Special Skills and Lifestyle Courses
The Art of Baking
Instructors:
Carly Gelles
Section 1: Grades 6-8, Mon, Fri: 4:30PM-5:15PM EST
Prerequisites: None
Get out your mixing bowls and preheat your oven! This course is designed for anyone interested in learning how to bake anything from a basic chocolate chip cookie to an extravagant fruit tart. In the Art of Baking, students will learn a range of various baking techniques, including how to properly measure ingredients, whip cream, knead dough, and frost a cake to perfection. We will create several new recipes, and students will be able to suggest what they would like to learn how to make. With Carly Gelles, our baking instructor, you will be baking up a storm in no time. Get ready for some delicious treats!
Introduction to Chess
Instructors:
Aidan Resnick
Section 1: Grades 5-8, Wed: 5PM-5:45PM EST
Prerequisites: None
Chess is a wonderful game that teaches many different life skills. Themes such as problem solving and pattern recognition prominent in chess can be applied to academic subjects such as math and science. This course will cover the basic rules of chess such as how the pieces move, including special moves like castling and promotion. Additionally the course will introduce basic principles of chess such as piece value, piece development, and central control. No prior experience with chess is necessary.
Intermediate Chess
Instructors:
Ethan Gu
Section 1: Grades 3-8, Mon: 5PM-5:45PM EST (FULL)
Prerequisites: None
Chess is a wonderful game that teaches many different life skills. Themes such as problem solving and pattern recognition prominent in chess can be applied to academic subjects such as math and science. This course will cover vital principles of chess such as tactics, piece development, central control, etc. Additionally, the class will look at elementary endgame positions and themes like king activity and the value of passed pawns. Finally, we will look at famous games (such as the Opera Game) to teach opening and middlegame principles with a focus on piece activity and king safety. The course is perfect for students who know the basics of chess and are interested in further developing strategy and skill.
Advanced Chess
Instructors:
Ethan Gu
Section 1: Grades 4-8, Tues, Thurs: 5PM-5:45PM EST (FULL)
Prerequisites: Please attempt as few or many of these linked puzzles as you’d like (more instructions on the comment on the site); these puzzles illustrate the difficulty of the class, so if you don’t feel confident in most of them, it may not be the best fit. Puzzles: https://lichess.org/study/s1HWSqMD
Chess is a wonderful game that teaches many different life skills. Themes such as problem solving and pattern recognition prominent in chess can be applied to academic subjects such as math and science. This course will cover more advanced concepts of chess such as common attacking and defending patterns, theoretical endgames, pawn structures, positional play, etc. To teach these themes we will look at many famous games played by chess greats such as Kasparov, Fischer, Tal, Botvinnik, and more. I will also present many puzzles and endgame studies throughout the course in order to train calculation.
Introduction to Crochet
Instructors:
Samhita Vemuri
Section 1: Grades 7-8, Tues: 5PM-5:45PM EST, Sat: 6PM-6:45PM EST
Prerequisites: A category 4 yarn and a 6 mm hook
In this course, students will learn the basics of how to crochet which will help them in making different complicated things that they wish to make. These techniques they learn will be able to enhance the students creativity as well as having a deep understanding to crochet. Students will learn about different elements to crochet which will then be applied to their own creations the students make. This course will not only enhance the students creativity but also increase their motivation to make more things like stuffed animals and sweaters. To be able to make such complicated things this course will provide the fundamental techniques needed to make big projects easier for the students.
Health and Fitness
Instructors:
Poorvi Govindaraju,
Audrey Lin
Section 1: Grades 6-8, Fri, Sat: 7PM-7:45PM EST
Section 2: Grades 6-8, Sun: 6PM-6:45PM EST
Prerequisites: None
Health and Fitness is a course that will assist students in improving their lifestyle by teaching them to balance their diets as well as how to stay fit. The lessons will cover a variety of different topics such as “The Best Ab Workout” as well as topics like “Good and Healthy Smoothie Recipes”. Every class will include one healthy recipe alongside a demonstration on how to make the recipe.
Introduction to Plant-Based Cooking
Instructors:
Olivia Liu
Section 1: Grades 6-8, Sat: 3PM-3:45PM EST (FULL)
Prerequisites: access to a stovetop, oven, pan/pot, and general cookware
"Plant-based" is way more than just lettuce on a plate. This course introduces the world of plant-based eating through a delicious handful of recipes. If you want to: learn different ways to swap out animal products and craft beautiful, satiating, and most importantly, tasty meals that will impress both you and your family, then this is the course for you. From creamy pastas to not-your-average tacos, join Olivia in your kitchen to cook up something new.
Stand-up Comedy 101
Instructors:
Sam Lippmann
Section 1: Grades 5-8, Wed: 5PM-5:45PM EST (FULL)
Prerequisites: None
John Mulaney. Ali Wong. Hasan Minhaj. Don’t know who any of those people are? Doesn’t matter. Know every one of their jokes by heart? Awesome. Whether you know nothing about stand-up comedy or watch ten Netflix specials a night, this class is for you! Stand-up Comedy 101 will serve as an introduction to writing and performing stand-up comedy. We will learn how to find funny material, how to shape that material and how to perform that material. Students will create their own stand-up bits and receive feedback on how to improve. By the end, students will hopefully be able to make humorous observations and write their own bits.
