Evergreen Academy will offer the following academic programs during Summer 2022. Nearly every program will be offered during each week of summer camp. Additional activities will be planned for each day that revolve around a weekly theme.
Coding a Website: HTML & CSS
For students entering grades 9-12
In this course, students will learn how to build a 2–3 page responsive (mobile-friendly), functional and accessible website with basic knowledge in HTML and CSS. A major portion of this lab-based, hands-on class will involve gaining essential/beginner level skills in two web development languages—HTML and CSS—and build a website following the tutorials provided by the course instructor. Additionally, students will acquire foundational knowledge in web design terms, principles, and accessibility. In summary, topics that will be covered in this course include: web design terms, web design principles, web accessibility, HTML essentials, CSS essentials and building a functional, responsive website with HTML and CSS.
Introduction into Forensics
For students entering grades 9-12
The intro to forensics course will provide high school students with the opportunity to learn some of the theory and practical applications of forensic science techniques and analysis as applied to a mock crime scene. Through a variety of hands-on activities supplemented with some short and purposeful lecture material, students will refine several skills employed in forensic science including observation, writing, verbal communication, measuring crime scene dimensions and sketching crime scenes, and employing basic laboratory skills.
Introduction to Sign Language
For students entering grades 5-12
This course is for students who have an interest in learning to communicate in a new way. It will introduce students to the basics of communicating with American Sign Language and will include the manual alphabet and fingerspelling. Students will also learn about Deaf culture and etiquette.
Journey into Spanish
For students entering grades 6-9
This summer camp will be designed for middle schoolers who are true beginners in Spanish to excite them about studying the language in middle school, high school, and beyond. It will take the form of a journey through various Spanish-speaking countries, highlighting important aspects of the culture and useful Spanish for topics presented in relation to the trip. Each day, the campers will explore a different country representing a different region of the world: Spain, Mexico, Cuba, Costa Rica, and Peru. Using Spanish, the campers will experience each country’s geography (including its relation to surrounding countries), food, music, art, politics, and history. They will also learn useful vocabulary and grammar that will allow them to enhance their trip, including greetings and goodbyes, introductions, travel and food vocabulary, and numbers.
Law & Justice
For students entering grades 6-12
Few issues command headlines, social media, popular culture, and dinner table conversations as completely as the proper administration of justice. Perhaps no issue is more important to study in order to fully develop the skillset of active American citizenship. This course will introduce students to the American justice system. It will explain what law is and why the United States has a government centered on the rule of law. It will explain the major types of law (common and statutory) and the various levels of law (substate, state, and federal). It will review the difference between civil and criminal law and highlight the primary causes of civil action (contracts, property, and torts). Then it will put those ideas into action. After the participatory presentation of introductory material, the students will engage in debates, and then set up and participate in a mock trial. Students will serve as victims or witnesses and take the lead counsel and judge positions. All class members will serve as jury members. With the assistance of a Loyola pre-law student, two groups of students will be formed to allow for more active engagement through the personal attention only possible in smaller groups. By the end of a busy week, students will be exposed to basic concepts of American justice, have participated in an oral argument, and have helped to set up and role play a trial experience.
Make a Mini-Documentary
For students entering grades 5-7
Campers will spend the week learning about documentary films and documentary filmmaking and will work on a mini-documentary of their own. Each day, the students will be introduced to new films and techniques, and a step in the filmmaking process. Students must bring a phone or tablet with a camera to video record footage for their documentary.
Microsoft Excel Introduction
For students entering grades 9-12
The MS-Excel course will cover the basics and some of the advanced functionalities of MS-Excel. By the end of the course, participants will become familiar with beginner, intermediate and advanced features and applications of MS Office Excel to facilitate basic data manipulation tasks. This course is targeted for high school students.
Podcasting Basics
For students entering grades 9-12
This course is a week-long podcasting course serving incoming high school students from grades 9 -12. By week’s end, students will produce a five-to-10-minute edited podcast that will be shareable with friends and family. All interview sound will be collected and edited in class. Students will independently write their introduction and closes, brainstorm interview questions, conduct live in person interviews, export interview sound from phones, edit podcast together using Adobe Audition or Sound Trap, and choose music of their choice to help frame the mood and impact of the podcast.
Socrates & Plato: Rebels in Greek Philosophy
For students entering grades 9-12
This week-long summer class is designed for high school students of any age who are curious about where the theories and ideas we use today originated. The ancient Greek philosophers taught and wrote their ideas down so the rest of us could study them and come to understand some of the essential questions that they, and we, still ask today: What is our purpose? Why is there something instead of nothing? What are the roles of law and education? And what does it mean to live well?
The Video Workshop
For students entering grades 9-12
The video workshop is a one-week exploration into the world of multimedia production. Participants learn the foundation of content creation and more through a mix of classroom instruction, hands-on learning and outdoor exploration. Students are provided a college-level introduction to photography, podcasting, broadcast design, and virtual studio production in this class. Some topics include backpack production, video lighting, aerial video, graphic design for broadcast and professional sound capture. Included in the class is a focus on Creative Suite software such as Adobe Premiere, Spark and Lightroom. In addition, equipment and media production materials will be provided to students.