Description:
Get ready to mix, build, squish, and discover! Messy Science is a hands-on class designed for curious 1st and 2nd graders who love to explore how the world works by doing, not just watching. Each session is packed with safe, simple, and delightfully messy activities that turn everyday materials into exciting science adventures.
Young scientists will dive into kitchen chemistry by making bubbly reactions, color-changing liquids, and gooey creations using common household ingredients. They’ll become mini engineers as they build with cardboard, design bridges, towers, and creative inventions while learning about strength, balance, and problem-solving.
Students will also explore the tiny world through basic microscopy, using kid-friendly tools to look closely at leaves, fabrics, and other interesting objects. In fun physics, they’ll experiment with motion, forces, and energy: rolling with ramps, launching simple projectiles, and discovering how things move and why.
This class encourages curiosity, creativity, and confidence through playful exploration. It’s perfect for learners who enjoy getting their hands dirty, asking big questions, and making exciting discoveries in a supportive, energetic environment. Warning: Things might get messy… and that’s part of the fun!

Description:
Get ready to participate in fun and engaging activities that encourage creativity, musical expression, and movement!
Through singing, playing instruments, and games students will develop foundational musical skills, such as singing in tune, keeping a steady beat, reading basic music notation, and creative movement.
Throughout the year, the young musicians will be introduced to the instruments of the orchestra, musical genres, and varied composers and performers.

Description:
A child-led exploration of all things creative! In this process-art-centered class, students are encouraged to embrace the joy, and messiness, of making. Together, we’ll dive into materials, experiment with techniques, and celebrate unexpected outcomes. The direction of our creative journey will be shaped by the interests and strengths of the students, allowing room for everything from artist studies to skill-building in drawing and beyond. Most of all, this is a space where kids can explore, express, and enjoy the magic of art on their own terms.

Description:
In this hands-on class, students will develop a solid foundation in a wide variety of science subjects. We will learn the core principles of chemistry, biology, physics, earth science, and more! As we go through key concepts, we will finish off the unit with an experiment or activity to reinforce learning. The spring semester will incorporate a class project for the annual KHS STEAM Fair. Students will enjoy building academic skills alongside a vibrant and expressive learning community.

Description:
Rock music, characterized by its energetic sound, amplified guitars, and rebellious spirit, has captured the attention of youth since its earliest inception as a fusion of blues, country, and rhythm & blues. In this session, students will learn where rock music started, how it evolved, its highs and lows, its outlaws and visionaries, its transformative moments, and how it altered social history. Rock has challenged the establishment at every turn with its loud and raucous demands for cultural change. We will explore the musical styles that informed the very foundations of rock & roll and many of the revolutionary artists who have defined the genre. We will study the musical and social trends of the 1960s, including the British Invasion, the rock explosion and social upheaval of the late 1960s and 1970s, and the emergence of new genres such as prog rock, punk, heavy metal, glam, grunge, alt rock, emo, and nu metal, from the 1970s to today. We’ll look at the past, but also how rock music continues to evolve as a vibrant, fluid kaleidoscope of sound where nothing is sacred or predictable.
Homework expectations: This session will be designed for middle and high school students. There will be homework every week in the form of songs to experience and videos to view. Music is personal; a student’s thoughts and emotions about music are personal. Every student will receive a Rock Journal for recording artist names and song titles and their reactions, notes, lyrics, or just the doodles they draw as they listen. These journals will remain private and the instructor will not review contents unless requested to do so. There will be one final project due at the end of the year. Rest assured that this assignment will be flexible in format and tailored to the interests of each individual student.
Rock music can be elegant and sophisticated, but it can also be raunchy and explicit. As we dig deep into the lore and legacy of rock, we will unearth all kinds of dirty, gritty topics and language. The instructor will make every effort to provide song titles, videos, and discussion themes in advance, but rock is more than just music. It is passion, pyrotechnics, power, and protest. There will be content covered that could be inappropriate for young children, but some of the darker corners of the rock world will be avoided. Parents and guardians, please contact the instructor with any questions or concerns.

Description:
This course takes up TWO class sessions. Please register for BOTH acting track sessions in order for your child to participate.
In this engaging, performance-based course, students will build foundational skills in acting, choral singing, and stage collaboration, all leading to a full-scale musical production at the end of the school year.
If your student would like to participate in set crew, prop building, and design rather than acting on stage, please see Musical Theater: Tech Crew Track.
Phase 1: Building Skills & Community
The first several weeks of class will focus on essential techniques and group-building. Students will engage in acting exercises, choral training, improvisation, and memorization projects. This phase is not just about skill development, but also about fostering a supportive and creative ensemble. Throughout skill and community building, each student’s dance, vocal, and acting performance will be observed for casting consideration. Every student enrolled will be cast in a role based on performance and class participation.
Phase 2: Rehearsals & Production
The second phase is dedicated to bringing the show to life. Actors will rehearse lines, music, and choreography, while tech members contribute to costumes, sets, and props. Rehearsals will extend to 4:00 PM to allow for additional support. These extended rehearsals are mandatory for all students involved in the production.
Commitment & Expectations
Musical theater is a team effort. We expect students (and parents) to understand the time and energy commitment required. Consistent attendance, respectful listening, and active participation are essential to maintaining a positive, collaborative environment. EXA’s middle school theater program is a space where creativity and teamwork flourish. When we all show up with dedication and respect, every student thrives.

Description:
This World History course for grades 6-12 explores major global events and transformations from the Renaissance through the end of the Cold War. Students will study how new ideas, technologies, and global connections reshaped Europe and the wider world. The course continues through key historical periods, including the Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment, major political revolutions, imperialism, industrialization, and the two World Wars, concluding with the global tensions and political developments of the Cold War era.
Class activities may include map work, historical simulations, primary source analysis, creative projects, and discussions connecting past events to the modern world. By the end of the course, students will gain a broad understanding of how historical events and ideas shaped the modern global landscape, while strengthening critical thinking and historical analysis skills.

Description:
This course will help your student prepare for high-school-level studies. We will learn organizational skills for note taking and project planning as well as how to review the material to study. Students will use these tools to prepare presentations that they will share with the class, while their peers will practice taking notes. We will gain familiarity with test formats including multiple choice, true-or-false, fill-in-the-blank, and written responses and develop strategies to approach each form of question. Over the course of the year, we will also do word-study and learn how to write essays.
Homework expectations: Students will be expected to prepare for each class by completing writing assignments and vocabulary work at home. We will give students tools to maximize their potential for learning.