Class Descriptions

Discover the Saints and the beauty of the Catholic Faith through movement, music, and hands-on fun! Each week, children will explore the lives of the Saints and the virtues they modeled through themed stories, songs, and activities that inspire creativity and imagination. Along the way, children will learn foundational Catholic teachings, strengthen early literacy skills, explore the wonders of nature, and develop motor skills through dancing, singing, crafts, and interactive play. Join us for a joyful, simple, and faith-filled learning experience!

 What would you want your fairy godmother to be? A Fish? An Ox? A Pig? Which cultures value what you can make? Where is food most valuable? Where is family valued? Where is Cinderella Cinder-lad? You can answer all these questions and more as we travel the world with Cinderella. This familiar tale will take us to Egypt, China, Africa, Ireland, Mexico, Caribbean, Persia, Native America and eight other cultures. We will compare and contrast various versions of Cinderella using Venn diagrams, learn some critical reading skills, and examine different aspects of each culture through foods and crafts.

Welcome to the busiest construction site in town! Busy Builders is all about the joys of creating and collaborating with 100% hands-on building fun. We'll work together to build a giant neighborhood, from fire stations and grocery stores, to parks and churches using Duplo, Magna-Tiles, Lincoln Logs, and wooden blocks. Whether we're building a tower taller than our friend or designing the spaces and places in our neighborhood, every week is a brand new adventure in imagination!

In Mighty Movers, children will work on gross motor skills, coordination, strength, flexibility and cross-midline activities all while exercising, playing games and engaging in cognitive play. Students will do a variety of activities focusing on balance, hand/eye coordination, stamina and body awareness. This will include (but not limited to!) Swedish Drill, skipping rope, classic gym games and plenty of fun!

Welcome to Kids' Curtain Call, an action-packed drama class designed specifically for energetic 6 too 8-year-olds! This hands-on course invites young actors to step into the spotlight and explore the magical world of storytelling from both sides of the curtain. We'll act out favorite tales while learning to use facial expressions and vocal tones, craft custom puppets, masks and props, and dive into active, high-energy theater games that build confidence and teamwork. No prior theater experience is required - just a big imagination and the desire to have fun!

 Journey back in time and learn about the inventors that started a revolution. Over the course of the year, build steam powered boats and model cotton gins, conduct the same experiments as Thomas Edison, and learn to fly with Orville and Wilbur Wright. Optional field trips will be scheduled for 1-2 Fridays each month, and will include a trip to the cotton gin, the Southampton Agriculture and Forestry Museum, a letterpress class and the Inventors' Hall of Fame, to name only a few. 

  This club will focus on having fun with math and problem solving.  We will play math games to increase our efficiency, work problems from Math Olympiad for Elementary Schools in preparation for the five, competition problem sets we'll complete, and also solve problems from the book Math by Kids to develop our own multi-step, problem writing skills. Certificates and patches will be awarded on the last class day.  

This class introduces foundational martial arts skills through exercise and structured drills drawn from the Chang Hon tradition of Tae Kwon Do. Emphasis is placed on discipline, focus, coordination, and respect in a safe and supportive environment - no sparring is conducted. Students build confidence and self-control while developing physical awareness and good habits. We will also focus on Scripture and character development, discussing virtues such as courage, integrity and responsibility, with age appropriate encouragement to grow as strong, principled young men and women grounded in faith.

Warning: This is no ordinary book club. Yes, we will read and discuss great books, like King Arthur, just like any other book club. But our club will also use the selected reading as an innovative platform to launch into all sorts of educational topics related to the book. By means of various activities, which could include role-playing, creative writing, game-playing, drawing, researching, crafting, building and critical-thinking, club participants are sure to have fun while learning!

Get ready to explore your creativity in fun and exciting ways! In this class, students will try out many types of writing, including poetry, short stories, personal narratives, and imaginative fiction. Along the way, they’ll also learn basic illustration and design skills to help bring their ideas to life on the page. Throughout the year, students will create original pieces and compile them into a book they design themselves. By the end of the class, the students will have a finished class book/magazine that showcases their creativity, hard work, and unique voices. 

 This hands-on woodworking class invites students to learn practical skills while cultivating patience, creativity, and a spirit of service. Over the semester, students will complete a series of meaningful projects, focusing strongly on hand tools that increase in difficulty with each build. Students will also learn woodworking fundamentals, including different wood types, grain patterns, and how material choice affects strength, appearance, and workability.

Each class session will include instruction in foundational woodworking techniques—measuring, cutting, sanding, assembling, and finishing—while emphasizing safety, responsibility, and respect for tools. Students will build confidence working primarily with hand tools.

Rooted in a Catholic understanding of work, the class highlights the dignity of craftsmanship and the virtue of creating with care. Whenever possible, projects will connect to the life of faith.

Because students will be working with real tools—including hand saws and other sharp implements—this class requires a higher level of maturity, focus, and ability to follow directions, especially for younger participants. Safety is a shared responsibility, and students must be able to work carefully and respectfully at all times.

*Completion of Life Skills or a comparable skill level is recommended.

 In Life Skills, each lesson will start with a real-world problem - a leaky faucet, a broken appliance or a car that won't start. Students will diagnose the issue, strategize solutions, and apply practical skills efficiently. Learn to identify tools, handle home repairs, understand engines, perform basic car maintenance, and clean effectively without causing damage. This course teaches critical thinking, resourcefulness, and practical know-how to solve everyday challenges confidently and independently.

As an introduction to programming through Scratch (a block programming software) students will learn the basics oof algorithms, loops, variables, and if/then chains while creating and debugging projects, games, and digital tools. We will also have robots for a few of the class sessions which can be programmed using the block coding skills we've built.

*Note: If you can, please bring a laptop to class.

We live in a world of algorithms - from the music Spotify recommends to the way sports teams draft players. But how do you go from a mess of numbers to a meaningful story? This course turns you into a data detective. You'll learn to use modern data science tools to spot patterns, master the laws of probability, and make high-stakes inferences. Whether you're looking to ace the AP Statistics exam or build your first predictive model, you'll get better at making data-driven decisions. This course offers a dual-track experience: a hands-on Data Science project track for creators, and a rigorous AP Statistics prep track for exam-seekers.

This semester-long class is for anyone with any camera and all levels of experience. You can use a smartphone, a digital camera or a "fancy" (DSLR) digital camera. Sorry - no film.

We're going to have fun looking at the world through the lens of a camera and learn how to creatively capture life's moments and things that God has placed before us.  We'll learn how cameras "see" and how to use that knowledge to create desired visual effects. We'll also take a look at some renowned photographers and explore why their photographs are considered extraordinary. Each week we will have a photo challenge to showcase a new skill or way of looking at things.

 Did you know that “inspired” comes from the Latin word for “breathe”?

In this class students will gain inspiration from classic and religious artwork, from ancient history through renaissance art, and explore the seven elements of art that make art beautiful and utilize those elements to create their own artwork.  

· Line 

· Shape 

· Color 

· Texture 

· Space 

· Form

· Value

Students will be provided a sketchbook they can keep throughout the semester, as well as two-dimensional drawing mediums, including, but not limited to: Drawing pencils · Colored pencils · Charcoal · Ebony pencils · Pastels · Paper ·  Newsprint paper

One meet-up, separate from Thursday classes, will be planned, to visit the Chrysler Museum of Art in downtown Norfolk. And, an end-of-year Art Show will showcase students’ work.  

 The idea of this class is to explicitly teach learning strategies to equip students with the tools to tackle any academic challenge. We'll strengthen our learning skills with note taking, how to study and review, exploring planning styles to find what works best for us, unlock and manage motivation, and how to research efficiently and effectively, to name only a few topics. Students will also learn how to design and deliver a slide presentation and how to navigate formal formatting.  We know you're smart! This class will give you the tools to unlock your learning potential.  

 Let’s Study Drama/Theatre Arts!

Interested in Shakespeare? Want to dabble  in stagecraft, scene study, voice, or how to write/direct your own play? Let’s go! We can also cater to individual interests while covering all the basics. Theatre studies build confidence, encourages promptness, character, working with others towards a common goal, and many other life skills. Learn how how to master auditions, improve diction and deportment, but mostly have fun studying everything from “The Bard,” to modern theatre. See you there! 

“The Play’s the Thing!”  

This course provides a less-mathematical introduction to the fundamental principles of physics, emphasizing conceptual understanding and real-world applications. Topics include motion, forces, energy, momentum, waves, sound, light, electricity, and magnetism. Students will explore how physical laws govern everyday phenomena while developing critical thinking and scientific reasoning skills.

The accompanying laboratory component reinforces concepts through hands-on experiments, demonstrations, and collaborative investigation. Students will collect and analyze data, practice experimental design, and apply scientific experimental design, and apply scientific methods to better understand physical systems.

This is a tiered course designed for both middle school and high school students. All students engage with core content, while those seeking high school credit complete additional assignments, assessments, and more rigorous lab work, including lab reports, to demonstrate deeper understanding and mastery of the material. Homework required outside of class time. Lab manuals and Homework guides will be provided. Books will need to be purchased by the family, and a book list will be sent via email.

 Students will explore the major ocean ecosystems - from costal habitats to the deep sea - while discovering the fascinating plants and animals that live there and the unique adaptations that help them survive. Through hands on activities, interactive discussions, and simple experiments, we'll investigate ocean zones, currents, food webs, and the tools scientists use to study the sea. Along the way, students will also learn about human impact on marine environments and how we can care for our oceans. This class emphasizes curiosity, observation, and meaningful "big picture" learning, making science both memorable and fun.

This teen focused Moral Theology class invites students to explore one of life's most important questions: How should we live - and why does it matter?  

Rooted in the rich intellectual and spiritual tradition of the Catholic Church, this course examines moral decision-making through the lens of truth, reason, and human dignity. Drawing from thinkers such as Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas, alongside more modern voices like Fulton J. Sheen, students will learn how to think clearly about right and wrong—how to live accordingly, and why it matters.

Rather than focusing on memorization, this class emphasizes guided discussion, real-life application, and thoughtful engagement with the moral challenges facing young people today.