6a. CHECstra Day for Teens

Interdisciplinary learning for teens

CHECstra Day offers teens a mixture of academic development, social time, interest-led project work, and recreation. The program emphasizes choice in learning and teens are included in planning and rotating activities. Most days, our schedule is:

In-depth Study

For spring term, morning flex time will include facilitated cooking projects, board games, and art projects. Our May 14th class will be a class field trip to Richmond.  This session, we'll have two periods of in-depth study:

It's a marvelous world: Ethics and Morality in the Marvel Universe - Join us to explore the ethical twists and turns of the Marvel Universe to answer the most important question of all -- Are you a Hero or a Villain? And, in the end, how does one decide?

and

Chemistry of Percy Jackson - In this class, students will explore the chemistry behind the magical world of Percy Jackson, connecting real chemical reactions to the powers of the gods. Through hands-on experiments, they’ll simulate "Poseidon's foam" with foaming reactions, "Zeus's lightning" with static electricity, and create glowing potions with chemiluminescence, all while learning about the chemistry of elements like water, fire, and air. They'll also experiment with metal alloys like "Hephaestus's forge" and explore crystallization through Medusa’s petrifying gaze. By the end of the course, students will see how chemistry brings ancient myths to life and spark their creativity with magical, real-world science. Note: This offering will run for the first 6 weeks with plans for the final 2 weeks of this class period offering a different academic option.

Rotating Period

Lunch is followed by a rotating activity each week. Past activities have included a local scavenger hunt, Zentangles creations, cooking lunch, team Jeopardy, puzzle chess, attending a Shakespeare production of Macbeth, and First Aid instruction. Spring activities will continue to represent a variety of interests and activities selected with input from enrolled teens.

Spring Term Dates

Please take note of the exact days for spring term CHECstra Teen Day. We will have class on the following WEDNESDAYS: March 19, 26, April 9, 16, 23, 30, May 7 and 14. May 21st is CHECstra's make up day for spring 2025 term. CHECstra Day runs from 11-3:30, however, students are invited to arrive at 10:30am and/or stay until 4pm for optional extra social time. 

Technology Use During Class Time
We have debated whether or not to have a no device rule at CHECstra in an effort to facilitate learning and connection. We are reluctant to issue a blanket rule as many of our students prefer to use computers for writing and other classroom activities. Our approach for the upcoming term is to request the following appropriate use of devices during CHECstra hours:

It is appropriate to use a device during class time to look up information related to the lecture or learning activity or as a learning aid (typing, calculator, etc.)
Student focus should be on teachers, peers, and learning during CHECstra hours. Please do not play games, engage in online conversations, or work on non-CHECstra projects during CHECstra time.

We recognize that students enjoy playing computer games together and this can be a fun, social, and engaging activity. That being said, most students have ample opportunity to play computer games outside of CHEC and we want to focus on in person activities during CHECstra time. We'd ask that students use time to chat in groups, play on the playground, work on cooking projects, play board or card games, or other non-computer game activities during social time.

Silence phones during CHECstra

We understand that students will want to check texts/email/social media during CHECstra. Out of respect for teachers and other students, do not check during class time (11-3:30). Checking during lunch or breaks is okay. Try to check a limited number of times (2 or 3) through out the day so you give your focus to your peers.

Some device use during morning and afternoon flex time is appropriate. It should not be the only thing you ever do during flex time. Our hope is that we can all voluntarily comply with these guidelines so we can benefit from the assistive aspects of technology without compromising our learning. Our intention is to speak with people individually if their technology use is an issue. In the event that many of us are over-using technology to the point of disrupting learning, we will change our policy to request that students do not bring devices to class, so students should be aware that this may become a requirement of CHECstra.

Questions? For further information, please contact the instructors at [email protected].

Instructor: Teela James

I love learning about new things and finding connections between diverse topics. This tendency has lead to a rather wandering career path that has included programming, technical training, writing short stories, designing parks, teaching, and guiding wilderness camping trips. I am currently able to share my enthusiasm for these topics with my two custom educated children. I feel that my role as an instructor involves engaging students by presenting fun material and then supporting them in delving into the parts they find fascinating. Students with learning differences are welcome in my classes and I enjoy working with them to find effective accommodations. I have a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Saskatchewan and a MLA from the University of Georgia.

Instructor: Zoe Reich

I am a lab specialist at UVA that studies neurodegenerative diseases, diseases that worsen the health of our nerve cells. In May of 2024, I graduated from Rutgers University's Honors College after studying Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and English. I plan to pursue my PhD in Neuroscience and continue my research on Alzheimer's Disease (feel free to ask me about it!). I love learning and teaching, so I am really excited to be teaching with CHEC. Throughout the last few years, I have tutored and taught classes in STEM and the humanities. I designed and taught STEM classes at Rutgers that were focused on first-year college students. As for my teaching philosophy, I support a learn by doing mindset and experiments are a great way to do just that! In my free time, I love to hike, climb, paint with watercolors, and read

Instructor: Maggie Lee

A mom of two, I have been homeschooling for over 12 years. My teaching style emphasizes student centered learning--I encourage active classroom discussion and participation while working to celebrate each student's strengths. Motivating students through interactive, dynamic lessons makes learning more relevant and meaningful. My goal is to make knowledge fun and accessible to every student.

Instructor: Dannielle Lamison

Dannielle has been a CHEC officer since 2017, fulfilling many roles including Head Site Supervisor, Treasurer, Board Vice-President and is now part of the kick-off team for the new Teen Program, CHECstra Day.