Elementary Program

Music is a dynamic class geared toward engaging children in music through a multi-level approach. Lacey introduces a famous composer each lesson and structures her class around the style and history of them. She incorporates dance, singing, fingerplays, and movement into every class. Students develop foundational musicianship through play based performance, rhythm, music theory, musical vocabulary, notation and theory vocal technique, and creative musical expression and movement. Improve and self-expression are hallmarks of the sessions giving students a broad musical foundation and reinforcing a life-long love of music.

Science is structured around authentic scientific investigation rather than worksheets or demonstrations. Each session begins with an open question, observation, or mystery that sparks curiosity and introduces the day's scientific concepts. Students then build background knowledge before putting it into practice through a hands-on lab or investigation. Classes conclude with a group debrief where students share observations, discuss their results, and connect their findings back to the original question.The goal is to help students not only learn science, but think and work like scientists by asking questions, collecting evidence, making observations, and using evidence to explain what they discover. Topics covered have included DNA extraction, Microscopy, General Anatomy, Chemistry and Biodiversity.

Spanish is an introductory level course built around a Calendar Math framework. Students practice conversational language skills using greetings, dates and time, days of the week, months of the year, colors, feelings, weather, numbers, and place value, as well as direct instruction to give children a great start in second language acquisition. It is important to understand that early language development comes through the natural means of communication. Grammatical understanding develops later.

Art begins with a mentor text focused on a famous artist or artistic style sometimes tied in thematically with special seasons such as Black History Month or Women's History Month. She infuses technique into every lesson focusing on a specific one topic like line, shading, stippling, drawing, contrasting, warm and cool colors, collage and mixed media, stenciling, dying, print making and more. She chooses media wisely and uses watercolor, acrylics, oil pastels, paint sticks, tissue paper, clay and ink. Students practice critical and analytical skills using academic art vocabulary, and create works demonstrating increasing levels of mastery in skills and techniques across a range of media and processes. The students leave each class with a finished product.

Drama fosters confidence, teamwork, and storytelling skills. For, the class focuses on imaginative play, theater games, and movement without the pressure of memorizing lines moving toward foundational stagecraft, introducing character development, improvisation, and simple script work. It is a highly collaborative, energetic class designed to build public speaking confidence, literacy, and social skills in a supportive environment.

Ag Science is structured around the science, technology, and business of food production and resource conservation. The class blends foundational lessons in soil health, crop management, and livestock physiology with interactive student activities like data mapping and local soil analysis. Students engage directly with Colorado’s agricultural industry through real-world experiences, guest speakers, field trips and projects, and presentations from local industry leaders, focused on modern agricultural sustainability.

Creative Writing tailors each class to the individual student. He works in small groups and one on one seeking to find what interests students and lights them up. Based on their interests, he develops customized writing curriculum for each student. This fosters creativity geared toward grade level and tied to Colorado State Standards such as writing real or imagined narratives using details, organizing event sequences, producing narrative writing with well-developed character traits, dialogue, descriptive pacing, and logical plot structures. In addition to writing engaging real or imagined narratives, utilizing multiple plot lines, experimenting with style, and employing literary or rhetorical devices effectively. Using pencil and paper as an artistic medium, he inspires his classes to tap their imaginations.

World Cultures is a thematic unit study designed to take students on a global journey to far-reaching corners of the globe. Instead of just reading about history, students actively discover diverse societies through hands-on projects including mapping, traditional cooking, crafts, storytelling. This interactive course brings the world to life through guest speakers, music, dance, and video presentations, fostering a deep appreciation for the traditions, perspectives, and daily lives of people around the world.