Science: Nutrition
Instructor: Jason Leach
What are the different stages of digestion? Where does our food come from? Does everyone have the same nutritional needs? These questions and more will be answered in this interdisciplinary science course. This course is open to students of all skill levels and abilities - no prior science or nutrition knowledge is required. Students should expect about one hour of homework for each day of class and often more over weekends and some holidays. We will begin the semester with a study of the systems of the human body and the effect that food, water, air and sunlight have on these systems. Next, we will look at the science behind food production and agriculture. Lastly, students will do an extensive research paper and oral presentation.

Science: Permaculture
Instructor: Rikki Edelman
Permaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and perennial agricultural systems that mimic the relationships found in the natural ecologies. First developed by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, permaculture’s intent is to build increasingly self-sufficient human settlements — ones that reduce society’s reliance on industrial systems of production and distribution that Mollison identified as fundamentally and systematically destroying Earth’s ecosystems. Our class will be reading this theory and attempting to look at possible new designs for our own systems and landscape at Holden. Students will be involved in observing and studying different aspects of local ecosystems, mapping them out and coming up with potential new and more efficient designs for different areas of our school landscape. Grades will be based on participation, homework reading and quizzes.

Requirements for all science classes:
Work on deductive reasoning skills
Research paper or project with a minimum of 2-3 sources
Work on note taking skills
Critical thinking & discussion