Spring 2023: Ninth - Twelfth Grades
The information below is for the Spring 2023 session. The listing for the Fall 2023 semester will be posted September 4th.
2:00 - 3:00
SU 50: Introduction to Aerospace Science and History
This course will uncover the mystery of flight! Aircrafts in the modern world would have stunned our civilization even 100 years ago. By the end of this course, students will be able to understand what allows aircrafts to take flight and will be able to recall the history of aircrafts and the role they played in human development up to World War 1. This class includes a fun trip outside, where we will launch 100% homemade water powered rockets!
COST: $ 20 ROOM: Alfred 31
Mr. Carlo Pipitone is a Sophomore in Saint Vincent College, and is studying a Major in History and a Minor in Education. Mr. Pipitone took a gap semester, and enlisted in the New York Army National Guard as an Artillery Fire Control Specialist with the rank of Private First Class. Since high school, he has volunteered with the Air Force’s civilian auxiliary; the Civil Air Patrol, where he has completed two student pilot flight hours and wilderness search & rescue certifications. In his free time, he enjoys playing video games such as Minecraft. He has eight pets at home, including seven cats and a dog at his home in Staten Island, New York City.
SU 51: Chaos in Europe: An In-Depth Look at the Fall of Communism
In this course, students will examine the fall of communism in various countries in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In the first week, students will gain background knowledge of the Cold War and create a map of the Cold War era nations. Then they will spend each of the next several weeks looking at various nations’ anti-communist protests and collapses. The following countries will be studied: Poland, Hungary, Russia, Yugoslavia, Romania, East Germany, and China. The course concludes with an investigation of the aftermath of the Fall of Communism in the countries previously studied and the creation of a timeline. Students will strengthen their historical analysis skills by comparing the nature of different anti-communist protests and their results. They will also spend some time analyzing primary source video footage of the events as they unfolded.
COST: $ 20 ROOM: Alfred 36
Mr. Michael Drazga is currently a Saint Vincent sophomore majoring in Secondary Education with a concentration in mathematics. He is a graduate of North Allegheny Senior High School in Wexford, PA. He is an active member of his church community and has worked at its Vacation Bible School, serving as its music director this past summer. For the past five years, he has at been employed at Shenot Farm in Wexford, where he has worked in various capacities—including the training of new employees. An avid distance runner, Mr. Drazga is on the Saint Vincent cross country and track teams. When he is not working or running, he is sure to be spending time with family and friends or watching the Steelers.
SU 52: Lass uns Deutsch lernen!
Hallo und wilkommen zu Deutsch Klasse! (Hello and welcome to German class!) In this course, students will learn the basics of German language and culture. Get ready to learn and speak about German food, traditions, castles and other landmarks and places in Germany. No prior German knowledge required! Wir werden viel Spaß machen und auch viel lernen! (We are going to have a lot of fun and learn a lot too!)
COST: $ 20 ROOM: Alfred 38
Mr. Ian Buttermore is a sophomore at Saint Vincent College majoring in Chemistry with a minor in Secondary Education. Mr. Buttermore has a yearning for learning and is interested in many subjects outside of chemistry, including foreign language, history, physics, and much more. During the Summer, Mr. Buttermore is a counselor at the Challenge Program camp where he gets valuable experience working with ages 10-18. Mr. Buttermore spends his free time reading, playing chess, and learning about diverse topics outside of his college curriculum.
3:00 - 4:00
SU 53: Colonial Life
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in Colonial America. This course will outline everyday life and common practices found within Colonial America. The colonization of North America marked the beginning of a new era in world history. Every European nation wanted a piece of the American treasure even after the thirteen colonies established themselves as the United States. Throughout the course students will learn about everyday Colonial America through an immersive experience of primary sources, crafts and various projects.
COST: $ 20 ROOM: Alfred 37
Mr. Walker is a sophomore at Saint Vincent College majoring in Secondary Education with a concentration in History and a minor in Special Education. He has worked with children in multiple settings, some of which include teaching Sunday school at his church, working as a camp counselor at the Saint Vincent Challenge Camp and holding leadership position in the Commuter Relations program on campus. Mr. Walker also has given riding lessons to young children interested in learning to ride horses. In his free time, he can usual be found riding horses, shopping for antiques or taking part in historical reenactments.
SU 54: It's All About the Money: An Introduction to Finance and Economics
In this course, students will explore the core concepts of finance and economics. This course will cover an abundance of content such as the basics and knowledge about banking to investing in the stock market. This course begins with a study of basic concepts of personal finance. Students will learn about making investments, credit cards, percentages, discounts, and withdrawal, among other preliminary topics. It will then move to an overview of several basic economic principles. These include but are not limited to: Supply and Demand, opportunity cost, stock and bonds, and different types of markets. Charts, graphs, and simulations will also be utilized to teach the students about the realistic expectations of finance and economics today. The students will develop some of the following skills: critical thinking, analytical thinking, problem solving, decision making, and much more. Students will be given individual attention and opportunities for growth due the co-teaching style of the classroom. If you enjoy math and are wanting to learn more about personal finance, then this class is for you!
COST: $ 20 ROOM: Alfred 36
Ms. Davenport is a sophomore at Saint Vincent College majoring in Middle Level Education with a Mathematics concentration. She is a graduate of Bentworth High School and has had many unique experiences with children. Ms. Davenport has had the opportunity to teach several styles of dance to children ranging from all ages. In the past, she has also had the opportunity to teach Tae Kwon Do classes to late elementary to late middle school students. Ms. Davenport has also spent much of her time babysitting children of various ages. In her free time, you can find her spending time with family and friends, studying, or performing with the Saint Vincent dance team as well as the March of The Bearcats during the respective sports seasons.
Mr. Michael Drazga is currently a Saint Vincent sophomore majoring in Secondary Education with a concentration in mathematics. He is a graduate of North Allegheny Senior High School in Wexford, PA. He is an active member of his church community and has worked at its Vacation Bible School, serving as its music director this past summer. For the past five years, he has at been employed at Shenot Farm in Wexford, where he has worked in various capacities—including the training of new employees. An avid distance runner, Mr. Drazga is on the Saint Vincent cross country and track teams. When he is not working or running, he is sure to be spending time with family and friends or watching the Steelers.
SU 55: Math and Nature
What is the point of math? Why do we need to learn math? This course will try to answer these questions! In this course for grade 9-12, students will learn about various mathematical concepts like pi, fractals, and many interesting and unique geometrical shapes. Students will explore their appearances in nature and learn about what makes these ideas so fundamental in not only math, but also in the world around us. These concepts will be analyzed using various experiments and activities involved with nature and exploration of the natural world. By the end of the course, students will have a deeper appreciation of the complexities and uses of math.
COST: $ 20 ROOM: Alfred 31
Mr. Zachary Choby is a junior at Saint Vincent College majoring in mathematics and getting a secondary education certification. He has had many experiences with children, including student interactions facilitated by classroom observations, teaching previous Step-Up courses, and participating as a counselor in the Challenge Program. He hopes to create a classroom in which students can learn in a fun and exciting way. Mr. Choby is an active member of his community, volunteering at various community events in his hometown as well as on Saint Vincent college campus. He is a big fan of music, reading and writing, and watching movies.
4:00 - 5:00
SU 56: How Sound Revolutionized Us
Students will review various media such as films, speeches, and music. Starting when sound was first introduced into media during the early 20th century, students will learn how the use of sound within media has evolved and how its introduction helped to change society. Students will also learn how historical movies, speeches, and books have helped to sway public opinion on certain topics and issues that society has faced in the past. This course will display whether these audios were successful in swaying public opinion or not, and what changes (good or bad) occurred following them.
COST: $ 20 ROOM: Alfred 36
Gabriel Graham is currently a sophomore here at Saint Vincent College. He is currently a History Education major and hopes to earn his Doctorate with the intent of teaching at a university level. Gabriel is also an avid outdoorsman who frequently enjoys hiking and fishing. Gabriel attended Norwin High School in which during his time there he played as a defenseman on the lacrosse team and participated in the Show Choir and Chamber Singers which were competitive choirs that participated in plenty of community service projects.
SU 57: The Science of Bowling: Know Before You Throw
This course will discuss the science behind the sport of bowling. We will begin by discussing the ideal angles in the sport such as the angle it takes to knock a pin down and the proper striking angle. We will then discuss the science behind bowling balls including surface and cores. We will then discuss lane friction and the amount of volume of oil on the lane. We will even have opportunities to explore the inside of a bowling ball!
COST: $ 20 DAY/TIME: Alfred 37
Mr. Brandon Dunmire is a sophomore at Saint Vincent College majoring in Secondary Education with a concentration in Mathematics. He is a graduate of Penns Manor High School in Clymer, Pennsylvania. He is active on the men’s bowling team at Saint Vincent and also volunteers as a youth bowling coach on his free weekends and has helped with a baseball training camp in Indiana during the summer. He was also a camp counselor at the Challenge Program during the summer of 2022.
SU 58: Origins of Math
Where did math start? Did Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks use math? In this 8-week course for grades 9-12, students will explore the history of math and how different ancient cultures used math. Some topics include Egyptian Hieroglyphs, Roman Numerals, and Greek Alphanumerics. The math of these cultures will be explored, as well as the concepts behind their math, how the math relates to their culture, and the differences between cultures' systems. By the end of the course, students will be able to identify, translate, and perform computations using various ancient number systems.
COST: $ 20 DAY/TIME: Alfred 31
Mr. Zachary Choby is a junior at Saint Vincent College majoring in mathematics and getting a secondary education certification. He has had many experiences with children, including student interactions facilitated by classroom observations, teaching previous Step-Up courses, and participating as a counselor in the Challenge Program. He hopes to create a classroom in which students can learn in a fun and exciting way. Mr. Choby is an active member of his community, volunteering at various community events in his hometown as well as on Saint Vincent college campus. He is a big fan of music, reading and writing, and watching movies.
2:00 - 3:00
SU 50: Introduction to Aerospace Science and History
This course will uncover the mystery of flight! Aircrafts in the modern world would have stunned our civilization even 100 years ago. By the end of this course, students will be able to understand what allows aircrafts to take flight and will be able to recall the history of aircrafts and the role they played in human development up to World War 1. This class includes a fun trip outside, where we will launch 100% homemade water powered rockets!
COST: $ 20 ROOM: Alfred 31
Mr. Carlo Pipitone is a Sophomore in Saint Vincent College, and is studying a Major in History and a Minor in Education. Mr. Pipitone took a gap semester, and enlisted in the New York Army National Guard as an Artillery Fire Control Specialist with the rank of Private First Class. Since high school, he has volunteered with the Air Force’s civilian auxiliary; the Civil Air Patrol, where he has completed two student pilot flight hours and wilderness search & rescue certifications. In his free time, he enjoys playing video games such as Minecraft. He has eight pets at home, including seven cats and a dog at his home in Staten Island, New York City.
SU 51: Chaos in Europe: An In-Depth Look at the Fall of Communism
In this course, students will examine the fall of communism in various countries in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In the first week, students will gain background knowledge of the Cold War and create a map of the Cold War era nations. Then they will spend each of the next several weeks looking at various nations’ anti-communist protests and collapses. The following countries will be studied: Poland, Hungary, Russia, Yugoslavia, Romania, East Germany, and China. The course concludes with an investigation of the aftermath of the Fall of Communism in the countries previously studied and the creation of a timeline. Students will strengthen their historical analysis skills by comparing the nature of different anti-communist protests and their results. They will also spend some time analyzing primary source video footage of the events as they unfolded.
COST: $ 20 ROOM: Alfred 36
Mr. Michael Drazga is currently a Saint Vincent sophomore majoring in Secondary Education with a concentration in mathematics. He is a graduate of North Allegheny Senior High School in Wexford, PA. He is an active member of his church community and has worked at its Vacation Bible School, serving as its music director this past summer. For the past five years, he has at been employed at Shenot Farm in Wexford, where he has worked in various capacities—including the training of new employees. An avid distance runner, Mr. Drazga is on the Saint Vincent cross country and track teams. When he is not working or running, he is sure to be spending time with family and friends or watching the Steelers.
SU 52: Lass uns Deutsch lernen!
Hallo und wilkommen zu Deutsch Klasse! (Hello and welcome to German class!) In this course, students will learn the basics of German language and culture. Get ready to learn and speak about German food, traditions, castles and other landmarks and places in Germany. No prior German knowledge required! Wir werden viel Spaß machen und auch viel lernen! (We are going to have a lot of fun and learn a lot too!)
COST: $ 20 ROOM: Alfred 38
Mr. Ian Buttermore is a sophomore at Saint Vincent College majoring in Chemistry with a minor in Secondary Education. Mr. Buttermore has a yearning for learning and is interested in many subjects outside of chemistry, including foreign language, history, physics, and much more. During the Summer, Mr. Buttermore is a counselor at the Challenge Program camp where he gets valuable experience working with ages 10-18. Mr. Buttermore spends his free time reading, playing chess, and learning about diverse topics outside of his college curriculum.
3:00 - 4:00
SU 53: Colonial Life
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in Colonial America. This course will outline everyday life and common practices found within Colonial America. The colonization of North America marked the beginning of a new era in world history. Every European nation wanted a piece of the American treasure even after the thirteen colonies established themselves as the United States. Throughout the course students will learn about everyday Colonial America through an immersive experience of primary sources, crafts and various projects.
COST: $ 20 ROOM: Alfred 37
Mr. Walker is a sophomore at Saint Vincent College majoring in Secondary Education with a concentration in History and a minor in Special Education. He has worked with children in multiple settings, some of which include teaching Sunday school at his church, working as a camp counselor at the Saint Vincent Challenge Camp and holding leadership position in the Commuter Relations program on campus. Mr. Walker also has given riding lessons to young children interested in learning to ride horses. In his free time, he can usual be found riding horses, shopping for antiques or taking part in historical reenactments.
SU 54: It's All About the Money: An Introduction to Finance and Economics
In this course, students will explore the core concepts of finance and economics. This course will cover an abundance of content such as the basics and knowledge about banking to investing in the stock market. This course begins with a study of basic concepts of personal finance. Students will learn about making investments, credit cards, percentages, discounts, and withdrawal, among other preliminary topics. It will then move to an overview of several basic economic principles. These include but are not limited to: Supply and Demand, opportunity cost, stock and bonds, and different types of markets. Charts, graphs, and simulations will also be utilized to teach the students about the realistic expectations of finance and economics today. The students will develop some of the following skills: critical thinking, analytical thinking, problem solving, decision making, and much more. Students will be given individual attention and opportunities for growth due the co-teaching style of the classroom. If you enjoy math and are wanting to learn more about personal finance, then this class is for you!
COST: $ 20 ROOM: Alfred 36
Ms. Davenport is a sophomore at Saint Vincent College majoring in Middle Level Education with a Mathematics concentration. She is a graduate of Bentworth High School and has had many unique experiences with children. Ms. Davenport has had the opportunity to teach several styles of dance to children ranging from all ages. In the past, she has also had the opportunity to teach Tae Kwon Do classes to late elementary to late middle school students. Ms. Davenport has also spent much of her time babysitting children of various ages. In her free time, you can find her spending time with family and friends, studying, or performing with the Saint Vincent dance team as well as the March of The Bearcats during the respective sports seasons.
Mr. Michael Drazga is currently a Saint Vincent sophomore majoring in Secondary Education with a concentration in mathematics. He is a graduate of North Allegheny Senior High School in Wexford, PA. He is an active member of his church community and has worked at its Vacation Bible School, serving as its music director this past summer. For the past five years, he has at been employed at Shenot Farm in Wexford, where he has worked in various capacities—including the training of new employees. An avid distance runner, Mr. Drazga is on the Saint Vincent cross country and track teams. When he is not working or running, he is sure to be spending time with family and friends or watching the Steelers.
SU 55: Math and Nature
What is the point of math? Why do we need to learn math? This course will try to answer these questions! In this course for grade 9-12, students will learn about various mathematical concepts like pi, fractals, and many interesting and unique geometrical shapes. Students will explore their appearances in nature and learn about what makes these ideas so fundamental in not only math, but also in the world around us. These concepts will be analyzed using various experiments and activities involved with nature and exploration of the natural world. By the end of the course, students will have a deeper appreciation of the complexities and uses of math.
COST: $ 20 ROOM: Alfred 31
Mr. Zachary Choby is a junior at Saint Vincent College majoring in mathematics and getting a secondary education certification. He has had many experiences with children, including student interactions facilitated by classroom observations, teaching previous Step-Up courses, and participating as a counselor in the Challenge Program. He hopes to create a classroom in which students can learn in a fun and exciting way. Mr. Choby is an active member of his community, volunteering at various community events in his hometown as well as on Saint Vincent college campus. He is a big fan of music, reading and writing, and watching movies.
4:00 - 5:00
SU 56: How Sound Revolutionized Us
Students will review various media such as films, speeches, and music. Starting when sound was first introduced into media during the early 20th century, students will learn how the use of sound within media has evolved and how its introduction helped to change society. Students will also learn how historical movies, speeches, and books have helped to sway public opinion on certain topics and issues that society has faced in the past. This course will display whether these audios were successful in swaying public opinion or not, and what changes (good or bad) occurred following them.
COST: $ 20 ROOM: Alfred 36
Gabriel Graham is currently a sophomore here at Saint Vincent College. He is currently a History Education major and hopes to earn his Doctorate with the intent of teaching at a university level. Gabriel is also an avid outdoorsman who frequently enjoys hiking and fishing. Gabriel attended Norwin High School in which during his time there he played as a defenseman on the lacrosse team and participated in the Show Choir and Chamber Singers which were competitive choirs that participated in plenty of community service projects.
SU 57: The Science of Bowling: Know Before You Throw
This course will discuss the science behind the sport of bowling. We will begin by discussing the ideal angles in the sport such as the angle it takes to knock a pin down and the proper striking angle. We will then discuss the science behind bowling balls including surface and cores. We will then discuss lane friction and the amount of volume of oil on the lane. We will even have opportunities to explore the inside of a bowling ball!
COST: $ 20 DAY/TIME: Alfred 37
Mr. Brandon Dunmire is a sophomore at Saint Vincent College majoring in Secondary Education with a concentration in Mathematics. He is a graduate of Penns Manor High School in Clymer, Pennsylvania. He is active on the men’s bowling team at Saint Vincent and also volunteers as a youth bowling coach on his free weekends and has helped with a baseball training camp in Indiana during the summer. He was also a camp counselor at the Challenge Program during the summer of 2022.
SU 58: Origins of Math
Where did math start? Did Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks use math? In this 8-week course for grades 9-12, students will explore the history of math and how different ancient cultures used math. Some topics include Egyptian Hieroglyphs, Roman Numerals, and Greek Alphanumerics. The math of these cultures will be explored, as well as the concepts behind their math, how the math relates to their culture, and the differences between cultures' systems. By the end of the course, students will be able to identify, translate, and perform computations using various ancient number systems.
COST: $ 20 DAY/TIME: Alfred 31
Mr. Zachary Choby is a junior at Saint Vincent College majoring in mathematics and getting a secondary education certification. He has had many experiences with children, including student interactions facilitated by classroom observations, teaching previous Step-Up courses, and participating as a counselor in the Challenge Program. He hopes to create a classroom in which students can learn in a fun and exciting way. Mr. Choby is an active member of his community, volunteering at various community events in his hometown as well as on Saint Vincent college campus. He is a big fan of music, reading and writing, and watching movies.
