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This survey is required prior to your registration being accepted:  https://forms.gle/mGHJ94foeGLUCwUf9 

AP African American Studies is a college-level course that invites students to explore, question, and piece together the story of African American history and the African diaspora—examining connections, uncovering missing links, and engaging with both well-known and less visible histories. Students can expect a structured yet engaging learning experience that emphasizes discussion, inquiry, and the development of strong analytical and writing skills. Instruction is both rigorous and supportive, helping students build confidence as they learn to think critically, communicate clearly, and connect ideas across time and context. This course is ideal for students who are curious, willing to engage with complex ideas, and ready to grow as independent thinkers. The course begins with a Pre-Course Reflection, an exciting opportunity for students to share their perspectives, demonstrate their thinking, and begin engaging with the material from day one—setting the stage for a meaningful and personalized learning experience.

Master AP® Music Theory in our elite online course—a college-level powerhouse in tonal harmony, counterpoint, form, sight-singing, dictation, and analysis, designed to help you ace the AP® exam and potentially earn valuable college credit. Led by composer Riccardo Maira (MA) and pianist Mckenzie Maira (BA), with engaging videos, weekly assignments, and interactive live sessions, it’s perfect for driven high school students with strong musical skills and the dedication to excel.

Course now open for applications for 2026-2027! 

Need 15 students for the class to happen.

Course Description: 

Honors Ancient World History is a full-year, academically rigorous survey of global history from prehistory through approximately 1200 CE. Designed for motivated middle and high school students, this course emphasizes historical thinking, comparative analysis, and evidence-based writing while exploring the political, economic, cultural, and religious foundations of the ancient and post-classical world.

Students will examine early human societies, river valley civilizations, classical empires, belief systems, trade networks, and post-classical states across Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Rather than focusing on memorization alone, the course prioritizes why civilizations developed as they did and how ideas, technologies, and systems spread across regions.

As an Honors-level course, students will regularly engage with primary and secondary sources, write analytical paragraphs and essays, and practice skills such as comparison, causation, and continuity and change over time. Instruction includes structured scaffolding early in the year to support advanced 8th-grade students, with increasing independence expected as the course progresses.

This course is intentionally designed to serve as a strong foundation for AP World History: Modern, giving students the historical context and analytical skills needed for success in advanced high school history courses.

Prerequisites:
Strong reading comprehension, willingness to write weekly, and placement writing sample (in the application).

Is this just a “pre-AP” course?
No. This is a complete Honors Ancient World History course with its own content, assessments, and writing expectations. However, students who later take AP World History will benefit significantly from the historical context and skill-building emphasized throughout the year. This course restores the historical foundations that many students no longer receive due to the shift to AP World History: Modern. Students explore ancient civilizations, classical empires, belief systems, and early global interactions while developing the analytical reading and historical writing skills expected in honors and AP-level coursework. The course emphasizes evidence-based writing, primary and secondary source analysis, and historical thinking skills that directly support success in high school, college, and beyond. Families who enroll in both Honors Ancient World History and AP World History Modern in later years will be eligible for priority enrollment.

This section of AP® English Literature is designed to be highly interactive and engaging. My goal is not only to prepare you to excel on the AP® exam, but to give you writing, research, and analytical skills that will serve you into your college years and beyond.  

We will deeply explore multiple genres including novels, drama, poetry, short fiction, and literary criticism. In studying these different genres, we will practice a wide range of analytical tools and how to apply them. Our analytical approach will operate on multiple levels, encompassing both the “bird’s eye view” (conducting historical, political, and social research) as well as a more granular approach, examining sentence structure, diction, symbolism, imagery, and so much more.