoors to explore snow science, ecosystem adaptations, migration, and the survival strategies of winter wildlife. Students develop competencies in Community Science and Everyday Choices as they investigate snowpack, watershed, and the biology of animals that survive harsh winters. Regular field experiences allow learners to connect scientific concepts to lived environments. Through inquiry and hands-on exploration, students consider how ecological systems function and what humans can learn from the resilience of other species.

The Human Anatomy Independent Study gives students a structured and rigorous introduction to health science while building essential academic habits. Focused on Task Management, Focus and Organization, and Time Management, this course explores anatomy from the cellular level through major organ systems. Students use diagram journals, guided notes, and discussions to build understanding and retention. By the end of the trimester, learners demonstrate both anatomical knowledge and the organizational skills necessary for success in advanced academic settings.

If you’re a student looking for a school where learning is hands-on, relevant, and built around who you are, Eagle Rock might be exactly what you’ve been searching for. Here, you won’t just take classes, you’ll build skills, explore big questions, create real work, and grow alongside a community that expects you to show up fully and supports you in doing it. If you’re ready for a place where curiosity is celebrated, challenge is normal, and your voice matters, we invite you to apply to Eagle Rock School. Your story belongs here, and we’d love to learn it.