Environmental Issues
(Honors)
Taught by Willard Morgan
In this course we examine multiple perspectives on complex environmental problems while attempting to understand the political, economic, and cultural forces that must be a part of any resolution. The course emphasizes the importance of determining our own biases, listening to other points of view, and learning to express our opinions in an articulate and respectful fashion.

Teachers and students work together to investigate two issues in depth, one group topic (recent topics have included Lobstering and Forestry in Maine) and one topic chosen individually by each student – an Individual Research Project.

By speaking with government officials, executives and workers in industry, community members, environmentalists, and other people lined up on various sides of an environmental debate, we work to understand our own values as well as the needs and desires of the communities around us.

At the end of the course, students present their findings in oral presentations to their peers, and often donate their time and new-found expertise to a project with local community or legislative leaders.

Art and the Natural World
(Honors)
Taught by Sue West
Students have the opportunity to create visual images based on their perception of, and relationship with, nature, using our 400-acre campus for subjects and settings. We work with a variety of two-dimensional media, including drawing, painting, and printmaking. Through field trips to art galleries and museums, visits with Maine artists, and by studying works of art through slides and books, we examine how other artists respond to the natural world in order to discover relevant connections to our own work.

There are occasional readings for homework, which provide the basis for class discussions. Homework assignments and class work vary in scope and purpose as students are given short and longer-term work to complete. In addition to evaluation by the teacher, students, within a rigorous framework, assess their own work. The course welcomes all students, from beginner to advanced, and much personal attention is given to each student.