Middle School
Course Registration
Learn more about Middle School courses listed below. Course registration is open from March 23 - April 10.
Please note the following requirements before filling out the registration form (which will be sent to parents and added to this page on March 23, when registration opens):
Student must choose ONE year-long Art.
Students must choose ONE Elective (you will be asked to rank your top three choices during registration).
All students will already have a required Study Hall in their rotation schedule. You may also choose an additional Study Hall as your elective. Please note that depending on your schedule and elective choice, your elective may occur in your first or second semester.
Students must select ONE World Language.
Chorus
One Year
Middle School Chorus offers a structured exploration of choral singing for students seeking an introduction to musical expression. Tailored for middle school students, this program focuses on cultivating a foundational understanding of choral principles, fostering healthy vocal technique, exploring a wide range of repertoire within its cultural and historical context, understanding basic music notation concepts, and instilling an appreciation for collaborative musical endeavors. Throughout the course, students will develop teamwork and ensemble skills through group activities, partner singing, and interactive games. Each semester, students will be guided through the nuances of stage presence, communication, and the art of performance, culminating in opportunities to showcase their acquired skills.
Arts
Orchestra
One Semester
Middle School Orchestra is an ensemble which explores instrumental music through a variety of genres including folk, classical, and non-classical works. Performance skills and understanding of the art form, both in practice and in theory, will be attained through rehearsal, discussion, class work, and public performance. The ensemble experience will build technique, listening, and additional skills including creativity, discipline, resilience, and self-compassion in the learning process. The following instruments are eligible for orchestra: Strings—violin, viola, cello, bass (beginning to experienced).
Theatre
One Year
This course provides an introduction to theatre arts at Westridge. Students will learn to build a trusting and supportive ensemble through a variety of collaboration exercises and theatre games. Throughout the year, students will be learning the true meaning of “play” as they discover their creative voice. To explore performance, students will develop the foundations of solid physical and vocal technique, and they will explore character development through the practice of theatre improvisation. Students will also begin to learn about theatre terminology and architecture. Through guest visits from the Westridge Theatre department faculty and staff, students will have the opportunity to explore the Westridge Performing Arts Center and to get familiar with all the various positions involved in bringing our theatrical productions to life.
Visual Arts
One Year
In 7th grade, students develop foundational artistic skills while discovering their voice as makers and collaborators. Through drawing, printmaking, and material experimentation, they study value and shading, negative space, dynamic composition, and sacred geometry. Projects blend traditional techniques with digital tools such as Adobe Illustrator and laser cutting in the STEAM Lab. Sustainability is central: students create handmade paper from plants and recycled materials and produce natural inks and dyes sourced from campus. Through critique and reflection, they strengthen visual literacy, craftsmanship, and confidence. The course culminates in designing and fabricating a sculptural “magic lantern.”
In 8th grade, Students deepen their artistic identity through sculpture, installation, and digital fabrication. Emphasizing sustained inquiry and conceptual development, projects incorporate 3D scanning, modeling, and printing alongside handmade processes. Students research contemporary artists exploring social justice, environmental issues, and equity, and apply these themes to their own work. Broad prompts encourage innovative problem-solving and material transformation. Students create cohesive installation environments, document their work using professional lighting and display standards, and refine skills in critique, collaboration, and process-based thinking. The course challenges students to take creative risks and develop ambitious, thoughtfully executed projects.
Coding & Game Design
One Semester
An understanding of coding and computer science will be important in many majors and careers. In order to be well educated and empowered, our students should be creators, not just consumers. Most of us have played games and used apps, but how do people actually design and create them? The Coding and Game Design course will explore these questions and others with a focus on core programming concepts. Students will create games, apps, and art using various programs. Students will also work with robotics, electronics, drones, and the STEAMWork Design Studio to create projects that combine coding, engineering, and making. The course will cultivate critical skills such as systems thinking, problem solving, creativity, collaboration, digital media literacy, and a motivation for STEM learning.
Electives
Speech & Debate
One Semester
This course introduces students to the world of competitive speech & debate, teaching students the skills of basic communication and persuasion. Speech teaches students an array of skills, including speech-writing, research, script-cutting, and even theatre skills. In debate, students learn how to conduct research using databases and think tanks from around the globe, how to organize and formulate arguments, and how to argue effectively for any ideas 10 which they are given to defend. In addition to the prior curriculum, debaters will travel to tournaments throughout the year in order to compete against fellow debaters from around the nation. Please note this class has larger commitments for students** and parents***.
*Class is one semester but requires one-year commitment for afterschool practice and competitions.
** Families are expected to provide an adult judge once per semester. Training will be provided. If there are special circumstances and you are unable to provide an adult judge to 1 tournament, tournaments sometimes offer the option of hiring a judge in your place. This would cost $150 and covers your semester commitment.
Rocketry
One Semester
This course introduces students to the hands-on process of model rocketry. Starting from scratch, students work together as a team to design and build model rockets using equipment in the STEAMWork Design Studio (including 3D printers and the laser cutter), and assemble the parts by hand. The design process integrates math, physics, and engineering concepts as well as aesthetic decision-making. Students test their completed rockets and take this information and experience back into the classroom for discussion, weighing cause and effect, and building new iterations and modifications to their design. This course develops strong teamwork skills and allows students to engage in the full engineering cycle: to design, build, test, and repeat.
STEAM: Permaculture
One Semester
Permaculture is a way to design healthy ecosystems and communities locally and to help solve global environmental issues such as climate change. In this hands-on, project-based course, students explore permaculture principles as applied to soil, water, and food while developing and caring for their very own sustainable garden. Students will practice eco-friendly regenerative gardening techniques to change lifeless dirt into living and thriving soil, to attract pollinators such as butterflies and hummingbirds, to hold more carbon and water in the ground, and to make amazing organic fruit and vegetables. We will learn from real-life examples of regenerative agriculture on field trips to places like the Crescent Farm at the LA Arboretum, Arlington Garden, and Akwaaba Food Forest. Students will explore biology and ecology through observation and experimentation in the garden. While they grow soil, flowers and food, students will cultivate skills in problem solving, systems thinking, and collaboration.
STEAM: Ocean
One Semester
In our Middle School STEAM electives, students learn about concepts bridging the STEAM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) by conducting hands-on laboratory activities, experiments, and other exploratory activities. They are then given challenges that ask them to create projects within given parameters. Students exercise problem-solving, engineering, and design-process skills as they work on their projects. Concepts covered in this course include oceanography and marine biology. Projects will include both short- and long-term challenges. Examples include artistic interpretations, model making, biomimicry (product design inspired by living things), designing structures to withstand waves and currents, and exploring how robots and other technology are used to study the ocean.
Taste & Travels
One Semester
To supplement the global nature of humanity, we intend to travel the world through food and its origins through the core principles of geography (location, place, movement, region, human-environmental interaction). We will focus on biomes, starting locally with Los Angeles (followed by tropical rainforests, temperate forests, deserts, tundra, taiga, grasslands, and savanna) and the various cultures and foods originating from those biomes, all of which impact human existence. By incorporating student interest, student family backgrounds, and our community’s appreciation of food, we will come to see that the variety in earth’s geography and modern globalization has had a direct impact on how we enjoy food.
Design In The Everyday
One Semester
Why are some apps addictive while others are infuriating to use? Why do we love certain products, and throw away others after a single use? Is there truly not a better way to board a plane? In this course, students will explore how understanding the human mind informs better design. The course will blend the fields of psychology, neuroscience, sociology, philosophy, and computer science, to better understand what shapes the user experience, and in turn, the design of the products and technology we use every day. Through self-directed projects, students will cover how to design human-centered experiences, moving through the full design thinking process —understanding the user, defining the problem state, ideating, prototyping, and testing.
Passion, Purpose, & Service
One Semester
This isn’t just another class; it’s your opportunity to discover what inspires you and use it to create real change. In this semester-long elective, you’ll explore your strengths, ignite your passions, and build the leadership skills to turn bold ideas into action. Along the way, you’ll design and lead a service project that matters to you, sharpening your ability to communicate, collaborate, and problem-solve with confidence. By the end of the course, you’ll have made a lasting impact on your community and gained a deeper understanding of who you are and what drives you.
Study Hall
One Semester
In our Middle School Study Hall, students have the opportunity to do independent work in a quiet and focused space. Students will use their planners and to-do lists, check their emails and announcements, and decide what they want to accomplish in this time. This can include finishing or taking assessments, booking time with a teacher, and . This is the time for students to build good study habits, check their school emails, announcements, and plan for larger projects coming up.
Latin
One Year
MS Latin introduces students to beginning Latin as a basis for the study of language. English and Latin grammar are discussed and compared, as are English derivatives from Latin roots. Students learn useful study techniques and terms specific to the study of language. Over time, students build up a store of vocabulary words and learn about case uses, verb tense and voice, and many other aspects of how the language functions. Much time is spent on the process of translating and in developing analytical skills. While the goal of the course is gradually to develop reading comprehension of Latin text, classical mythology, culture, history and literature are also explored.
World Languages
Mandarin Chinese
One Year
Middle School Mandarin Chinese is designed for students who have had little or no previous exposure to Mandarin Chinese. Students will begin the class by learning the linguistic and cultural aspects of the Chinese language. The emphasis will be on such skills as listening, speaking, reading, and writing in Chinese through classroom activities, homework practice, and various projects. Students are expected to understand short conversations, communicate with each other via course related content, recognize target characters while reading simple paragraphs, and express themselves using proper vocabulary and grammar in their writing. In addition, students will explore Chinese culture by means of movies, documentaries, songs, and other activities.
Spanish
One Year
This course is designed to build a solid foundation of beginning level concepts and skills required for subsequent levels of study. Within a safe and engaging learning environment, and using a communicative approach to second language acquisition, students will develop confidence, competency, and proficiency in all four language skills - listening, speaking, reading, and writing - including a fifth skills, cultural understanding and awareness.
This will adequately prepare students and facilitate their transition into higher-level Spanish courses. Their successful language journey begins here!