CHECstra Teen

  • Homeschool
Unity of Charlottesville: 2825 Hydraulic Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22901, USA
Jan 07 2026
Feb 25 2026
CHECstra Teen
$441.00 USD $436.00 USD

Early bird price expires on Dec 29, 2025 at 11:59 PM

  1. Wed11:00 am - 3:30 pm

Description

Interdisciplinary learning for teens

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


 

  • 10:30-11:00
Morning flex time·optional social time
  • 11:00-12:15
In-depth study·academic development
  • 12:15-1:00
Lunch·lunch
  • 1:00-2:00
Rotating period·social opportunities and life skills
  • 2:15-3:30
In-depth study·academic development
  • 3:30-4:00
Afternoon flex time·optional social time

 

In-depth Study

This session, we'll have two periods of in-depth study:

Worlds of Weird and Wonder - Teela James

This speculative fiction language arts class explores the science fiction and fantasy genres.  We'll focus on unique aspects of the genres like world building and the speculative premise.  We'll be reading, watching and discussing science fiction and fantasy stories as we explore topics like what makes a good magic system or how to describe a unique world without slowing down your story.  We'll listen to excerpts from podcasts ("Writing Excuses"), master classes (N.K Jemison) and books on writing (Stephen King).  Students will have a final project. They will have the option to either design their own speculative fiction world or to analyze a world created by an author of their choice.

 

Note:  This class will include homework (typically about 1 hour per week).  This will typically involve reading or watching material that we will be discussing in class.  Students will set their own objectives for their final project, so they will be able to decide how much time and energy they wish to put into that element of the class.

Possible field trip: See "Back To the Future" at the Altria theater in Richmond.  This is playing on Wednesday evening, so it would be an out of class time field trip.

 

Photography

Discover the art and science of photography in this fun, hands-on course designed for curious creatives!
Each week, we’ll explore key elements like composition, light, and perspective—learning the “rules” and how (and when!) to break them for more powerful storytelling. We’ll also experiment with camera settings like shutter speed, aperture, and ISO to make confident, creative choices. Through weekly photo prompts, scavenger hunts, and mini-challenges, students will sharpen their eye, build their skills, and start seeing the world in a whole new way.
*A DSLR or mirrorless camera is ideal for this class so students can fully explore manual settings—but if all you’ve got is a cell phone camera, don’t worry! We’ll make sure everyone can participate and grow their creative vision with the tools they have.

 

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.

 

Winter Term Dates

Please take note of the exact days for fall term CHECstra Teen Day. We will have class on the following WEDNESDAYS: January 7, 14, 21, 28 February 4, 11, 18, 25. March 4th is CHECstra's make up day. 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. 

 

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 have taught at CHEC since 2012 and have feel so lucky to have been
able to be a part of the homeschool journey for both my own children and
so many students at CHEC.  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: Rebecca George

Rebecca George is a Charlottesville-based professional photographer who specializes in branding, food, and portrait photography with a storytelling twist. With a warm, creative approach and years of experience behind the lens, she’s passionate about helping students see the world more deeply and express their unique perspective through the art of photography.

Instructor: Susan Maccarelli

Susan is a parent of two CHEC teens and has enjoyed teaching classes since starting at CHEC in 2022. She has offered many board and card gaming classes as Mystery Role Play and crafts classes. Susan enjoys volunteering at CHEC and playing with her mini schnoodle pup.  Susan has a Masters degree in Education from JMU, and is looking forward to offering some new and interesting rotating options for CHECstra Teen.

 

Class dates

01/07/2026, 01/14/2026, 01/21/2026, 01/28/2026, 02/04/2026, 02/11/2026, 02/18/2026, 02/25/2026

Restrictions

Participants must be 13 years to 19 years old when the program starts.

Program enrollment capacity

Minimum: 12

Maximum: 16

Registration period

Registration starts on 11/08/2025 and ends on 01/10/2026.

In-person location

Unity of Charlottesville: 2825 Hydraulic Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22901, USA

Room: TBD

Registration is not started yet. The registration opens on Saturday November 08, 2025 at 09:00 AM
Multi-class Registration