2022 Course List

Week 1, 2, and 3

For those interested in mastering the art of negotiation, thinking strategically, and developing a greater grasp of geography, this class is for you. With rising tension throughout Europe at the turn of the century due to imperialism, nationalism and the thirst for supremacy on the continent, conflicts emerged among the seven European powers. Diplomacy, a game of alliances and promises kept and broken, attempts to recreate the diplomatic type-roping to solve, perhaps, the impending crisis through the art of negotiations. As one of the major powers - England, Germany Russia, Turkey, Italy, France and Austria-Hungary - a skilled diplomat will realize when help is needed from others and when not to trust “so called” allies. Remember, you are a diplomat first, a commander second. To fortify skills as a negotiator, students will study several texts that define artful negotiations and provide background information regarding previous European conflicts. Let the games begin.

Week 2

During this one-week session, students will explore the wonders of the Cate Mesa with their cameras! While learning how to operate a DSLR camera, students will be introduced to the basics of photography, such as composition and lighting, as well as how to process their photographic images working with Adobe Photoshop. By the end of the week students will leave the class with a hand full of new photographic skills! We provide all materials (cameras included). 

Week 1, 2, and 3 

In this class, students will explore the film as story. Students will analyze what makes a good script great, practice the art of design thinking, and collaborate with peers on screenwriting an original short film. Bring your eagerness and positive energy to make the classes fun.

Week 1, 2, and 3 

Learn what all those knobs do! This class is an introduction to recording in a professional studio. Students will learn how to record with industry standard recording equipment such as: SSL in-line analog console, Pro Tools, outboard gear, cue mixing system, TT patch bay, and more. Topics that will be covered include: microphone techniques, mixing tips, signal flow, and processing. Students will set up, record, and mix both vocals and instruments.  Throughout this class, you will gain insight and experience into how hit records are made! This is a technical class but open to beginners excited to dive in! You do not need to be a musician, but you must love creating music!

Week 1 

This inquiry-based course introduces students to the neurophysiological systems and how they affect mood, thinking, and behavior. We will explore the concepts of neuroscience and how brain mechanisms interact and mediate sensation, motivation, emotion, learning, and abnormal behavior.  Hands on activities include dissections, neuroscience labs, and understanding personal learning styles and strengths. 

Week 1 and 2

Do you want to bring your stories, imagination and ideas to life on a computer? In this class, students will use colorful coding blocks that fit together like puzzle pieces and digital paint tools to create a story (make your own cartoon) using Scratch programming. Next, students will learn how to create a math game with +, -, x, or /. Then, we will learn how to make our own video game! Students will all get to code their own stories and games while sharing ideas with friends as they go!

Week 3

This course is designed to help individuals develop and refine their emotional intelligence by discovering metacognitive strategies to aid self-awareness and process daunting, complex emotions that many of us have felt since the beginning of the pandemic. The political and social turmoil that has ensued over the past 3 years has made it increasingly difficult to practice self-advocacy and maintain healthy coping skills. This course teaches learners the importance of activating a growth mindset and navigating one’s internal thought process in a way that is both validating and beneficial. Through a variety of reflective activities and thoughtful lessons regarding the current sociopolitical climate, this course provides individuals with the necessary skills needed to grow and evolve authentically in the modern world. 

Week 2 

Discovery can come from following your sense of awe and wonder about the natural world.  From Da Vinci to Audubon to Haeckel, many scientists have applied the precision of scientific observation to studying the beauty of nature, creating knowledge and art simultaneously.  Learn about the flora and fauna of the central coast of California while practicing basic drawing and watercolor skills and creating a field journal, primarily through quiet observation in the field mixed with classroom work identifying individual species and investigating their biology. 

Week 1 and 2

This class draws upon the curriculum from Cate School’s leadership program and the teachings of Stanford University’s d.school. Through the model of service-leadership, students explore their own values and styles of being a leader, all while developing greater empathy for others. Through the creation of greater group and self-awareness, students engage in leadership as a deliberate practice. With these tools, students also start to explore the world of design thinking, a process which draws on methods from engineering and design, and combines them with ideas from the arts, tools from the social sciences, and insights from the business world to solve challenges and problems in an empathetic and creative way.

Week 1

Students-turned-U.S. Representatives and Senators will get a first-hand experience of the process of how a bill becomes a law (or dies in committee!). The objectives of this Mock Congress class are to bring to life how the legislative branch works and to understand foundational Constitutional principles. For the final project, students will craft and propose their own bills and will defend their legislation on the Congressional Floor. In doing so, students will be identifying and producing solutions to national and global issues. 

Week 1, 2, and 3

Students will participate in a creative writing workshop with a special focus on the visual arts. Rather than using written prompts, we will generate content from selected imagery, designed to evoke students to tap into their visual imagination. Each day of the workshop will focus on one particular aspect of the writing process- brainstorming, setting, plot structure, crafting dialogue, and revision- as students will hone and polish their short story over the course of the week, working from the germ of an idea to a finished piece.

Week 2 During this one-week session, students will explore the wonders of the Cate Mesa with their cameras! While learning how to operate a DSLR camera, students will be introduced to the basics of photography, such as composition and lighting, as well as how to process their photographic images working with Adobe Photoshop. By the end of the week students will leave the class with a hand full of new photographic skills! We provide all materials (cameras included).