7th Grade

After exploring all disciplines in sixth grade, students choose semester-long arts courses that allow for deeper focus and skill development. Offerings span drama, music, studio art, media arts, and woodshop, encouraging both creative expression and technical growth. Students learn to consider audience, collaborate as an ensemble, and communicate ideas through a variety of artistic forms.

Seventh grade English centers on the theme “hear my voice,” inviting students to explore identity, justice, and perspective. Through novels, literature circles, poetry, and independent reading, students strengthen analytical thinking and engage in meaningful discussion. Writing spans narrative, expository, and creative forms, with opportunities for publication, performance, and real-world connection.

The Humanities theme, “Land, Power, and Conquest,” guides students in examining history through critical and inquiry-based lenses. Students investigate how power, geography, and systems of inequality have shaped societies past and present. Through research, discussion, and projects, they develop skills in analysis, evidence-based writing, and historical thinking. 

Life Skills focuses on relationships, healthy choices, and personal well-being. Students explore topics such as emotional health, substance use, digital citizenship, and human development, building the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions. The curriculum emphasizes self-awareness, responsibility, and the impact of choices on both present and future well-being. Students also learn robotics skills with the director of our championship-winning program. 

Students deepen their understanding of proportional reasoning, algebraic thinking, and linear relationships. They explore equations, functions, and multiple representations of data while developing abstract reasoning and problem-solving skills. Collaboration and discussion are central, helping students build confidence and flexibility in their mathematical thinking.

Students continue their study of Spanish, French, or Mandarin in a proficiency-based program aligned with ACTFL standards. Instruction is differentiated and emphasizes real-world communication, cultural understanding, and growing independence as language learners. By the end of the year, students can participate in simple conversations, interpret short texts, and express ideas with increasing confidence.

Students explore ecology, energy, physics, and geology through hands-on, inquiry-based learning. Field studies, labs, and design challenges—such as ecosystem analysis, water rocket engineering, and a Mt. St. Helens trip—bring scientific concepts to life. Students visit Hyla Woods, a forested area in the Oregon Coast Range, to conduct water quality experiments and continue years-long monitoring of the ecosystem. Students develop a deeper understanding of how systems interact and how science can be used to solve real-world problems.

Wellness builds on foundational skills, helping students refine movement, strategy, and teamwork. Through a variety of physical activities, students develop confidence, communication, and collaboration. The program emphasizes the connection between effort, attitude, and success in both individual and group settings.