LFCDS Hosts Northwestern University Weekend Courses for Middle School Students

Following the success of last year’s newly-created partnership with Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development (CTD), Lake Forest Country Day School (LFCDS) is pleased to announce that the CTD Accelerated Weekend Experience (AWE) program will again be offered on the LFCDS campus the weekend of Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28. Two AWE courses, Java Computer Programming and Marine Biology, will be held over the course of the weekend from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The Java Computer Programming course will be taught by Wyvette Hoffman, who has taught several on-ground and online courses in Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development’s Summer, Saturday Enrichment, and Gifted Learning Links Programs. Java is a cross-platform, object-oriented programming language used in countless applications and programs. The course will appeal to students new to Java as well as experienced programmers, as the students begin at their own level and proceed at their own pace while working on a range of projects in the Greenfoot development environment. Students who are new to Greenfoot will have the opportunity to learn how to use this environment that was especially designed for use in high schools. Those students who have Greenfoot experience can extend scenarios they have already begun or create new ones. This course is open to students currently in fifth or sixth grade.

Salt water covers the majority of our planet and is filled with an abundance of diverse organisms, and the AWE Marine Biology course will take a closer look at those organisms and their relationship to one another. Students will encounter many ocean dwellers and will learn about the unique forces of marine environments that shape their inhabitants. Taught by John Thompson, a researcher of evolutionary structures at the University of Chicago and the Field Museum, this course promises an in-depth look into this fascinating field of study. When Mr. Thompson is not teaching, he serves as a consultant to many nationally-recognized institutions such as the Shedd Aquarium and the Brookfield Zoo, as well as to schools in Illinois, California, Virginia, and Washington. This course is open to students currently in seventh or eighth grade.

Jamie Christine Guess, Assistant Coordinator for the Center for Talent Development’s AWE program, says that these weekend courses provide a way for academically talented students to delve into a subject area they might not otherwise have an opportunity to explore. “The Center for Talent Development provides these Accelerated Weekend Experiences because we recognize that older students have very busy schedules, and yet still crave the enrichment and challenge of accelerated learning outside of school,” she says. “Our instructors are practicing professionals, and it’s exciting for them to bring their expertise to a unique population of highly motivated, gifted middle school students. At this age, students are starting to think about careers, and the AWE courses are one way for them to gain exposure to new topics that could potentially turn into a future
profession. In addition, the students get to meet and interact with others like
themselves, forming lasting friendships and connections.”

Judith Arnstein, Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at LFCDS, says that the School’s connection with the Center for Talent Development is a perfect match. “Lake Forest Country Day School embraces a tradition of personal excellence by engaging and preparing each student for a lifetime of learning. We are thrilled to continue our successful partnership with CTD by offering Accelerated Weekend Classes that will further inspire and deepen a student’s passion for learning."

Applications for the Accelerated Weekend Experience are handled entirely through the Center for Talent Development. For more information on the program or to apply, please visit www.ctd.northwestern.edu/sep/program/awe or call (847) 491-3782, extension 4.

LFCDS is a neighborhood school serving the Lake Forest community, and a regional center of excellence for early childhood, elementary, and middle school education for children ages 2 to Grade 8. For more information on LFCDS, please visit www.lfcds.org or call 847-615-6151.