Upper School Science

This course approaches life science from the atomic level up through ecosystems, while preparing students in essential study skills necessary to be successful in high school. Students study the various kingdoms of life, cellular structures, systems, biochemistry, and genetics. Students also study the interactions of organisms in environmental systems and life processes.

As a laboratory science course, frequent inquiry experiences help to support the content of the curriculum and develop students’ research, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills.

Chemistry 10 takes a comprehensive, in-depth approach to chemical properties and chemical interactions. Students investigate advanced topics in scientific ethics, laboratory safety, and the presentation of scientific research. Topics in Chemistry include the Periodic Table of Elements, atomic structure, chemical reactions, stoichiometric calculations, reaction rates, and nuclear chemistry.

As a laboratory science course, frequent inquiry experiences help to support the content of the curriculum and develop students’ research, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills.

AP Physics 1 is an algebra-based, introductory college-level physics course. Students cultivate their understanding of physics through inquiry-based investigations as they explore kinematics, dynamics, circular motion and gravitation, energy, momentum, simple harmonic motion, torque and rotational motion. 

Conceptual Physics is an introductory physics course that uses single-variable algebraic calculations, basic statistics, and technology-supported data collection and analysis. The course covers topics of Newtonian mechanics, mechanical energy, electromagnetic waves and sound, electrical circuits, magnetism, and heat.

Students engage in several design-build engineering projects including the construction of working electric motors, medieval trebuchets, rockets, and roller coasters.

AP Biology course is an introductory college-level biology course. Students will cultivate their understanding of biology through inquiry-based investigations in the laboratory as they explore the following topics: evolution, cellular processes, energy and communication, genetics, information transfer, ecology, and system interactions.

AP Chemistry provides students with a college-level foundation to support future advanced coursework in chemistry and other sciences. Students cultivate their understanding of chemistry through inquiry based investigations in the laboratory as they explore atomic structure, intermolecular forces and bonding, chemical reactions, kinetics, thermodynamics, equilibrium and electrochemistry. AP Chemistry is designed to be the equivalent of the general chemistry course usually taken during the first college year.

AP Environmental Science is designed to be the equivalent of two-semesters of introductory college level environmental science. Students engage with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships within the natural world. The course requires that students identify and analyze natural and human-made environmental problems, evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and examine alternative solutions for resolving or preventing them. Environmental science is interdisciplinary, embracing topics from geology, biology, environmental studies, environmental science, chemistry, and geography.