Upper School: Course Offerings

For more details on Upper School Course Offerings, visit Sharepoint.

Computer and Information Science
English
Fine Arts
Health and Wellness
History and Societal Studies
Mathematics
Performing Arts
Physical Education
Science
World Languages

Computer and Information Science

Liza Morrison, Chair

Info Studies
In this one-semester, pass/fail course, students will be taken from some of the very basic everyday uses of computers such as email, Internet access, and word processing on up to some of the more creative uses like creating audio and video, none of which are things that the visionaries of the 60s imagined we’d be using computers for. Of course, this wouldn’t be complete without discussion of ethics and safety along the way.

Introduction to Programming: Java
This course emphasizes the practical aspects of computer programming, using the Java language to show that with a little careful thought, most people can write not only a very simple program, but also a fairly sophisticated one. Students learn the basic commands and syntax of Java, standard input and output, if statements, while loops, methods, objects, and arrays. Students who successfully complete this course may want to pursue independent study.

Introduction to iPhone/iTouch
For the rank beginner as well as the moderately proficient. What is this thing called the iPhone, and why does it seem to be the hottest thing out there? And what of its little cousin the iPod Touch? In this course we'll take a look at where the iPhone and iTouch came from, how they're the same, how they're different, and what drives people to choose one over the other.

English

Fred Montas, Chair

“If language is not correct, then what is said is not what is meant; if what is said is not what is meant, then what ought to be done remains undone.”  Confucius

“To have a sense of creative activity is the greatest happiness of being alive.”
  Matthew Arnold

The MPH English Department recognizes the creative tension generated by the pull of the utile against that of the gratuitously beautiful; it is as necessary to have literate engineers as it is literary geniuses. We seek to balance these two energies, inculcating basic literacy while wistfully agreeing with Vico that “…in the world’s childhood, men were by nature sublime poets.” To that end, the standard survey courses are enhanced by A.P. and elective offerings, access to which any Upper School student may be granted upon receiving permission from the teacher. These courses explore a culturally diverse range of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, as well as art, film, and music. To give some idea of the range of these offerings, recent students may have read and discussed works by authors as diverse as Nelson Mandela, Milan Kundera, Stuart Dybek, and Karl Marx; discussed the uses of cinematography in Psycho and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari; examined the role of gender in 20th century literature; and written original scripts in a playwriting course. Our students assume increasing responsibility for their learning as they make choices, design projects, work collaboratively, evaluate their work, and reflect on the connections between classroom experiences and their own lives. We believe that precision of expression leads to complexity of thought, which in turn leads to empathy and engagement. To learn to express a thought efficiently is to gain access to ones better nature, and empowers one to move confidently and compassionately in the greater community.

MPH’s student literacy magazine, The Windmill, is an example of the English’s department philosophy in action. It kindles passions for poetry and prose through the medium of community participation and interaction. The Windmill has received national recognition, including Columbia University’s Gold Award for best literary magazine, First Place in the National Scholastic Press Association Competition, and numerous awards from The Empire State Student Press Association. In 2006 and 2007 The Windmill was named best over-all literary magazines for New York State schools with enrollments fewer than 1000.

The English Department also supports the School’s newspaper, The Rolling Stone, which is published four times a year. In years past, The Rolling Stone has garnered its fair share of praise and notoriety, the milestones of any publication that matters to its readers. Additionally the School’s yearbook, eMPHasis, is produced entirely by the students in a journalism course designed to support all student publications.

To foster a powerful involvement with the world of literature and writing, department members provide additional learning opportunities through interdisciplinary programming, summer reading projects, trips to theater performance and lectures by authors of national and international stature, (such as George Saunders, Tobias Wolff, Michael Herr, and Mary Karr) and student-directed writing workshops, poetry readings, and literary cafes. The teachers themselves have published their own work in nearly every genre, and serve as passionate advocates for the life of the mind as both a solitary and public activity.

It is the English Department’s goal that by the end of their time with us, every student will have taken to heart Emerson’s dictum that “No man ever forgot the visitation of that power to his heart and brain, which created all things new; which was the dawn in him of music, poetry, and art.”

English 9

English 9 is a foundational year for both content and skills. With the guidebook Models for Writers, students develop essential writing skills such as generating thesis statements, organizing paragraphs, and establishing coherence and unity throughout an essay.  Following the exclusive study of writing, students will read from the anthology The Bible as/in Literature to explore selected passages from the Bible, and make connections between the biblical readings and texts from other genres. Students will take their understanding of themes and imagery to their reading of John Knowles’s novel A Separate Peace. To complement their study of the Judeo-Christian influence in literature, students will also explore Ancient Greek texts, specifically Homer’s Odyssey and Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex. These readings will allow students to understand classical ideas about character and heroism, which students will then balance against later texts such as Beowulf, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior.

English 10
In Tenth Grade, students explore how different cultures and different eras use words to give shape to and make sense of reality. Toward that end, the readings for this course include short stories, essays, poems, drama, and novels, as well as newspaper articles, magazine essays, political speeches, and advertisements. These works form the basis of the formal and informal writing assignments that develop students' critical and analytical skills. Students also write creatively in order to enhance their understanding of how literature works as well as take pleasure and satisfaction in becoming practitioners of literary arts. Students continue to develop their ability to interpret literature and to analyze rhetoric in their oral and written assignments, which include presentations, essays, and journal entries. The course concludes with a final paper about a book chosen by the student.
Texts may include works by Sophocles, Shakespeare, Shelley, Saint-Exupéry, Joyce, Orwell, Auden, Wiesel, Garcia-Marquez, and Danticat.

English 11
In 2008, the head of the Nobel committee called Europe “the center of the literary world,” and said the literature of the United States is narrow-minded, its writers “too sensitive to shifts in mass culture”—a sign of their “ignorance.”

The English 11 curriculum, traditionally focused on literature of the United States, aims to understand the strengths of our writers and recognize the unique ideas and important styles arising from our cultural seedbed. Students will read slices of every literary and cultural era from Puritanism to what is being composed right now. We’ll take the measure of those authors who’ve told the greatest stories (from Poe’s tales of horror to Twain’s transformation of the vernacular to Vonnegut’s fiction of the fantastic), the poets who reached for new forms of expression (from Dickinson in her ruminations on life and death to Plath and her dissection of the mental state of motherhood), and the essayists from Thoreau to Baldwin who wondered at the cracks in this country’s soul. This year, students will learn the themes and obsessions that drive our citizen-writers, and students will not only write about those authors but will themselves explore those themes in their own writings, discussions and presentations.

Readings may include: Kindred, Octavia Butler; True Grit, Charles Portis; Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut; We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson; The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald; The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Ernest Hemingway; The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare (no, not an American, but there’s no American literature without him); various stories, poems, speeches and documents.

AP English Language
AP Language examines primarily non-fiction works from a variety of disciplines and time periods in order to explore the art of persuasion, or rhetoric. With a broad focus on the relationship between the personal and the political, the readings expose students to a diverse range English-language writers, among whom are included autobiographers and diarists (Angelou, Hellman, Rodriguez, Wright), historians (Churchill, Fraser, Macaulay, Parkman, Tuchman), science writers (Nestle, Dillard, Eiseley, Gould, Matthiessen, Thomas), critics (Ruskin, Kael, Sontag, Wilson, Clark), essayists (Sedaris, Baldwin, Didion, Hurston, Momaday, Olsen), journalists (Ephron, Goodman, McPhee, Theroux), and political writers (Arendt, Buckley, Jefferson, King, Locke, Mill, Vidal). The purpose of this college freshman level writing course is to enable students to write and to read effectively in all courses across various disciplines.


AP English Literature
AP Literature presents the most able students with a college level literature class. The course emphasizes the skills in literary analysis introduced in English 9, 10, and 11. Close reading of a range of texts strengthens the student’s ability to analyze literature independently. Features examined in poetry, drama, fiction, and non-fiction include: archetypal patterns, formal terminology, symbolic motifs, and complex structures.
Works may include those by the following writers, as well as some by contemporary writers: Shakespeare, Austen, Bronte, Faulkner, Conrad, Ellison, Tennyson, Keats, Eliot, Shelley, Donne, Kafka, Dickens, Swift, Hardy, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Woolf, and Garcia-Marquez.


Youth and American Popular Culture  (Spring 2011)
The activities, practices, and habits of youth provide a fascinating platform for critical thinking and writing. In this course, we will read and write about the signs and symbols of American popular culture. Grounded in theory, we will analyze a variety of topics, including graphic novels, toys, youth subculture, music, media, TV & cinema, technology, and consumerism. We will not study skateboards or Barbie simply as recreation or toys; instead, we will explore how artifacts produce meaning and convey specific ideologies within American culture. In the same way archaeologists use artifacts to analyze ancient cultures, you will use modern artifacts like board games, the prom, and Disney to “read” and analyze our culture. By examining the critical consciousness of our time, we better understand the connections between the things we do, like use Facebook and get tattoos, and the things we believe, like the pursuit of happiness and individual freedom. Students will work on a quarter long research project and work in collaborative reading, writing, and presentation groups. Students will be required to attend film screenings outside of class time.

Voices from the Margins: Storytelling As a Political Act (Fall 2010)
How can storytelling be political? When does documenting life become a radical act? How do history, memory, and power work to privilege or silence voice because of race, age, class, ability, gender, politics, language, or religion? We will focus on these questions and others as we explore the nature of memoir, autobiography, manifesto, and letters from the nineteenth century to the present and in students' own lives. Throughout the quarter students will read and create various narratives as they develop their own voice. Students will engage in small-group activities, class discussions, performances, and formal and informal writing assignments that will include writing about the self as well as interviewing and writing about others. This is a good course for those who enjoy reading, writing, and performing their work, and would like to produce work for publication.

Journalism Workshop

This course explores the news and the narrative forms of reporting and writing through doing and discussing. By reading, critiquing, comparing, and producing various types of newspaper, magazine, and online articles, students improve as writers and storytellers. This class explores how newspapers and magazines differ in terms of structure, voice, and audience, and how both of those print entities use new media to extend their operations online. Key concepts include interviewing, idea generation, research, ethics, the use of quotes, the role of anecdotes, voice, and audience. Assignments include feature writing, profiles, service articles, essays, news stories, experiential/participatory articles, and reviews. Depending on student interest, this class may include field trips to see news and/or magazine operations. The best work from this class earns space in MPH's school newspaper, The Rolling Stone.

Faith and Fiction (Fall 2010)
What has the “word of man” derived from the “word of God”? Focused largely on Judaism and Christianity, this class examines how biblical authors as well as writers over the centuries have given voice to religious faith and explored, expanded on and challenged that faith using a common set of motifs and themes. These religious traditions, which have shaped our culture and saturated our arts, give us stories and images about subjects as varied as God and the Devil, the meaning of suffering and sacrifice, our relationship to the natural world, and the implications of an afterlife. Even in our more secular era, doubt and unbelief often takes shape against the backdrop of these ancient tales and traditions. Students will read the earliest surviving expressions of these ideas and come to identify them and write thoughtfully about them in literature from John Milton and John Donne to Anne Sexton and Tobias Wolff.

Encountering the Middle East (Spring 2011)
The Middle East has been one of the primary stages upon which the empires and civilizations of the East and West have met. This class will explore their differences in culture and world view, focusing on such issues as liberalism, secularism, religious diversity, and the nature of the family. Readings will include novels, short stories, memoirs, and essays by such writers as Orhan Pamuk, Edward Said, and Mark Twain, among others. Students will focus on how writers on both sides of the divide imagine, understand, and explain the Middle East. 

Creative Writing (Spring 2011)
Designed for students with a serious interest in writing, Creative Writing aims to explore various forms of writing--fiction, nonfiction andpoetry--as well as how to constructively respond to each. We'll readand critique works by professionals before moving on to reading andcritiquing each other's work. Students will produce frequent pieces forthe class and are expected to provide written comments on classmates'work and engage actively in discussions.

Text: Pushcart Prize 2010.

America in Black and White, 1619-1877  (Fall 2010)
This course examines the development of American race relations in the context of the growing institution of slavery, beginning in the early seventeenth century and culminating in the American Civil War and its aftermath. Topics in the pre-independence era include the Middle Passage, the slave trade as practiced in America, differences between slavery in the southern and northern colonies, and the development of slave culture. Discussions of the post-1776 period will focus on the growing struggle over slavery in the law and in popular culture. Students will read eyewitness accounts both in favor of and against slavery, as well as personal and political reflections by Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Frederick Douglass, John Calhoun, Sojourner Truth, Abraham Lincoln, and other writers. In addition, students will direct much of their attention to contemporary scholarship that seeks to understand the social, cultural, and political developments of this time period.

 

Fine Art

Linda Salter, Chair

In the main lobby of Manlius Pebble Hill School you will find the Solomon Family Art Gallery. This endowed gallery showcases the work of both internationally renowned artists and budding student artists. At MPH art and creative expression is revered and not limited to formal instruction time. Our art program is about more than the sharing of a skill; it is about creating an atmosphere of openness and exploration.

Students are invited to create original works in a variety of media and to become literate, lifelong aestheticians. The incorporation of art history in classes, visiting artists, and visits to museums and artist workshops help to develop each student's perspective on the arts. Emphasis is always placed on respectful nurturing of individual creativity. The medium of choice ranges from traditional art materials, to photography, film, and computer-generated art. Routinely nearly 10% of MPH’s most talented students will continue a formal study of art at the nation’s leading art institutions; recent graduates have attended The Art Institute of Chicago, Maryland Institute College of Art, and Rhode Island School of Design.

MPH students vary widely in the intensity with which they pursue the fine arts, from those who are experimenting and stretching themselves to learn new ways of self-expression to those who have committed themselves to the life of the artist. The fine arts program is flexible enough in breadth and depth that all these students can have the art program they need, whether it is one that permits sampling from the array of course offerings or one that is focused on sophisticated portfolio development and college-level critique. For samples of our student art work, please see the enclosed color calendar.

Advanced Studio Art/AP Studio Art (full year) (1 academic credit)
(Grades 11-12)
Students work with the instructor to develop a portfolio of work to be submitted for Advanced Placement evaluation or college admission. In this course, rigorous standards and critiques help serious students prepare for art careers. Students must be able to work independently in a variety of media, add to discussion in class critiques, and provide most of their own art materials. Reading from current art journals is assigned and discussed.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor; 2D Design and Drawing required.

Art Journaling (2nd semester)(½ non-academic credit)
(Grades 9-12)

Open studio sessions encourage students to combine free writing, sketching, and design skills while experimenting with a variety of media in personal journals. Students learn about collage, layering a page, and even 3D pop-up pages. Students develop their own styles and express thoughts visually and in written format using quotes, song lyrics, photos, and digital inserts to compose a visual blog. This is an excellent course for students at any level who are interested in combining written and visual creative expression.

Computer Graphics (1st and 2nd semester) (½ academic credit)
(Grades 9-12)
Students learn the premiere array of digital imaging programs from Adobe Creative Suite. The course centers on Photoshop, the bitmap image editing and manipulation program, and includes: Illustrator, the vector drawing program; ImageReady, the image to web preparation program; and InDesign, the page layout program.
May be taken for art or technology credit.

Advanced Computer Graphics (1st and 2nd semester) (½ academic credit)
(Grades 9-12)
Students further explore the digital imaging programs from Adobe Creative Suite: Photoshop, Illustrator, ImageReady and InDesign. Students learn to work with all the applications on multi-part projects. Students interested in art, technology, and/or publishing should consider this class. In addition to learning the software, students learn the basics of color, typography and graphic design.
Beginning Computer Graphics or prior experience and approval of the teacher is a prerequisite.
May be taken for art or technology credit.

Drawing I (1st semester) (½ non-academic credit)
Link to the course
(Grades9-12)
Students learn and practice several practical drawing techniques in depth. A variety of media, both wet and dry, are explored. . This course is accessible to students at every ability level, with individual emphasis on practice and mastery of new skills. All drawings are done from life.
Required for Advanced Art.

Drawing II (2nd semester) (½ academic credit)
Link to the course
Students are challenged to practice and explore more advanced studies using a variety of media. Topics include nature drawing, still-life drawing, illustration and observational perspective drawing.. Emphasis is on practice and developing long-term projects. Required for Advanced Art.
Required for Advanced Art. Prerequisite: Drawing I.

Drawing III (1st semester, ½ academic credit)

Students will continue to expand skills acquired in Drawing I & II. A range of drawing materials and techniques will be explored, with a strong emphasis on observational skills. Assignments will focus on understanding compositional elements of design and strengthening problem solving skills. Weekly sketchbook assignments, to be completed outside of class, are a required part of this course.  Prerequisite: Drawing 2  or permission of instructor (comparable experience)

Drawing IV(1st semester, ½ academic credit)

This advanced drawing course offers continued exploration and skill building in a variety of drawing materials and surfaces. Projects will be more complex and challenging, requiring students to work in a more self-directed manner. Weekly sketchbook assignments, to be completed outside of class, are a required part of this course. Emphasis will be placed on individual development of a portfolio.  Prerequisite: Drawing 3

Enameling (2nd semester) (½ academic credit)
(Grades 10-12)
Link to the course

This course teaches students basic techniques of fired glass enameling on copper and silver, including Limoges and cloisonné processes. Jewelry and decorative objects may be made. Emphasis is on craftsmanship, and instruction encompasses all necessary skills, including basic metalworking.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

Introduction to Studio Art (1stsemester)(½ non-academic credit)
(Grades 9-12)

This course introduces the basic principles and language of 2D and 3D design, including composition, layout, and color theory. Long term units concentrate on the process of 2D design and color theory, photocopied collage, and 3D additive construction. Students learn patience and technical skills while developing creative concepts.

Metalworking (1st semester)(½ academic credit)
(Grades 10-12)
Link to the course

Students explore basic techniques in metalsmithing including sawing, filing, drilling, forging, soldering, and bezel setting stones. Instruction emphasizes skill development, practical jewelry making, and craftsmanship. Design research is both text and web based.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

Photocollage (1st semester) (½ non-academic credit)
(Grades 10-12)
Students learn to create several large-scale collages by cutting up and manipulating their own photographic images. Both color and black and white photos may be used, and a variety of subjects are assigned, including landscapes, self-portraits, room interiors, architectural elements, and cityscapes. No previous photo experience is required; students are responsible for purchase and outside processing of film in a timely manner.

Photography I (1st or 2nd semester)(¼ non-academic credit)

This introductory photography course allows students to learn the basic principles of black and white film photography. While using a 35mm single-lens camera, students will gain a better understanding of proper camera handling, f-stops, shutter speeds, etc. In the darkroom, students will learn how to develop and print their own film.

No previous experience is needed for this class; however, a 35mm (SLR) manual camera is required. If needed, a camera will be provided.  Kodak Tri-X film (400ASA/ISO) is recommended for this course.

Photography II (1st or 2nd semester)(¼ non-academic credit)

In Photo II, students are allowed to use a digital camera, but can continue using a film camera if desired.  Here more emphasis is placed on photographic composition, while learning how to use a digital camera. Students will be assigned various topics to photograph, such as strong lines, hands, shadows, still-life, textures and figure study.

This course helps students better understand the principles of photography as an art. Assignments allow more individual creativity and expression.

Prerequisite: Photo I or permission of instructor.

Photography III (1st or 2nd semester)(¼ non-academic credit)

Photo III students are assigned various topics centered on photographing people, considered one of the hardest skills in photography. Assignments will include topics such as a window portrait, a portrait using the rules of thirds, and a face with character.

In Photo III, the students gain confidence in using their camera, while improving their photographic composition. 

Prerequisite: Photo II.

Senior Portfolio Prep (1st semester) (1/4 non-academic credit)

Senior Portfolio Prep allows the student to work solely on their senior photography portfolio for Scholastics.  This portfolio consists of eight pieces of their best work and will need to be printed and mounted for judging.

 

Pottery I (1st semester)(½ non-academic credit)
(Grades 9-12)
Link to the course

Pottery I introduces a variety of techniques, including hand building (pinching, slab and coiling) and an introduction to wheel throwing. Students produce both decorative and functional pieces, with an emphasis on craftsmanship and exploration.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

Pottery II (2nd semester)(½ non-academic credit)
Link to the course

Pottery II introduces advanced techniques of hand building, glazing, and construction, and offers an opportunity to develop more advanced skills on the potter’s wheel. Instruction stresses problem solving, skills development, and an awareness of contemporary and historical pottery pieces.

Prerequisite: Pottery I or permission of the instructor.

Sculpture (2nd semester) (½ non-academic credit)
(Grades 10-12)
This course teaches additive and subtractive sculptural methods from basic maquette construction to stone carving. Students learn the techniques and tools required to work with a variety of materials. There is also a group art installation project dealing with environmental or conceptual art.

Prerequisite: Principles of Design or permission of instructor.

2D Design (all year) (1 academic credit)
(Grades 10-12)

This course covers the fundamentals of design: composition, layout, and color theory. A variety of media are used, starting with black and white technical inking and photocopied images, and continuing through color mixing, painting techniques, photocollage, and product design.

2D is a required prerequisite for other advanced art courses.

Digital Photography (One Semester) (½ non-academic credit)
The Digital Photography course is designed to show you how to use your camera and computer to capture, edit, manipulate and produce top quality digital photography images for both the Internet and printing. Gain control and confidence in your digital photography, with a study of both composition and technical elements. This course is designed to help you appreciate the different functions, controls and options available to the digital photographer.

Introduction to Painting  (2nd semester) (½ non-academic credit)
In this Introductory Painting course students will learn basic color theory, the psychological meaning of color in compositions and daily use, acrylic paint mixing and application techniques, brush manipulation, and general working methods in painting. Composition and basic drawing skills will be enhanced through observational painting of still life objects and set-ups.  Class discussions and reading materials will broaden students understanding of classic and contemporary paintings.

Health and Wellness

Kathy Kelly, Chair

The comprehensive Health & Wellness education curriculum is based on the philosophy that health and wellness are achieved through understanding the interactions of the various components of each individual's life: work, school, social, physical, intellectual, spiritual, and emotional. Several factors influence health and wellness: behavior, environment, relationships, decision-making, critical thinking skills, the knowledge and personal application of the available current research.

Health and Wellness (1st or 2nd semester)(1/2 academic credit/pass/fail)

The objectives and content areas introduced during Middle School are strengthened and elaborated upon in the Upper School Health class. Critical thinking skills are sharpened and the consequences (negative and positive) of personal choices, decisions, and behaviors are emphasized.
Factors influencing mind, body and spirit are explored. Nutrition, exercise, sleep, hydration, reproductive health (including contraceptive methods, discussions and activities related to abstinence), stress management, and healthy relationships are included in the focus of the Upper School Health and Wellness curriculum. Speakers from health-related community agencies are on occasion presenters and facilitators. Current events relating to health are incorporated into the curriculum. CPR/AED certification is acquired.
A requirement for graduation, highly recommended in 10th grade

Electives

Introduction to Psychology (1st or 2nd semester) (1/2 academic credit/pass/fail)

This class will explore the many ways psychology influences our lives. We will explore the history of psychological thought. Important figures in the history of psychological theory and current modalities of clinical use will be explored. We will look at the ways psychology can be used in a variety of workplace settings. Guest lecturers will discuss their methods of counseling. Class interaction will be an important aspect in this experience.

Senior/Junior elective, Seniors have first priority, class size capped at 18 students

Exercise Physiology is the study of the body's physical responses and adaptations to exercise. The systems of the body are studied to increase understanding of the ways in which the body responds to physical activity. Emphasis is placed on the benefits of exercise and the practical application of the information in school, community and private settings. The goal of the course is for students to understand how the body and its systems respond to exercise and how to develop a successful fitness program.

History and Societal Studies

Peter Wozniak, Chair

How does a history teacher engage youth who seem obsessed by the "here and now" into caring about events that happened long before they were born? At MPH one teacher placed the American flag across the classroom entrance on the first day of his constitutional law class, challenging students to make a decision; step on the flag or jump over it. The discussion that followed about the choice each student made set the stage for a semester-long dialog on the power of symbols. Another instructor regularly challenges his students to define the term "modernity" and to present an argument as to when the "modern world" began. This discussion unwinds over the course of the entire year.

Beyond these deceptively simple yet powerful approaches, the History and Societal Studies Department addresses major topic areas and stresses the importance of social, ethnic, and cultural variety throughout history. The Department is devoted to analyzing how humankind has structured its societies over time, thereby giving students the chance to understand humans and the world they have created. The curriculum encourages open-minded and creative thinking, and helps students develop a sense of respect and understanding for a variety of views, values, and traditions, while simultaneously giving students the tools to articulate and defend their beliefs.

The Department accomplishes this broad agenda by employing a range of learning approaches that enables students to assimilate information effectively and to critically appraise diverse ideas from the sweep of human history. Combining tried and true practices with new experiences, the department continually refreshes its approach to curriculum. The faculty, both full-time and adjunct, always looks for new and exciting ways to "spice up" the curriculum. New courses appear frequently, reflecting the intellectual flexibility of the faculty, as well as its deep commitment to providing a challenge to enquiring young minds.

One example of this would be the Department's eagerness to participate in the pilot program of Regis University's "Democracy Lab." The online course will allow our students to dialog with their peers from across the country about current issues. In addition to purely academic approaches, the exchange program with the Soroe Academy in Denmark offers our students the opportunity for first-hand experience with family and school life in an independent school in Europe. Finally, our History Club affords motivated students the chance to deepen their knowledge of select fields by tapping into the wealth of faculty expertise, as well as the chance to publish their own work in a nationally recognized journal, The Concord Review.

World History I (1 academic credit)(Grade 9)
In World History I, students examine major historical developments in selected regions of the world from ancient times to the 15th century. Through a global perspective and thematic approach, the course examines the connections between historical time periods and different regions of the world. Topics of study include the development of river civilizations, states, and empires; world religions and their impact on society; technology and trade; and the exchange of cultural ideas and practices. To connect various historical themes to the present, notable current events are incorporated when applicable. In addition to developing an historical knowledge base, the course fosters the development of students’ research skills, critical thinking, and written expression. Major forms of assessment include papers, oral presentations, tests, and project.

Text: Ways of the World: A Brief Global History, Robert Strayer

World History - Intensive (1 academic credit)(Grade 10)
This “intensive” survey of world history is designed for the student who wishes to challenge him or herself above the level covered in the standard World History II class. The course will cover the entirety of world history – from prehistory and the origins of civilization, up to the contemporary world. The course is taught thematically and places emphasis on broad structures and underlying parallel currents across civilizations, rather than on a wealth of specific detail. The first half of the course will repeat the material covered in ninth grade history, but with an altogether different approach and a different textbook. A supplementary book of primary documents will also be required.

The level of work and amount of reading in Intensive World History will be markedly higher than that in the other World History II sections. While it does not bear the AP designation, students completing this course will have been exposed to both the material covered in the AP World History exam, and to the methods of assessment used on that exam. As a result, students would be prepared to take that exam in May and could do so, if they wished. Taking the AP exam is NOT, however, a requirement of the course.

Text: Ways of the World: A Brief Global History, Robert Strayer Worlds of History. A Comparative Reader, Kevin Reilly

World History II (1 academic credit)(Grade 10)
In World History II, students examine the development of world society from the Enlightenment, the French and Industrial Revolutions to the present. The course fosters a thorough understanding of global political, economic, and cultural development. An important goal is student understanding of both short- and long-term connections between the events of past history and the effects of those events. The course is structured thematically rather than focusing exclusively on famous figures, events, or regions. Such an approach helps students gain a deeper understanding of causes and effect in human affairs, and the interrelationships of different aspects of society and culture. Important, notable current events may be integrated into daily lessons. Students have regular reading homework assignments, written work, and oral presentations, all designed to improve vital research and communication skills. The coursework culminates in the completion of a major research paper on a subject of the students’ own choosing, due at the end of the year. World History II is taught at a fast-paced, college-preparatory level.

Text: Ways of the World: A Brief Global History, Robert Strayer

United States History (1 academic credit)(Grade 11)
This course traces the path of United States history from the pre-colonial period to modern times through a thematic format, with emphasis on key concepts such as American documents, western expansion, the American Industrial Era, and the role of America in the 20th and 21st centuries. The two major textbooks listed below are used to provide the student with background material that is then amplified in class through primary source documents, court cases, period literature, artwork, and music, as well as contemporary film and documentary segments that illuminate the specific period of study. The course provides a full and challenging survey of American culture and stresses the development of a shared American identity as it has emerged from collective experiences. Students are expected to complete written papers of varying length (including a specific research work each quarter), and to participate in class discussions, debates, and oral presentations

Texts: The American Nation, John A. Garraty; Ten Days that Unexpectedly Changed America, Steven M. Gillon

20th Century United States Foreign Policy (2nd semester) (½ academic credit)

Henry Luce called the Twentieth the “American Century,” and in this course students examine some of the reasons why American foreign policy from the Spanish American War until the end of the Cold War had such a profound impact in America and abroad. Readings from a variety of primary and secondary sources, and students write a series of short papers at the beginning of the semester and complete a longer paper on a topic of their choosing at the end of the semester.

Anthropological Fieldwork (2nd semester)(½ academic credit)

This course provides a hands-on introduction to anthropological fieldwork, and the opportunity to explore specific cultures and topics in-depth. In addition to developing and implementing their own semester-long research project, students will read and discuss a variety of ethnographic accounts from cultures around the globe. (Offered every other year in the second semester, alternating with Native American Studies)

Prerequisite: Cultural Anthropology, or permission of the instructor.

Advanced Placement Economics

AP Economics comprises two one-semester courses that are the equivalent of the traditional introductory courses in Micro Economics and Macro Economics at the college level.The courses follow the AP curriculum guide and prepare the motivated student to succeed on the AP exams in Micro and Macro Economics. Students scoring a 4 or 5 on the AP exam may be exempted from an introductory course in Economics in college, at the discretion of the college they attend.

Requirements for the “AP: Designation”

Students who wish to qualify for the “AP” designation on their MPH transcripts must meet the following conditions:

1) They must earn at least a “B-“ (80%) in the course.

2) They and their parents must sign the “AP” contract.

3) They must take the AP exam(s) on the scheduled day in May.

Students who do not meet these requirements will have the course title “Microenconomics” or “Macroeconomics” on their transcripts.

Macro Economics (2nd semester)(½ credit)

In Macro Economics, students examine the economy as a whole. Students learn the many ways with which we measure aggregate economic activity in the United States (with frequent comparisons to other nations). Students study the business cycle and its effects both from an historical perspective as well as with reference to current economic activity. Students examine aggregate supply and demand, the U. S. banking system, and the creation of money in the banking system. Students then examine the role that government plays in moderating the extremes of the business cycle through the administration of monetary and fiscal policy, mentioning the multiplier effect in both cases. The actions of currency and interest rate fluctuations are an important part of this discussion.

Text: Principles of Economics, N. Gregory Mankiw, Fort Worth, Texas: 19

Advanced Placement Economics

AP Economics comprises two one-semester courses that are the equivalent of the traditional introductory courses in Micro Economics and Macro Economics at the college level. The courses follow the AP curriculum guide and prepare the motivated student to succeed on the AP exams in Micro and Macro Economics. Students scoring a 4 or 5 on the AP exam may be exempted from an introductory course in Economics in college, at the discretion of the college they attend.

Micro Economics (1st semester)(½ credit)

This course begins with an introduction to Economics as a field of study; students study the concepts of supply, demand, and market equilibrium as well as the benefits of free trade in a global economy.

Micro Economics examines the theoretical behavior of the individual consumer as an economic individual and how the individual attempts to maximize his or her level of satisfaction. Students study the public sector in depth, examining tax policy and the classification of "public" versus private goods. The course also discusses the individual firm's behavior in various market structures: perfect competition, oligopoly, and monopoly, for example. We also study the business firm's primary motivations, which include the maximization of profits. The course makes significant use of graphs and models of the market in order to understand economic behavior of individuals and firms.

Text: Principles of Economics, N. Gregory Mankiw, Fort Worth, Texas: 1998, Dryden Press

Advanced Placement Modern European History(1academic credit)(Grade 12)

Modern European History is a survey course concentrating on Europe since 1450. In pace, breadth, and depth, it is collegiate in nature. It examines the developments in the arts and literature, the sciences, religion, politics, economics, and Europe's relationship with the global community. The curriculum places emphasis upon relating modern Europe and its current issues to its historical roots. Primary source material underpins much of this examination. Students should expect extensive reading, frequent writing, and regular assessment. This course prepares students for the mandatory AP test in Modern European History. All students are held to a high standard in the following ways: written work must demonstrate serious analysis of the material and well-supported interpretation; written work is also expected to show the presence of original analysis and thought; test answers must be drawn from auxiliary readings.

Text: A History of Modern Europe: From the Renaissance to the Present, John Merriman.

Advanced Placement United States History (1 academic credit)(Grades 11-12)
The Advanced Placement course in United States history provides students with the analytic skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems, issues, and events in American history. The course covers pre-colonial America to modern times. This survey prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by full-year introductory college courses. In addition to the main text, numerous outside readings are required. Students learn to assess historical materials -- their relevance to a given interpretive problem, their reliability, and their importance -- and to weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship. The course prepares students to take the mandatory AP exam in May.

Text: The American Nation, Carnes, Mark C. and Garraty; Ten Days that Unexpectedly Changed America, Steven M. Gillon

Constitutional Law (2nd semester) (½ academic credit)

By analyzing the U.S. Constitution and case law, students engage in spirited debate of such issues as: gun control; freedom of speech and expression; searches and seizures of persons and property; affirmative action; separation of church and state, including school prayer; the role of the Supreme Court; federal power vs. states’ rights (Federalism). Students assume the role of lawyers and judges as mock appellate arguments are presented in class.

Materials: Provided by teacher.

Cultural anthropology (1st semester) (½ academic credit)

How much of human behavior is learned? How much is innate? Do people who speak different languages see the world differently? Can societies exist without war or crime? Is race a biological or a cultural construction? These are the kinds of questions cultural anthropology seeks to address, and which students examine in this course. Students explore the nature of human culture and the role of language and communication in human interaction, as well as the varying cultural patterns of societies around the world, including their economic and political systems, marriage and childrearing practices, and religious beliefs and rituals. Throughout the course, students examine their own biases and the role that globalization had played in shaping contemporary human experience.

East Asian Studies (1/2 academic credit)

This course is designed for those who want to learn more about Eastern Asia, and focuses specifically on China, Japan, and Korea. Students will gain an in-depth understanding of these East Asian countries by experiencing direct encounters with their cultures in the form of discussion, guest speakers, field trips and hands-on cultural activities. The histories of the three major countries will be covered as part of an effort to help students understand their present-day context. The class will cover topics including social, economic, political, and cultural aspects, and will use a variety of multimedia resources.

Introduction To Islam (½ academic credit)

This course introduces students to the history and culture of Islam. The class explores Islamic traditions and the construction of the Islamic world. Topics include women in Islamic societies, Islam in the modern world, and major divisions in Islam. Speakers address the class on many occasions. The class learns the basic tenets of Islam and the biographical background of the prophet, Mohammed. By the end of the course, students understand the origins of Islam and are aware of the diversity of concepts and theories in the Islamic world.

Texts: Islam: A Short History, Armstrong; Mohammad: A Biography of The Prophet, Armstrong; No God but God, Aslan.

Introduction to the Criminal Justice System (2nd semester) (½ academic credit)

What is the crime for which most arrests are made? How does the death penalty impact our society? Why law enforcement is considered one of the most stressful jobs in America? How is evidence really collected? What roles do race, economic status, and gender play in the criminal justice system? These questions and others are discussed in this course, which focuses on the crime picture in the United States and the three traditional elements of the criminal justice system: police, courts, and corrections.

Topics include: justice, due process, crime control and statistics, categories and features of crime, contemporary policing, police professionalism and ethics, the criminal trial, crime and punishment, and prisons and jails.

Materials: Provided by teacher.

Jacksonian America (1 academic credit)

Jacksonian America is a seminar that examines American life in the period spanning roughly 1820 until 1850. Discussions involve political, social, and economic history, including the topics of Jacksonian democracy and its innovations, social reform movements, women's suffrage, and abolitionism. Secondary readings are taken from such authors as Arthur Schlesinger, Howard Zinn, Mary Beth Norton et al., Whitney Cross, Richard McCormick, and Samuel Hopkins Adams. A selection of primary source readings forms the core of the reading assignments. Special attention is paid to the importance of Central New York during this time of ferment. Students write a series of short papers, and may write a longer research paper.

Local History and Historiography (2nd semester) (½ academic credit)

This course has a dual focus, using local and state history to familiarize the student with historiography (the study of history). This course is research-based to allow the student to explore various individual interests. During this course students produce a number of written works, including several short (2 to 4 page) papers, an annotated bibliography, and a major (13 to 15 page) research project. Successful students in this course will have an excellent grounding in research methods and techniques that can be applied to any academic discipline. Students are also exposed to various interpretations of history and ways in which those interpretations can influence any historical source. Field trips are planned to various local history sites and museums, depending on class research interests and schedules. Open to students in Grades Eleven and Twelve.

Text: On Doing Local History, Carol Kammen, 2nd Edition, Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press, 2003.

The Middle East: Inside the Culture, Politics and Media (1/2 academic credit)

This course deals with current events and the complex issues of the region known as the Middle East.By examining the past and the deeply-rooted cultural issues of the region, we hope to attain greater understanding of current events and ongoing turmoil.We will examine such regional and international questions,the political economy, and identity issues including ethnicity, nationality, religious revival, family community affairs.This introductory class will be taught in a lecture and discussion manner, but will be supplemented with guest speakers and current articles from the media.

Model United Nations (mun) (1st semester) (½ academic credit)

MUN is a course in which students examine a range of international topics, as well as prepare to represent assigned countries at MUN conferences throughout the year. The course has regular lessons on international economics and law, parliamentary procedure, public speaking, current events, political science in general, and research skills. The class sends delegations to participate at local, statewide, and national or international conferences. Students are required to attend and to write resolutions proposing solutions to global problems and to submit those resolutions for consideration at conferences. Participants lobby to have their resolutions accepted for debate, they debate various resolutions in committees, and they endeavor to win approval of their resolutions. This course requires extensive research, refinement of ideas, and writing. Students displaying a superior degree of dedication, demonstrated ability, dependability, good behavior, and initiative may be invited on a year-by-year basis to participate in a national or an international MUN. Students are required to attend a specified number of local or regional conferences.

The Modern Presidency (1st semester)(½ academic credit)

In the twentieth century, the role of the President of the United States changed, at times gradually and at times dramatically. In this course, we will examine the programs by which four presidents attempted to change American law, custom and society, and examine what factors influenced the success or failure of those programs. Students examine primary and secondary source readings to evaluate the administrations of Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. Specific topics include pure food and drug laws, the New Deal, the Great Society, and Watergate. Students write a series of short papers at the beginning of the semester and complete a longer paper on a topic of their choosing at the end of the semester.

Native American Studies (2nd semester)(½ academic credit)

This course provides an introduction to the culture, history, and contemporary issues of the indigenous peoples of North America, specifically the U.S. and Canada. During this course, students discuss the origins and cultures of Native peoples prior to European contact, the contributions of Native peoples to North American culture and societies, and the impact of European colonialism and American/Canadian government policy on Native cultures. Students also examine current issues such as tribal sovereignty and land claims, casino gambling, and pop images of Native peoples in sports and the media, as well as the ever-changing question of just who is considered Native American. (Offered every other year in the second semester, alternating with Anthropological Fieldwork).

New York State and Local Government (1st semester) (½ academic credit)

Each level of government within the United States' federal system is charged with fulfilling specific roles and performing specific duties for their citizens, and the largest of these is the New York State Government. This course examines all the various state and local agencies and municipalities that have an impact on our daily life. There is an examination of the role and impact of local municipal governments, the state jurisdictions, the voting process, and the federal system, as well as "lawmaking" decisions of the Supreme Court. There is discussion of the role of citizens in this process and how changes can be made to laws for the betterment of all. A number of short (two to four page) papers are required. Offered even numbered (election year) Fall Semesters, open to students in grades 10 - 12.

Text: New York State Government by Robert B. Ward and readings provided by the instructor.

Philosophy (1st semester) (½ academic credit)

In this course, students examine the central questions of Western philosophy by turning to their original articulation in the writings of the ancient Greek thinkers. The questions addressed concern the makeup of the world; humanity's relation to its god(s); the nature of virtue; the possible immortality of the human soul; the source of political strife; and what it means to lead a properly human life. Students read and discuss selections from the Pre-Socratics, Plato, Aristotle and Aristophanes.

United States in the Post-WWII World (1st semester)(½ academic credit)

This course is an in-depth examination of post-WWII America primarily through three points of emphasis - Foreign Policies, Domestic Policies, and Social Movements. Examples of these points of emphasis include the Marshall Plan, Vietnamization, Cold War politics, the Great Society, W.I.N., “Trickle-Down Economics”, the rise of suburbia, the Anti-war movements, and the Personal Computer Revolution. This course uses contemporary newspaper and magazine articles and primary source documents whenever possible. A number of short (two to four page) papers are assigned as well as a major research paper. Offered odd-numbered Fall Semesters. Recommended for Grade 12.

Texts: Present Tense, Michael Schaller and Major Problems in US History Since 1945, Robert Griffith

 

Mathematics

Donna Meehan, Chair

Over the past eight years, 50% of our seniors (on average) have successfully completed AP Calculus before graduating from MPH. At MPH math classes are multi-age, allowing every student to complete the required three-year sequence of college preparatory mathematics while providing the flexibility for gifted students to progress at a different pace. (Over 80 % of our students complete five years of Math.) Whenever possible, we utilize a five-point approach to presenting material: numerically, algebraically, graphically, verbally (descriptively) and concretely (through an activity or with a picture).

Most students also pursue a variety of elective courses, including advanced mathematics, such as Calculus III, AP Calculus and AP Statistics, and/or independent studies with faculty. Our pre-calculus curriculum is associated with Dr. Helen Doerr at Syracuse University, whose program/research MPH helped pilot a number of years ago.

Teachers blend the best of traditional pedagogy with proven contemporary teaching practices, including frequent collaborative projects and open-ended investigative activities. Faculty members encourage students to take intellectual risks by raising questions and formulating conjectures using mathematical argument. Interactive computer software, graphing calculators, and the Calculator-Based Lab (CBL) are used in courses when appropriate. As part of the School's "Writing for Life" initiative, students are required to express mathematical concepts in clear, coherent prose in their math courses.

MPH students actually enjoy participating in math, and chose to spend their free time testing and sharpening the math skills they have acquired. Our math league team is a popular extracurricular activity and consistently places first among similarly sized schools in Onondaga County. This year, over 80 students signed-up to take the Upper School American Competition Exam (AMC), even though it was not required and had no bearing on their class grade.

Accounting

This is an introductory course in the basics of financial accounting. Students learn the rules for debit and credit as well as the structure and preparation of a General Journal and of a General Ledger. The content of the course includes the preparation of a worksheet from which the students write a business’s financial statements. Students study cash controls, the maintenance of a checking account, and various special journals to make the recording of repetitive transactions more efficient. At a more advanced level, students prepare year-end adjustments, they write the financial statements of a corporation, and they complete the process of closing the books at the end of a fiscal period. A final topic of payroll accounting is introduced if time permits. The course includes the use of spreadsheet software, an essential tool used in accounting and business today. Students complete three major practical exercises in accounting during the course.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Math II. May not be taken in place of Math III.

Advanced Placement CalculusAB (1 academic credit)
Calculus is a branch of mathematics that deals with two kinds of problems: the determination of the rate of variable change (differential calculus) and the derivation of functions from known rates of change (integral calculus). The AP Calculus course is designed to be an introduction to differential and integral calculus which covers all topics specified by the College Board committee in its Advanced Placement Mathematics AB course description. The course style is that of a freshman college course with open‑ended assignments, independent study, and class periods evenly divided between lectures and problem solving sessions. The development of the course is less rigorous than AP Calculus BC since a number of concepts require sophisticated mathematical concepts for complete proof—concepts that the students are not expected to grasp at this level. AP Calculus stresses problem solving, manipulative skills, and theory. The course ends with a comprehensive review in preparation for the May Advanced Placement examination.

Text: Calculus and Analytical Geometry by Sherman K. Stein, Anthony Marcellos. Published: McGraw Hill 5th ed., 1992

Advanced Placement CalculusBC with Applications (1 academic credit)
The second year of calculus covers topics unique to the Advanced Placement BC Calculus curriculum and numerous applications of calculus. Topics include vector and parametric functions and their derivatives, polar coordinates, rigorous definitions of limits, advanced integration techniques with improper integrals, and an extensive treatment of sequences and series. Applications include length of a path, areas bounded by polar curves and work. Various applications from economics and physics are also treated. The course includes a thorough preparation for the Calculus BC examination, including a demanding review of CalculusAB from an advanced view.

Text: Calculus and Analytical Geometry by Sherman K. Stein, Anthony Marcellos. Published: McGraw Hill 5th ed., 1992
Prerequisite: AP Calculus AB

Advanced Placement Statistics (1 academic credit)

The study of Statistics at MPH is a full year course that follows the suggested course content specified by the College Board in order to prepare students for the Advanced Placement exam in Statistics.

Requirements for the AP Designation:

Students who wish to qualify for the “AP” designation on their MPH transcripts must meetthe following conditions:

1) They must earn at least a B- (80%) in the course.

2) They and their parents must sign the AP contract.

3) They must take the AP exam on the scheduled day in May.

Students who do not meet these requirements will have the course title “Statistics” on their transcripts.

The course in Statistics begins by focusing on the analysis of data with an emphasis on observing patterns in data and the departures from those patterns. Students plan a study of data, deciding what to measure and how to measure it. Students calculate the more familiar statistical indicators, such as the mean, median, and mode, as well as more complex statistical measures, such as the standard deviation.

Students produce models of data using regression analysis, probability and simulation in order to be able to anticipate patterns beyond the measured data, to predict the patterns that random events might make. They observe the normal distribution and learn how to mathematically describe the variations from the norm.

Students study the process of sampling and sampling distributions to produce a confidence interval and to make an inference about a population based on the sample. The binomial and normal distributions provide good models for inference. Students analyze the relationship between a statistical model and the raw data used to create the model. Using the model and the laws of probability, they state how confident one can be about an inference from a given model. Students use several tests of significance to make inferences from a sample, including the "z," "t," and Chi-Square tests.

It is recommended that students take the AP exam in Statistics to measure their progress against the national norms.
Prerequisite: Grade of “B” in Math IIIAC or equivalent.

Functions (1 academic credit)
This course offers a bridge between Math IIIAC and Precalculus AC for those students who would like further practice with algebraic manipulations and the study of functions. It also serves as an additional course for those who are interested in continuing with math after Math IV CP. Topics include a review of algebraic manipulations, linear and quadratic equations and inequalities, characteristics of functions and manipulations with polynomial, rational, exponential and logarithmic functions. The unit circle, right triangles, graphs and applications of trigonometry are also studied. The calculator plays an integral role in discovering mathematical concepts.

Text: Contemporary College Algebra & Trigonometry, A Graphing Approach, 2nd edition, Thomas W. Hungerford, Saunders College Publishing, 2005.

Mathematics IAC (1 academic credit)

This course is offered to accelerated seventh, eighth and ninth graders with exceptional achievement and aptitude. This course is for students who are capable of a challenge and who enjoy delving into how and why mathematical concepts work. Students pursue traditional topics of algebra: solving equations and inequalities, linear functions and graphing, systems of linear functions and inequalities, operations with polynomials, quadratic equations, and rational and irrational numbers. The course pays special attention to problem solving skills, written communication of ideas, and the use of the graphing calculator.

Text: Algebra I, McDougal Littell 2001.

 

Mathematics ICP (1 academic credit)
This course is offered to ninth graders who have successfully completed Math 8. Students pursue traditional topics of algebra: solving equations and inequalities, linear functions and graphing, systems of linear functions and inequalities, operations with polynomials, quadratic equations, and rational and irrational numbers. The course pays special attention to algebraic manipulation skills, communication of ideas, and the basic use of the graphing calculator.

Text: Algebra I, McDougal Littell 2001.

Mathematics IIAC (1 academic credit)
The second course in the AC mathematics sequence is offered to students who have successfully completed Math IAC. This course is for students who wish to be challenged and who enjoy delving into how and why mathematical concepts work. Students examine topics in plane and coordinate geometry using algebra as a foundation for each unit. Math II introduces Euclidean geometry as an axiomatic mathematical model founded on postulates, and students experience its development as theorems and properties are explored. Students are also introduced to indirect, paragraph, and two-columnproofs for plane geometry, and algebraic proofs that are used particularly in analytic geometry and the coordinate plane. The graphing calculator is used to explore linear equations. Activities are used to explore the properties of geometric shapes using interactive geometric software and the ancient tools of construction, the compass and straight edge.

Text: Unified Mathematics, Book II, Houghton-Mifflin,1985.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Math IAC.

Mathematics IICP (1 academic credit)
The second course in the CP mathematics sequence introduces the student to geometric concepts. Students examine topics in plane geometry using algebra as a foundation for each unit. Math II introduces Euclidean geometry as an axiomatic mathematical model founded on postulates and theorems. Students experience its development as rules are explored. Each theorem and definition is used in a variety of situations. Algebraic equations that are used to solve the problems are justified by the theorems, postulates and definitions. Activities are used to explore the properties of geometric shapes using hands on explorations with measurement tools (ruler and protractor), interactive geometric software and the ancient tools of construction- the compass and straight edge.

Text: Unified Mathematics, Book II, Houghton-Mifflin, 1985.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Math I.

Mathematics IIIAC (1 academic credit)
The third course in the AC mathematics sequence is offered to students who have successfully completed Math IIAC. It stresses algebraic techniques, problem solving, and exploring rational, radical and quadratic equations. Students continue their study of algebraic structures, including the real and complex number systems. The course begins to develop function theory. Trigonometric functions are introduced from the viewpoint of the unit circle and students explore their graphs, and applications. Exponential and logarithmic functions are introduced, as well as practical applications. The graphing calculator is used to explore and solve equations, discover the properties of trigonometric, logarithmic, and exponential functions, and to simplify calculations involving complex functions. Material from this class is now included on the SAT.

Text: Algebra 2: Application, Equations and Graphs, McDougall Littell, 2003.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Math IAC and IIAC.

Mathematics IIICP (1 academic credit)
The third course in the CP mathematics sequence is offered to students who have successfully completed Math II. It stresses algebraic manipulations and problem solving, exploring rational, radical and quadratic equations. Students continue their study of algebraic structures, including the real number system. The course begins the development of function theory. Algebraic manipulations involving whole number, integral and fractional exponents are examined. Trigonometric functions are introduced from the viewpoint of the unit circle and students explore their graphs and applications. The graphing calculator is used to explore and solve equations, to check solutions, to discover properties, and to simplify calculations. Material from this class is now included on the SAT.

Text: Algebra 2: Application, Equations and Graphs, McDougall Littell, 2003

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Math II. Mathematics IVCP(1 academic credit)

Mathematics IV CP (1 academic credit)
The fourth course in the CP mathematics sequence is offered to students who have successfully completed Math III. This course is for students who wish to sharpen the mathematical skills learned in previous courses. It reinforces and extends the algebraic skills taught in Math I, II and III. Math IV reviews and extends the topic of circular and trigonometric functions, including problem-solving and graphing. The manipulative algebra skills mastered in the first part of the year are applied to trigonometric problems. A variety of topics, including linear algebra and matrices, probability, exponential and logarithmic functions are surveyed throughout the year.

Text: Understanding Intermediate Algebra, Hirsch and Goodman, 2002.

Precalculus AC (1 academic credit)
The Precalculus AC course builds on the skills developed in the accelerated UpperSchool mathematics sequence. Precalculus AC places a strong emphasis on problem solving. Sound manipulative algebra skills are necessary. Students analyze the relationships between numeric, algebraic and graphic representations of linear, quadratic, polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions, along with the special characteristics of each function. The graphing calculator, Calculator Based Laboratory (CBL), various probes and programs, and computer software and applications provide a variety of ways to explore and create mathematics. Algebraic proofs are discussed to provide a greater appreciation for the "how and why" of our mathematical system. One to three essays, lab reports or projects are due each quarter to increase the student’s ability to communicate mathematical knowledge.

Text: Pre-calculus Lab Activities, Doerr, 2001; Pre-calculus: A Graphing Approach, Demana, Wait et al., Addison Wesley, 1987.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Math IIIAC.

 

Performing Arts

Michele Koziara, Chair

Setting the stage for our performing arts department is the Coville Theater, an intimate black-box auditorium. Each year, more than 30 performing groups and events grace its stage. It is a magnet for MPH students, not only for the aspiring Broadway star (a recent graduate is currently starring in the role of Elphaba in the North American touring production of Wicked), but also for the quiet scholar who feels comfortable enough in her surroundings to take a chance.

Students’ passion and talent is shaped through classes and activities that range from string quartets and jazz ensembles to concert chorale large ensembles, and full-scale Broadway-style musical productions. MPH also has a strong dance program, offering one of only two full-credit, high-school-level dance courses in the Central New York area.

Reinforcing MPH’s belief that valuable educational opportunities exist outside the classroom, our performing arts department provides students with a wide-variety of off-campus venues. One such effort is our arrangement with Redhouse, an arts and cultural center located in downtown Syracuse. Through this collaboration, student performances are presented free of charge to a community audience. This year, MPH students will present six dance, theatrical, and musical productions using Redhouse facilities.

One of the beauties of the performing arts program at MPH is this: when presented with a talented student, from whatever walk of life, MPH has the faculty, the resources, and the passion to allow that student to fully inhabit his or her own talent. For example, Nick Frenay, a recent graduate took, as a third grader, his first trumpet lesson from the Lower School band instructor, himself a world-class jazz musician. The student went on to participate in the Lower and Middle School bands. Under the tutelage of the MPH jazz department and inspired by the School’s award-winning 315 All Stars band, he continued to progress in his abilities as both a musician and composer and last year found himself on stage at the GRAMMY awards. Nick, along with MPH classmate Noah Kellman, was selected as one of fewer than three dozen students to play with the prestigious GRAMMY ensembles. Nick and Noah are exceptional, but not unusual. The School is full of young artists finding inspiration and resources right on campus. Our hope is simply that, if an artistic young person shows up on our doorstep – talented but not yet focused, energetic, but not yet directed – we can provide her with us sort of “a one-stop shop” as she explores that talent.

The strength of the MPH performing arts program is evidenced by the extent to which its students excel in outside theater, dance, and musical organizations. Most numerous among them are musical organizations, which include the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) the Onondaga County Music Educators Association (OCMEA), All-County, Area All-State, Conference All-State, Syracuse Children's Chorus, Syracuse Symphony Youth Orchestra, and Syracuse Stage. We are very proud that nearly 90% of Upper School students are also performing artists. To play an instrument, dance, or sing provides the creative heart of MPH.

Music Theory 1

Link to the course

Music Theory 1 is designed for those students who want to learn more about the inner workings of music. Students explore the following areas: rhythm, melody, harmony, notation, compositional techniques, and analysis. Students in music theory learn to write compositions, sight sing, and take melodic and harmonic dictation. An instrumental or vocal background and the ability to read music are required.
Text: Music In Theory and Practice, vol. 1, Benward & White.

Music Theory 2

Link to the course

Music Theory 2 is an extension of Music Theory I. Picking up where Theory I leaves off, Theory II emphasizes harmonic analysis, form texture, and more complex musical structures. Students explore Western music from an historical perspective. They learn to recognize various musical structures and incorporate them into the students’ own compositional technique.
Text: Music In Theory and Practice, vol. 1 and 2, Benward & White.
Prerequisite: Music Theory I or permission of the instructor.

Concert Chorale

Link to the course

Concert Chorale is an elective ensemble made up of students in Grades Nine through Twelve. Students work to develop good vocal habits including breath support, intonation, and technique. The course stresses ease of tone production, discipline, musicality, blend, and performance skills. Students rehearse a variety of challenging music in anywhere from three to eight parts, and perform in two to three major concerts and at Baccalaureate each year. Concerts are the culmination of the entire semester’s work and all members are expected to be in attendance for each concert. No prior singing experience is necessary for participation.

Dance 1: Composition & Performance

This two-semester course is designed for any student who is interested in exploring dance as a performing art and medium for artistic expression. It focuses on developing the technical skills and movement qualities required to perform various genres of dance works. The first semester focuses on cultivating the creative process and culminates with the Annual Student Choreography Concert. All students have the opportunity to submit their original dance compositions for this performance. The second semester culminates in a combined performance of original choreography and repertory dances from throughout dance history. Prior dance experience is not necessary. Dance I may also be chosen as a physical education elective (see physical education curriculum).

Dance 2: Composition & Performance

This two-semester course is designed for students who have prior dance training and a good understanding of proper dance technique. The curriculum for this course includes movement classes exploring ballet, modern, tap and jazz/theater techniques, improvisation and development of the choreographic process, research and reaction papers, video screenings and attending live performances. The first semester will focus on preparation for the annual Student Choreography Concert in January. All students are required to perform and/or choreograph for this performance. Student choreographers will use class time for developing choreography, rehearsals with their dancers, and production planning. In the second semester the focus will shift to introducing the legacies of great dance companies and choreographers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Students will learn historic original choreography in preparation for the annual Repertory Dance Concert in May Placement in this class is by audition or teacher recommendation . Dance II may also be chosen as a physical education elective (see physical education curriculum).

Dance 3 Composition and Performance

This two semester course is designed for advanced dancers who have studied several dance genres including ballet, jazz and modern dance. The curriculum for this class includes technique classes, improvisation and development of the choreographic process, research and reaction papers, video screenings and attending live performances. The first semester will focus on preparation for the annual Student Choreography Concert in January. Student choreographers will use class time for developing choreography, rehearsals with their dancers, and production planning. In the second semester the focus will shift to introducing the legacies of great dance companies and choreographers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Students will learn historic original choreography in preparation for the annual Repertory Dance Concert held in the Spring.

Philharmonia Strings

STRING ORCHESTRA/WIND ENSEMBLE (1 non-academic credit)
Students study a variety of challenging music geared to the performance level of the group. The emphasis in these ensembles is the study of balance, intonation, blend, performance practice, and style. Chamber groups are also formed to allow more intensive individual development and to perform at special events and concerts. These ensembles perform at least two major concerts and at graduation. Students are expected to attend all performances.
Prerequisite: Two years of instrumental music instruction and one year of ensemble experience.

Wind Ensemble (1 credit)

Link to the course

Students study a variety of challenging music geared to the performance level of the group. This ensemble will perform a variety of music while studying the art of instrumental balance, intonation, blend and style. Lesson groups will be formed to allow more intensive individual development and to prepare for NYSSMA events and All-County auditions. This ensemble performs at least two major concerts.
Prerequisite: Two years of instrumental music instruction and one year of ensemble experience.

Contemporary Acting for the Stage

This course will focus on contemporary acting theories and techniques. Through discussion, reading, performance, and play attendance in the community, students will explore current theory and basic techniques of creating character for the stage, and apply these techniques to practice through a combination of in-class exercises, and monologue and scene presentations. Students will develop skills in observation, concentration and imagination, as well as script analysis critical skills. Students will understand and participate in the cooperative process of acting for stage. The course may be taken more than once so that students can continue developing skills. Scenes and monologues chosen for class will be assigned based on each individual student's interest and experience. Attendance at local theatrical production swill be part of the class. An optional culminating public performance of students' course work may be scheduled.

History Of Jazz (1st semester) (1/2 credit)

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This course explores Jazz as the most significant development in 20th century American music. It traces Jazz from its African roots as a rural folk idiom to a modern day, urban musical expression influencing music the world over. The course consists primarily of listening to a large library of recorded music, discussions and, when possible, listening to live music. A technical understanding of music is not necessary.

Jazz Improvisation (8th Grade)

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Students enrolled will study jazz harmony, scales, phrasing, and solo development using rhythmic repetition and motifs. Students will have the opportunity to improvise in a small combo setting allowing them to experiment with these concepts. Additionally, students will demonstrate their knowledge of basic jazz chords and scales through written work (music notation). Students will also be required to gain basic jazz piano skills during the semester. Students do not need to have jazz experience to enroll. Students must have basic music reading skills in order to fully benefit from the course of study.

Introduction to Conducting

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Introduction to Conducting gives students who are planning to pursue postgraduate study in the music field an introduction to the area of instrumental and vocal ensemble conducting. The course includes work in basic conducting patterns, interpretational gestures, score preparation and rehearsal techniques. Depending on availability, the students attend an open Syracuse Symphony rehearsal and work with a lab ensemble made up of MPH student instrumentalists. The culminating project is to conduct a rehearsal with a MPH vocal or instrumental ensemble.

Introduction to Stagecraft

This course is an introduction to various components of stagecraft and design for theatrical production. Lectures explore and describe the physical elements of scenery, lighting, costume, and sound, and how they are designed and utilized safely in the theatre. During the production period for the Upper School musical, class sessions focus on the design, technical production, and construction of the settings and lighting design. After the musical, sessions center on the theory and practices of theatrical production, as well as exploration of design and theory for the lighting of the Spring Dance concert.

Through reinforcing lectures with actual demonstrations and hands on projects, a familiarity with the tools and techniques of all aspects of stagecraft is acquired. This broad-based understanding enhances the collaborative process of production.

 

Physical Education

Don Ridall, Chair

Learning the skills and appreciation of a sport is an invaluable part of a student's education. Students have the option of participating in interscholastic athletics each sport season, enrolling in an MPH fitness course, or attending a dance class. Sports teams include basketball, cross-country, golf, indoor track, lacrosse, skiing, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. Students who do not participate in interscholastic sports have the option of doing an independent study that must be approved by the Upper School Head and monitored by a physical education faculty member.

Upper School Fitness

The Upper School Fitness course is a Physical Education class that focuses primarily on strength training. The course introduces students to resistance training and proper lifting techniques. Various weight training concepts and their projected outcomes will bewill be examined. The goal for each student is to improve flexibility, body composition, upper and lower body strength and athletic performance. The class will make use of the MPH exercise facility as well as the Pioneer Health club in East Syracuse.

For Women Only Fitness

A fitness course designed just for Women!

For Women Only is an individualized, concepts-based, one-semester course designed to give students the knowledge and skills necessary to self-assess, create, conduct, evaluate, and design personal fitness programs. It is a "total body experience" that combines strength training, cardiovascular conditioning, core training and flexibility. Each workout session will be designed to increase muscular endurance, muscle tone, overall strength, flexibility and balance. This total body fitness class will increase your level of fitness as your body becomes more finely tuned and shaped as you develop leaner, stronger muscles.

Introduction to Exercise Physiology

Exercise Physiology is the study of the body’s physical responses and adaptations to exercise. The systems of the body will be studied to increase understanding of the ways in which the body responds to physical activity. Emphasis will be placed on strength training and various strength training protocols will be examined in detail. Each student will learn how to develop their own conditioning program for a specific sport. The goal of the course is for each student to understand how the body and its’ systems respond to exercise and how to develop a successful fitness program for an athlete as well as for themselves. The class will take advantage of the MPH exercise facility along with weekly trips to the Pioneer Health Club in East Syracuse.

Physical Education Independent Study

The Independent Study Program is an option for those students not involved in a sport or the MPH dance program and fulfills the requirements for Physical Education. This program requires each student to participate in some form of physical activity for a minimum of two hours per week. An activity log sheet is required stating the dates and times of the activities performed along with the signature of the adult supervising the activity.

How often, how long and how hard you exercise, and what kinds of exercises you do should be determined by what you are trying to accomplish. Your goals, your present fitness level, age, health, skills, interest and convenience are among the factors you should consider. For example, an athlete training for high-level competition would follow a different program than a person whose goals are good health and the ability to meet work and recreational needs.

 

Science

Susan Loedel, Chair

Bright kids set the bar higher than the teacher may have and push themselves into personal risk areas, if they sense an air of respect and trust. As a result, the faculty at MPH is committed to providing an atmosphere where new experiments and experiences are revered and encouraged, and the risk of failure is understood to be a necessary cost of success.

The Science Department believes that, in order to be informed members of the global community, students must achieve a “scientific literacy” that will enable them to weigh disparate ideas, facts, and points of view in order to make ethical decisions. The department firmly believes in the value of hands-on and inquiry-driven teaching that allows students to experience science first-hand.

For example, in Geology class this year, the teacher opened the door for kids to create projects that demonstrated mastery of a topic. It was a bit of a risk to leave the door open to any and all interpretations of this directive, but the results were amazing and typical of the MPH experience.

One group made a video game that correctly depicted the water column of nearby Green Lake. Working with a parent who is a programmer, the group spent a number of hours crafting vignettes, a scoring system, and multiple characters (including a villainous molecule), leading to a finished product that mirrored the games they love to play and conveyed the scientific complexity of the lake environment. Later, one group designed a menu and served a meal to the entire class based on what they class had learned about wetlands. It was complete from appetizers to dessert and even included a lily pad salad. One young woman made a huge flip book about the glacial processes in Central New York. The author of the book made a point of mentioning what a pleasure it was to use her art skills, a personal strength, in science class.

Science is presented as an open-ended process that leads to an understanding of theories and laws about the natural world. Opportunities are available for students to work both individually and as part of a team to develop the skills to test questions using the scientific process. This process involves researching a question, designing and carrying out an experiment, solving problems, analyzing data, drawing conclusions, and communicating findings. This process is enhanced by student interest and takes many different forms including the annual Sensis High School Engineering Competition.

The Model Rocketry club was founded in the spring of 2003 by six students with a passion for physics. That year MPH sponsored the team at the Team America Rocketry Challenge, which celebrated a centennial of powered flight. Their challenge was to launch a rocket to 1500 feet and safely retrieve its egg payload. The MPH team placed 4th in the nationwide competition and was invited, with the other top ten teams, to submit a grant proposal to NASA's Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for one of three $2,000 grants for the Student Flight Initiative (SFI). MPH won the grant, and used it to construct a 12-foot rocket that flew to an altitude of one mile and collected data on fin flutter. The rocket won "Best Vehicle Design" and currently hangs in the physics room. This effort has shifted into the annual Sensis High School Engineering Competition.

NASA's SFI grants are for one year only and typically are only awarded once to a school. However, because of our outstanding performance in 2004, NASA renewed the MPH grant for 2005. In the spring of 2005 the team returned to Huntsville and flew a smaller rocket (about 4 feet long) to collect real-time flight telemetry.

Science students also drive campus-wide environmental programs in recycling and composting and have brought about changes such as the School’s decision to avoid the use of paper cups and only use recyclable paper napkins. Student interest in green initiatives has led to the seating of Upper School student representatives on the MPH Green Committee, where they can discuss, with trustees, administrators, and parents, their ideas and suggestions to make the School more environmentally responsible. This dialogue has led to a NYCERTA grant application of $250K for solar energy panels throughout the School.

Advanced Placement Biology (1 academic credit)
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Advanced Placement Biology is the equivalent of the general biology course usually taken during the first college year. For some students, completion of this course enables them to undertake, as college freshmen, second year work in the biology sequence at their college or to register for courses in other fields where general biology is a prerequisite. For those students, the Advanced Placement Biology course fulfills the laboratory science requirement. Topics discussed include biological chemistry, cells, energetics, heredity, molecular genetics, evolution, diversity of organisms, structure and function of plants and animals, and ecology. The course aims to provide students with the conceptual framework, factual knowledge, and analytical skills necessary to deal critically with the rapidly changing science of biology. The College Board requires a laboratory component of the course. Students who take this course must spend more time in independent study outside class and labs than in other Upper School science courses. All students in the course are encouraged to take the College Board Advanced Placement examination in biology. Successful completion of Biology, Chemistry and preferably AP Chemistry is recommended.

Enrollment Requirements:

1.      Consent of teacher
2.      Biology grade of a B+
3.      Having completed Chemistry, preferably having completed AP Chemistry
4.      English comprehension/writing abilities in the A range
5.      Commitment to a heavy work load (One chapter per class, tests every 2-3 weeks)
6.      Recommend maximum enrollment in 3 AP classes

Instructor: Beth Krauss
TEXT: Biology: Eighth Edition, NA Campbell, JB Reece, B Cummings

Advanced Placement Chemistry (1 academic credit)
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Advanced Placement Chemistry is designed to be the equivalent of the general chemistry course usually taken during the first college year. Successful completion of Chemistry is a prerequisite. The course emphasizes chemical calculations and the mathematical formulation of principles. It also emphasizes the development of the students’ ability to think clearly and express ideas with clarity and logic, orally, in essays and in calculations. Topics include atomic theory, stoichiometry, thermochemistry, gas laws, kinetics, solution equilibria, qualitative analysis, acids and bases, oxidation-reduction, and an introduction to organic and nuclear chemistry. Classroom instruction prepares students for the Advanced Placement exam. Every attempt is made for the student to reach a proficiency in all topics that are covered. Students who take this course must spend more time in independent study outside class and labs than in other Upper School science courses. The class is encouraged to take the College Board Advanced Placement examination. Earning a four or a five in the AP Chemistry exam enables students to undertake, as college freshmen, second year work in the chemistry sequence at their institutions or to register in courses in other fields where general chemistry is a prerequisite. Earning a three may fulfill the college’s laboratory science requirement.

Enrollment requirements for AP Chemistry:
1.      Consent of teacher
2.      Minimum chemistry grade of B+
3.      Having completed or currently enrolled in Math III AC with a minimum grade of B
4.      Recommend maximum enrollment in 3 AP classes

Instructor: Matthew Vural
SYLLABUS
TEXTBOOK: Zumdahl and Zumdahl, Chemistry, 7th ed., Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007
REVIEW BOOK: Princeton Review, Cracking the AP Chemistry Exam, 2008

Advanced Placement Physics C: Mechanics (1 academic credit)

The AP Physics C course forms the first part of the college sequence that serves as the foundation in physics for students majoring in the physical science or engineering. Strong emphasis is placed on solving a variety of challenging problems, many requiring calculus.

The primary emphasis of AP Physics C is on Newtonian mechanics. Use of calculus in problem solving, derivations, and in formulating principles, increases as the year progresses. Topics include the laws of motion; work, energy, power, and conservation of energy; momentum; rotation and rolling motion; simple harmonic motion; and gravitation.

AP Physics is taught as a first year course, and prior enrollment in physics is not required; but approval of AP Physics instructor is required. Please note that at the end of the year, the AP Biology Exam falls on the same day as the AP Physics Exam. For this reason, students are strongly discouraged from enrolling in both courses simultaneously.

The Advanced Placement Physics C: Mechanics course syllabus may be viewed here.

Requirements for Enrollments:
1.      Maintaining a minimum A- average in current science course
2.      Co-enrollment in (or completion of) Advanced Placement Calculus
3.      Recommendation of current science instructor
4.      Permission of Advanced Placement Physics instructor
5.      Due to the intensity of the course, the Science Department recommends enrollment in no more than two (2) other Advanced Placement courses.

Instructor: Chad Gregory

TEXTBOOK: Serway, Raymond, and John Jewett, Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 7th Edition, Volume 1, Thomson Higher Education, 2008

Astronomy (½ academic credit) (1st semester)
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The astronomy course is concerned mainly with techniques and equipment required to see objects in the sky. Some time is devoted to learning what appears in the night sky like asteroids, clusters, comets, constellations, galaxies, planets, and the sun; and some to what equipment is required to do the observing including the main types of telescopes and their strengths and weaknesses for different types of observing. The art of reading and making star maps is investigated. Utilization of the Internet to find resource material and some simple observation labs include some of the students' responsibilities.

Instructor: Robert L. Ostrander

TEXTBOOK: Materials from magazine articles, the Internet, and information provided by the instructor.

Biology (1 academic credit)
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This is an introductory course that covers the basic concepts in biology. Topics include biological chemistry, cell biology, genetics, evolution, ecology, the diversity of living things, and human biology. Unifying themes stressed throughout the year are evolution, energy transfer, the relationship of structure to function, interdependence in nature, regulation, and science and society. Laboratory activities help students to understand that science is a process, and to develop important skills in scientific expression, qualitative and quantitative analysis. Biology challenges students to think critically in order to understand the larger significance of the details they are learning. Frequent discussions of science, technology, and society are a vital part of the learning experience. By the end of the year, students are able to understand and comment on current health and biotechnological issues, make meaningful inquiries into current social policy choices, and understand the healthy functioning of their own bodies.

Instructor: Beth Krauss

Chemistry (1 academic credit)
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Chemistry is an introductory course covering the basic topics in chemistry, including units on matter and energy, atomic structure, chemical bonding, the Periodic Table, stoichiometry, solutions,concentrations, acids and bases, oxidation and reduction reactions. The course stresses important theories of chemistry and uses descriptive chemistry to introduce, exemplify and reinforce those theories. Practical applications of the role of chemistry in today’s technological world are used whenever pertinent. Laboratory exercises reinforce basic topics, using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Mastery of life skills in problem solving, analysis, synthesis, observation, and clear written and verbal expression is emphasized.

Instructor: Robert L. Ostrander
TEXTBOOK: Modern Chemistry, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2002.

Invasions: Species That Don't Belong (1st semester)(½ academic credit)
We live in a world of rapid global changes.  One of those changes is the invasion of exotic species into ecological systems, facilitated by human transport.  While some invasive species may seem to be merely nuisances, others can be deadly, but all are ecologically significant.  This course will explore the ecology of invasion and examine some of the most problematic invasive species, such as garlic mustard and the Asian tiger mosquito.  We will also spend some volunteer time in the field on invasive species control.
Open to students in Grades 11 and 12 or by permission of the instructor.

Instructor: Dr. S. Smith

Advanced Environmental Science (1 academic credit)
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Although environmental science is a broad field that often includes topics ranging from ecology, chemistry, hydrogeology and waste management to sociology, this course focuses on issues impacting the daily lives of Central New Yorkers. Students become familiar with the complexities surrounding the current state and proposed clean up of Onondaga Lake, juxtaposed to the current protection of their drinking water source, Skaneateles Lake, lying just twenty miles to the west. This course extracts previously learned concepts from biology, chemistry and physics and applies them to local issues; laboratory investigations demonstrate these key principles. In addition, students select a topic and design a public education project around it, complete with an Icebox Bulletin article. This course does not prepare students for the AP Environmental Science exam. Open to students in Grades 11 and 12.

Text: Environmental Science; Earth as a Living Planet, 5th Edition, Botkin and Keller, Wiley 2005.

MPH GOES CSI – Forensic Science (2ND SEMESTER) (1⁄2 academic credit)
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Have you ever wondered how DNA can be manipulated to prove guilt or innocence? Did you know that lipstick left on a glass can be evaluated and then linked to a specific brand and, perhaps, person? Are you interested in learning how to lift fingerprints left on an object? Remember that chromatography experiment you did in biology and wonder how it can be used to determine which pen was used to write a ransom note? This forensic course will apply some new and some previously studied lab techniques to the evidence left at a staged crime in the science lab. The course will be a series of experiments that lead a team of investigators to decide upon a possible perpetrator from a field of suspects. The course will include significant lab work to be evaluated based on the accuracy of one's results; it is the application of lab techniques that will be evaluated rather then just the understanding of the technique.

The final project involves solving a crime staged in the classroom with faculty serving as suspects.

Instructor: Sue Foster
Text: Forensic Science: An Introduction by Richard Saferstein 2007.

Geology (1st semester)(1⁄2 academic credit)
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Over the last 435 million years, nature’s work has created an intriguing array of landscapes and topographic features in Central New York. Evidence of a saline sea, glaciers, and tectonic activity can be found throughout the area. Investigations of Chimney Bluffs,Labrador Hollow, Clark Reservation, Green Lakes State Park, and the Tully Valley exemplify the concepts presented in class. Students should plan on considerable fieldwork outside of class time. Significant group and individual projects are expected. A theme of the course is the nature of appropriate land and water use policies in the United States. For final projects, students design and execute models of mastery regarding a specific content area of the course.
Open to students in Grades 11 and 12 or by permission of the instructor.

Instructor: Sue Foster
Text: Geology of New York, New York State Museum, 1991.

Physics (1 academic credit)
Physics is a rigorous, in-depth study of the important physical phenomena encountered in scientific and technological fields. The topics include vector analysis, kinematics, dynamics, static electricity, circuits, sound, and optics. Physical problem solving is emphasized throughout the course, and laboratory investigations reinforce concepts and develop analytical skills.Because the course is highly mathematical and requires familiarity with algebra, trigonometry, geometry, and graphical analysis, the successful completion of Math IIIAC or an equivalent course is strongly recommended.
The Physics course syllabus may be viewed here.

Instructor: Chad Gregory
TEXTBOOK: Serway, R., and J. Faughn, Holt Physics, Holt Rinehart & Winston, 2002.

Anatomy and Physiology (2nd semester) (1 academic credit)
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Are you curious about why the human body is so amazing? Are you considering a career in the healthcare fields? This course will be a great introduction through lecture, labs, and activities. Students will review human anatomy and increase their knowledge of how the human body works.  They will learn the language of anatomy and physiology while increasing their knowledge of the chemical, cellular and tissue levels of organisms before beginning some body systems. Lab will include a cat dissection.
Instructor: Dr. Bob Jaworski, DC

Electives

A Pilot Lab Based Course in Molecular Genetics
This lab driven course, new to our offerings, will be team taught by Ms. Krauss and Dr. Francesca Pignoni. Dr. Pignoni is an Associate Professor at SUNY Upstate Medical University and MPH parent. This pilot experience is designed to expand upon the molecular work begun in AP Biology through the study of Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly. The first phase of the course will include an intensive review of and advanced instruction in cell biology and molecular genetics. The lab phase will consist of crossing fruit flies and evaluating the progeny. The lab work will involve several periods of daily data collection that will take approximately 30 minutes.  During the lab work phase and due to the nature of the crossing fruit flies, students should anticipate devoting some time to the course outside of the regularly scheduled block. The final phase of the course will include bringing understanding to the collected data and expressing the findings in a strictly formatted scientific paper that will be submitted for publication.  As this is an original and cooperative teaching approach, course adjustments are to be expected. Currently the course is open to those students who have completed AP Biology and permission of the instructors. Due to the unique nature of the class, questions can be directed to Ms. Krauss or Ms. Foster.

 

World Languages

William O'Malley, Chair

At MPH, we believe that fluency in a foreign language is the gateway to a truly international life. We value the study of languages not only for the immediate practical benefits, but also for the way in which learning a new language enables the student to learn a new culture, and thereby see his own more clearly.

MPH offers instruction in classical languages (Greek and Latin) and modern languages (Spanish, French, and Mandarin).

In classical studies, students focus on the reading and writing aspects of Greek and Latin, in order to gain an understanding of the linguistic and cultural heritages derived from these languages.

Our students’ study of the modern languages begins in pre-kindergarten, in a concentrated effort to promote accent-free capability by the time the students reach the Upper School. Students often pursue their language of choice through the A.P. level, and many also take advantage of our international travel and cultural immersion programs. A recent trip to China allowed our students to showcase their fluency in Mandarin venues such as Tiananmen Square, the Ming Tombs, and the Summer Palace.

Small classes are key to MPH’s excellence in language instruction. Students are immersed in the cultural products of the country whose language they are studying. They may prepare a Spanish meal, read a French magazine, or watch a Chinese film. Because the study of a world language entails a progressive acquisition of linguistic skills, our program is intentional in its vertical articulation. Students progress, over their time here, from beginners, to truly fluent speakers and connoisseurs of the culture, and many choose to master more than one language.

Chinese I (1 credit)

Mandarin Chinese I develops the students’ basic communication ability by learning language structures, functions and related cultural knowledge as well as by training their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. This course focuses on the beginning level proficiency in phonetics, characters, basic daily life conversations and grammar. Classes consist of a variety of activities including classroom lecture and practice, cultural enrichment activities, multimedia presentations and field trips.

Text: Chinese Link, part 1 Level 1, textbook and workbook.

Chinese II (1 credit)

Mandarin Chinese II continues the program of Chinese I, but in more detail and complexity. While maintaining the focus on developing the students’ listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, this course helps students to reach to the introductory/intermediate level proficiency in Chinese phonetics, characters, basic daily life conversations and grammar. Students are exposed to more cultural knowledge about China.

Textbook: New Practical Chinese Reader, Book 1

Mandarin Chinese III (1 credit)

Mandarin Chinese III puts greater emphasizes on students' ability in communicating, making comparison and building communities using their Chinese language skills. Through cultural immersion, students' vocabularies are expanded and their reading and speaking skills are sharpened through constant interaction with the native language speakers and cultures. Greater emphasis is also placed on student's writing skills when students are trained to type out letters and essays to express their opinions in Mandarin Chinese and correspond directly with the Chinese students in China.

Textbook: New Practical Chinese Reader, Book 2

English as Second Language

The objective of the ESL class is to build communication skills amongst the international students, and to foster an ongoing exchange of ideas in a relaxed environment. The ESL class provides an opportunity for international students to work on developing their strengths and weaknesses. This course aims to build skills in all areas of language development, reading, writing, and study skills. The texts, supplemental materials, and films for this course are springboards for facilitating cross cultural dialogue, as well as developing English proficiency and critical thinking skills. Assessments for this class are based on a combination of structured and unstructured tasks such as journals, writing samples, speech presentations, and projects. All first year international students are required to take ESL unless given an exemption by the Head of Upper School.

Texts: American Ways,   Discovering Fiction  View and Voices

French I (1 academic credit)

The French I, and French 1A, and French 1B courses develop the student's oral communication skills in the French language by stressing vocabulary, correct pronunciation, and basic grammatical structures of increasing complexity. Students read and comprehend passages that focus on cultural affairs in France and in French-speaking countries. The course develops writing skills, from the simple sentence to paragraph compositions in French.

Text: Discovering French Bleu, Valette

French II (1 academic credit)

This course entails the same program as the French I, French 1A, and French 1B courses, but in greater detail and complexity, while maintaining the same emphasis on oral communication. Greater attention is given to written compositions and reading selections. Integrating the cultural material into the learning process, students acquire an awareness of youth-related life in the French-speaking world.

Text: Discovering French Blanc, Valette

French III (1 academic credit)

French III emphasizes the development of greater speaking and writing skills through vocabulary units and French literature. Students review basic grammar and start learning intricate patterns of French grammar. They incorporate conversational tenses into the language use. They demonstrate independent written and oral control of the language through compositions, and reports. Reading passages include authentic materials and an introduction to French Literature.

Texts: Discovering French Rouge, Valette; French 3 Years, Valette.

Advanced Placement French (1 academic credit)

AP Language and AP Literature are offered in alternate years depending on the strength, motivation, or needs of the students. AP Language consists of a reinforcement and expansion of the four skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. This course develops the student’s ability to understand spoken French in different contexts, the ability to read newspapers, magazine articles, and literary texts of different forms and periods, and the ability to express coherent written and spoken French using idiomatic expressions and correct grammatical structures.

French Conversation 1

French Conversation 1 is geared towards students who after F3 want to continue in a conversation class instead of an AP route. In this class conversation centers on basic topics of interest to the students, every day situations, family, travel, leisures etc. The emphasis is in using the language to not only communicate in simple life situations but extent the thought process to more complex ideas and analysis. This class is based on participation and presentation of projects and role play. Short readings of newspaper, articles, excerpts from books and topical movies will be shown and discussed.

Book used is Quant a moi. Heinle and Heinle.

French Conversation II or Advanced Conversation

French Conversation II is geared towards students who after F4 do not wish to take an AP course.

This intermediate to advanced level course is for French students who want to keep their fluency in communication and expend their registry to a deeper involvement with the language. The class is based on discussions and debates. We discuss emotions, reactions to advanced themes.

It is a mixed of cinema, literature, philosophy and currents events.

Moments in French Literature

An Anthology – the Middle Ages to the Twentieth Century

Goals: The primary goal is to discover and develop an appreciation for the variety and richness of the great works of French literature. The secondary goal is to become a more fluent reader and speaker of French. There will be a small writing component to compliment the reading activities, though the class will center on discussion.

The text covers literature from each time period, either by excerpts or short integral pieces. Works covered include Marie de France, Ronsard, La Fontaine, Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Rostand, Camus, and Ionesco (to name a few). When applicable, we will watch appropriate videos.

Latin I (1 academic credit)

The Latin I course develops awareness and mastery of Latin grammar. The course stresses proficiency in a language based on endings rather than word order. Vocabulary building is fundamental. Latin forms and endings are practiced and drilled daily. While the ultimate goal is translating sentences from Latin to English, there is practice in translating from English to Latin. A classical pronunciation is used. The class emphasizes the impact of Greek and Roman civilization on literature, culture, and art.

Text: Latin For Americans, Ullman Henry, Glencoe.

Instructor: William O'Malley

Latin II (1 academic credit)

The Latin II course continues the sequence begun in Latin I. The first half of the year is devoted to a student's development of a secure knowledge of grammar and a mastery of reading Latin prose. The last semester is devoted to reading Caesar’s Gallic Wars: Book I. There is much emphasis on the student's awareness of ancient culture.

Text: Latin For Americans - Book II, Ullman Henry, Glencoe.

Instructor: William O'Malley

Latin III (1 academic credit)

Students in Latin III read three ancient authors: Sallust, Cicero, and Ovid. Selections from Cicero’s Ad Catilinam and Sallust’s Bellum Catilinae begin the year. Considerable time is spent discussing the causes of the Civil War and the breakdown of the Roman Republic. Selected portions of the Metamorphoses of Ovid, which introduce the student to authentic Latin poetry, complete the year. A word-by-word, line-by-line explication of the text is the basic approach. Students are introduced to Latin epic meter.

Texts: Selections from Ovid's Metamorphoses, Anderwon, Frederick, eds., Longman; Cicero and Sallust: On the Conspiracy of Catiline, E.J. Barnes and John Ramsey, eds., Longman.

Instructor: William O'Malley

Latin IV/V/AP: LATIN LITERATURE (1 academic credit)

The Latin IV/V/AP: Latin Literature course offers selections from Catullus paired with selections from Horace (Odes and Satire 1.9) . Students learn to read, translate, understand, analyze, and interpret the selections. Also, students review Latin grammar and develop skills in reading Latin poetry, including the ability to scan and to identify poetic devices.

Texts: Ancona, Ronnie, Horace Selected Odes and Satire 1.9, 2nd Edition, Wauconda, IL, Bolchazy CarducciPublishers, Inc., 2005.

Bender & Forsyth, Catullus: Expanded Edition, Wauconda, IL, Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers , 2005.

Murphy & Ancona, A Horace Workbook , Wauconda, IL , Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers Inc , 2005.

Dettmer & Osborne, A Catullus Workbork, Wauconda, IL, Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers Inc , 2006.

Instructor: William O'Malley

Latin IV/V/AP: Vergil (1 academic credit)

The Latin IV/V/AP: Vergil course emphasizes a close reading and explication of Books I, II, IV, VI, X, and XII, and a familiarity with the content of Books 1-12 of Vergil's Aeneid,. Students review Latin grammar and develop skills in reading classical Latin epic poetry. Skills include the ability to translate, analyze, interpret, read aloud, and scan dactylic hexameter verse. The course places a strong emphasis on the epic tradition in western literature, the Trojan War, and the founding of Rome.

Texts: Vergil's Aeneid, Boyd; Bolchazy-Carduzzi, Inc, 2005.

A Vergil Workbork, Bradley and Boyd; Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers Inc , 2006.

Instructor: William O'Malley

Current Issues in Latin America and Spain (1 academic credit)

This course is open to all students who have completed Level IV Spanish. Students discuss and write about current issues in Spanish-speaking countries. All classes are conducted in Spanish. Students increase their awareness of cultural similarities and differences in the Spanish-speaking world through reading international newspapers, magazines and books, watching films, and using the Internet.

Spanish I (1 academic credit)

In Spanish I, students begin to communicate in Spanish with other people who speak the language. They are also introduced to Spanish and Hispanic culture. Students listen to and read Spanish in order to interpret meaning and to convey their own ideas through speaking and writing. Class activities include whole group questions and answers, pair and small group activities, the writing of paragraphs, and the reading of authentic materials. Videos featuring native speakers are also used.

Text: Realidades, Prentice Hall.

Spanish II (1 academic credit)

In Spanish II, students continue to develop communication skills, learning higher-level vocabulary and new verb tenses. Speaking activities become more complex and writing reflects a more sophisticated thought process. Passages written in Spanish develop reading comprehension skills, as well as cultural appreciation of Spanish and Hispanic cultures.

Text: RealidadesII, Prentice Hall.

Spanish III (1 academic credit)

Students in Spanish III continue the communicative approach to language learning begun in levels I and II. They communicate successfully in more challenging conversational situations, such as expressing and defending opinions, and narrating past, future, and hypothetical events. Vocabulary units expand on previously learned topics and introduce multiculturalism and the global community. Reading passages include authentic materials and an introduction to Hispanic literature.

Text: RealidadesIII, Prentice Hall.

Spanish IV (1 academic credit)

This course is for students who have completed Spanish III successfully. Advanced Composition and Conversation develops ease in speaking through expanding vocabulary, refining pronunciation, and practicing grammar concepts orally. Students learn vocabulary word groups that reflect the interests of the class members, as well as vocabulary idioms and colloquial language that appear in current Spanish publications. Students refine pronunciation by developing a command of the allophones of Spanish and their distribution. Extensive oral practice of verb tenses, moods, and grammatical structures improves students' ability to use them naturally and at a normal speaking rate. Students also read two modern Spanish dramas.

Texts: Album, Rebecca M. Velette and Joy Renjilian-Burgy; Una Vez Mas, James H. Couch and Rebecca D. McCann; En La ArdienteOscuridad, Buero Vallejo, Scribners; Spanish Student Dictionary,Spanish Four Years, AMSCO.

Advanced Placement Spanish: Language (1 academic credit)

The AP Spanish Language course is designed for the fifth year students who have demonstrated proficiency in grammar, composition, and conversation. The course prepares students to comprehend formal and informal spoken Spanish, to acquire vocabulary and a grasp of structure, to allow the easy, accurate reading of newspaper and magazine articles as well as modern literature in Spanish, to compose expository passages, and to express ideas orally with accuracy and fluency. Course content reflects intellectual interests shared by the teacher and students (the arts, history, current events, literature, sports, etc.). A personal tape recorder with a built-in microphone using standard size tapes is required. Materials include recordings, films, newspapers, magazines, grammar texts, and works of literature.

Text: Aura, Carlos Fuentes.

Spanish Conversation and Culture (1 academic credit)

Spanish Conversation and Culture is a course that meets the graduation requirement of four years of a sequence. The course focuses on conversational Spanish for travel and everyday situations. Students work on listening comprehension and speaking proficiency. In addition, they work to strengthen their usage of grammar concepts learned in previous years. Cultural topics and projects are an essential part of the course that helps students understand similarities and differences in the Spanish-speaking world. Students who successfully complete the course and who wish to continue with Spanish are well prepared to take Spanish IV.

Spanish Through Cinema (1 academic credit)

This course is for students who have successfully completed Level IV Spanish or a more advanced course. This class is conducted entirely in Spanish. Students strengthen their conversational skills by watching and discussing movies from Spain and Latin America. They learn idiomatic expressions as well as current slang and will strengthen their listening comprehension skills. Students will work together to plan, write and produce their own movies I Spanish each semester.