Middle School Courses
Amazing Math
This is a financial education course where students will apply Math concepts to understand how to manage money. Students will learn about money and strategies for saving and investing. In addition there will be some discussion about earned interest and compounding interest. (Grades 6-8)
Build to Scale: Architectural Model Construction
Students learn basic architectural model-building skills in this class. The students will learn how to build massing models using clay and computer modeling. They will learn how to develop their designs with physical models constructed of various materials including wood, chip-board, cardboard, foam-core, plastic, fabric and different types of glues. This class offers a fun, relaxed environment where students use their imaginations as they learn about the design process through model building. Students will become familiar with the work of a few famous architects and will learn the concepts of scale, spatial relationships, materials, and form. Completed projects are displayed during the closing event. (Grades 6-8)
Engineering - Spaghetti Bridge Building
Come “pasta” the time while learning bridge building engineering principles to compete in a spaghetti bridge competition. Students in teams will design and build a bridge constructed from spaghetti and glue. The competition will test the design by applying load until the bridge collapses. Come put your engineering skills to the test. (Grades 6-8)
Physical Science
The Physical Science course explores the universe of motion, forces, and energy that we are exposed to daily but take for granted. There are fun type laboratory and take home activities designed to improve the student's understanding of scientific methods, properties of matter, and the concepts of force, heat, and light. This course will provide a working knowledge of the fundamentals of how objects move and interact in the world around us. It will teach students the skills and processes necessary to think creatively and make decisions required to solve physical problems, resulting in achieving higher scores on science tests. (Grades 6-8)
Robotics: NXT Challenge-Race Against Time
Students will learn how robots work while using math, science, and technology in exciting robotic challenges. Students will work in teams to design, build, program and test robots to perform a variety of challenges against the clock. (Grades 6-8)
Web Page Design
Using Macromedia's Dreamweaver application, students will be introduced to the basic concepts of web design. This will include the use of supporting text and graphics, creating navigation links, and uploading the pages to a web server. The process of designing a website will allow students to exercise/enhance their creativity and organizational skills by taking information gathered from topic-oriented research and displaying it in a visually appealing manner on their website. (Grade 6-8)
High School Courses
ACT Prep
The course is a basic preparation for the ACT (American College Test). General test taking strategies will be presented, as well as a grammar and math review. Students will do practice tests and receive feedback on how to improve their understanding of the material and their test taking ability. (Grades 9-12)
Amazing Math (Advanced)
Many of today’s careers, especially those related to science and engineering, involve some expertise with mathematics. While the subject of mathematics can often be overwhelming to most students, we will show you that math is in fact a subject that can be conquered and mastered well. Students will cover daunting topics such as algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. Issues that seemed complex during the school year will become solidified through this four-week power course. Students will leave feeling more at ease and confident with mathematics concepts. (Grades 9-12)
Cyber Boot Camp
This is an innovative course that will help introduce students to the area of computers through a hands-on experience. Students will receive an introduction to computers and their hardware components, networks, and programming. Some of the activities in the course include: building a computer from the ground up, making network cables, and learning basic computer science concepts. In addition the students will learn important information on Malware, Spyware, Worms, Viruses etc and what public tools are available to help make their home computers more secure. This course is being offered by the Center for Cyber Defenders at Sandia National Laboratories. Cyber Defenders is a student internship program for college and university students majoring in Computer Science with an interest in Cyber Security. (Grades 9-12)
Taking Flight - A Summer Aviation Camp
The class will provide a brief history of aviation as well as hands-on experience through flight simulation and two tours. Students will have the opportunity to meet members of the Tuskegee Airmen, visit the Albuquerque Sunport for a tour of various aircrafts, and tour the local FAA air traffic control facility. (Grades 9-12)
Java Programming
In this course, students will learn about a powerful operating system, Linux, which is becoming popular for supercomputers. Students will learn the basics of file management using Linux. Students will receive an introduction to programming in Java and how to use Java in Web pages. The course will end with an in-class Java programming project. (Grades 9-12)
All About Writing
In this class, students will learn about writing as a tool for making life easier. Students will see how the tools we use—pencils and computers and cell phones—affect the way we write. The class will consist of several fun writing projects and a number of discussions about the ways that new technologies, like text messaging, have changed the way we communicate. The knowledge that students gain from this course will make them better writers and better readers (Grades 9-12).
Special Course
Machining: How Things Are Made
Do you know how things are made? If you would like to know and to see first hand how raw material is shaped into everyday product, please join the HMTECH class, Machining: How Things Are Made. This class will provide an introduction to Central New Mexico (CNM)'s curriculum for pursuing the high tech career field of Machine Tool Technology. It offers an opportunity to learn about the knowledge, skill and ability that goes into creating something from a drawing, model, or your imagination. Discover how computers are used to design and manufacture. See first hand how things are made! (Grades 9-12)