College Gate College Academy

Course Options

College Gate® Course Options

These programs are designed for students who are currently in Grades K to 3.
College Gate® Students

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Create many multi-dimensional projects using various art media, such as clay, paper, pencils, paint, paper mache, oil pastels, brushes, and more. Explore crazy colors and abstract designs to create your own masterpieces.

Have you wondered what is behind the night sky? Learn about one of the greatest mysteries…outer space. Explore planets, galaxies, stars, cantillations, and more through a variety of experiments, demonstrations, and art. Prepare to voyage to infinity and beyond.

Engineer and construct a variety of superstructures using frail and sturdy materials. Explore the architecture of bridges, towers, and domes as you learn the principles of strength. Experiment with an array of interactive projects, such as roller coasters, race cars, catapults, and more. Put on your thinking caps and help us solve problems by asking questions, designing and creating prototypes, and testing and analyzing the results.

Learn how to become a crime scene investigator (CSI) and super sleuth as you secure the scene and preserve and analyze evidence in a series of “mock” campus mysteries. Fine-tune your observational and technical skills as an evidence technician while learning about fingerprinting, fiber identification, footprint impressions, and more. You will learn to solve “whodunnit” as you interview suspects and interrogate witnesses for many simulated mysteries.

This introductory course will allow you to learn how logic, strategy and creative problem solving skills are applied from the opening move to checkmate. Engage in tournaments, online challenges and epic chess games using our life size chess board.

Continue to develop your knowledge – record your game using notation, solve intermediate problems, and evaluate your position mid-game through advanced tactics. Analyze and polish your chess skills while engaging in tournaments and epic games on our life size chess board. Students should know piece moves and have played the game to enroll in the experienced level.

Have you ever wondered how delicious cupcakes in bakeries are decorated? Practice frosting as you learn how to make flowers, stars, fancy edges, and creative confections. Put on your apron and be ready to share your creations with family and friends.

Explore a variety of computer programs and their applications using graphics, illustrations and elements of the web. Learn about coding and how to express yourself with programming languages. Command your computer as you design video games, animations, interactive stories and 3D models. Using coding language make your characters come to life as they jump, move, dance and sing on your screen. Discover the power of your imagination. If you can dream it, you can design it!

Examine the many aspects of acting and theater: emotions, feelings, character vs. method acting, improvisation, voice projection, and poise as you perform skits and plays. Watch out, Broadway—we are taking the stage!

Have fun expressing yourself through music and movement as you learn a variety of dances to the popular “hits” of today. This upbeat and dynamic class fosters both the ability to work in a choreographed dance ensemble and strengthens each child’s personal movement styles. Get set to dance, dance, dance!

Build and Explore the physics of flight through a series of experiments using; balsa planes, gliders, kites, parachutes, helicopters, paper airplanes, frisbees, and more.

Using the outdoors and the college campus as your backdrop, create a series of short movie clips, skits, music videos, and more. Discover how much fun your group can have in front of the camera as you become a movie maker. Watch out, Hollywood, here we come.

Immerse yourself in this interactive lab experience as you investigate, handle, and dissect marine specimens, such as blue crabs, crayfish, and squid.

– Dive into the world of coding and game design with Minecraft Creator. Whether you are a beginner or have experience, use this intuitive interface to code in a 3D World. Plan, build, problem solve, discover and design to create your own dream palace and rule your Minecraft Kingdom

Students will learn the fundamentals of photography using a digital camera and a computer. Learn how to create graphics in Photoshop as you discover how to retouch, color correct photos, combine images and create graphics. Learn how to modify and enhance the still life photos that you capture around the college campus. Taking award winning photos is all just a click away

Voyage daily to the pond and gather water samples, perform experiments, and capture pond life. Learn about insects, dragonflies, lily pads, frogs, and more. Grab your nets and rods to capture toads, tadpoles, fish, and other pond life.

Wind, water, battery and solar power are the wave of the future. Create a variety of projects including pinwheel wind turbines, sail boats, water wheels, solar ovens, balloon rocket cars and wind powered vehicles. Through experiments, crafts and stories learn how to “power up” our world today with many sources of energy.

Using the EV3 program, you will construct a variety of vehicles and program them to compete in a series of challenges successfully. Students are expected to work in a cooperative group atmosphere.

Using the EV3 platform, you will learn how to construct more complex vehicles and use advanced programming to engineer your way through a series of progressive challenges. Advanced planning, clear strategy, and your programming skills will be put to the test. Students are expected to work in a cooperative group environment.

Explore aerodynamics, physics, and the forces of flight as you construct and launch your own model rockets. Learn about nosecones, body tubes, fin placement, engines, ignition systems, and launch safety. Finish your build with a customized paint design and decals. Get ready for the countdown to blast your rocket into the sky, and watch as a successfully engineered recovery system provides a safe return. Look out, NASA, here we come!

In the college science lab, become a chemist, biologist, physicist, and super scientist as you experiment with solutions, powders, polymers, and more. Make tie-dye milk, magic flowers, DNA models, water filtration systems, an indoor snowstorm are more. Get ready to fizz, pop, slime, test, and react!

Using air-dried clay, learn how to become a sculptor. Make and paint many three-dimensional art forms. Students will create freestanding, handmade pieces using sculptural techniques, including coil building, form molding, and carving.

Put on your tool belt as you measure, drill, sand, hammer, nail, assemble, and finish a variety of wooden projects. Create projects, such as a toolbox, gumball machine, flag, step stool, birdhouse, and more.

College Academy® Course Options

These programs are designed for students who are currently in Grades 4 to 8.

College Academy® Students

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Examine the many aspects of theater: emotions, feelings, character vs. method acting, improvisation, voice projection, and poise as you perform before an audience.

Construct your own unique stories and characters using Flash, frame-by-frame drawn animation, symbol-based animation, motion tweens, layers, graphics, shape tweens, scenes, buttons, and sounds.

Become a young entrepreneur as you start with an idea for a business/product and learn the process to develop a prototype, business plan, budget, and marketing strategy. Using the One Button studio, design and record a commercial for the digital marketplace! Take care of business as you prepare a final “pitch” to persuade the CA Sharks.

Learn about the judicial system as you explore civil and criminal law and prepare for a series of “mock” trials. Research cases, learn the rules of debate, and gain confidence as a public speaker. Become a prosecutor, defense attorney, judge, or member of the jury as you head to the College Academy Courtroom.

In the science lab, grab your safety goggles as you investigate various reactions using solutions, powders, and other simple materials. Monitor your actions and reactions as you prepare for your next experiment.

This introductory course will allow you to learn how logic, strategy and creative problem solving skills are applied from the opening move to checkmate. Engage in tournaments, online challenges and epic chess games using our life size chess board

Continue to develop your knowledge – record your game using notation, solve intermediate problems, and evaluate your position mid-game through advanced tactics. Analyze and polish your chess skills while engaging in tournaments and epic games on our life size chess board. Explore a series of games such as Chess 960, Fast Chess, Bughouse, Double Chess, Online Chess, Crazyhouse and more. Students should know piece moves and have played the game to enroll in the experienced level.

Have you ever wondered how delicious cupcakes in bakeries are decorated? Practice with frosting as you learn how to make flowers, stars, fancy edges, and creative confections. Put on your apron and be ready to share your creations with family and friends.

Have fun expressing yourself through music and movement as you learn a variety of dances to the popular “hits” of today. This upbeat and dynamic class fosters both the ability to work in a choreographed dance ensemble and strengthens each child’s personal movement styles. Get set to dance, dance, dance!

Explore the world of magic users, dwarfs, and dragons. Create your character to participate in a number of game campaigns and fine-tune your role-playing skills. Discover several adventures as you manage through a maze of excitement. Collaborate with others or seek to conquer the quest on your own! Beginner and Experienced levels will be offered.

Become a CSI (Crime Scene Investigator) as you: secure the scene, collect, preserve and analyze evidence in a series of mock campus “crimes.” Fine-tune your observational and technical skills as an evidence technician while learning about fingerprinting, fiber identification, “blood” spatter, footprint impressions, and more.

Grab your fishing poles, nets, and other equipment to capture and track fish, turtles, frogs, insects, and other marine life. You will voyage to the campus pond daily and use the outdoors as your learning environment.

Using a variety of “creative tools” build a brand, develop logos, scale your work and manage your designs with the freedom to create anything you can imagine. Designers of all levels will discover how to sketch and draw their own illustrations while working with a range of color and text. Develop the skills of a graphic artist to customize your portfolio with the precision of a professional!

Learn how to discover your artistic talents as you create, draw, sketch and design many works of art. Using various mixed media design creations such as mystical mandalas, mind-bending tessellations, optical illusions, sports team logos, superheroes, comic book characters, street signs, 3-D drawings, zentangle patterns, animals and more. Learn how to draw the world in front of you and compile a portfolio of fascinating, original artworks!

Immerse yourself in this interactive lab experience as you investigate, handle, and dissect marine specimens, such as starfish, crayfish, squid, perch, and dogfish. Explore the layers of the ocean, the impacts of pollution, the importance of coral reefs, and much more.

Dive into the world of coding and game design. Whether you are a beginner or have experience, use this intuitive interface to code in a 3D world. Plan, build, problem solves, discover and design to create your own dream palace and rule your Minecraft kingdom.

Using the outdoors and the college campus as your backdrop, create a series of short movie clips, skits, music videos, and more. Discover how much fun your group can have in front of the camera.

Learn how to develop, refine and record your own music. Using MIDI beats/instruments, Garage Band and other remixing software, collaborate with other students to create a portfolio of original songs. Whether you are a music enthusiast or looking for a new experience, discover the elements of production as you bring your musical ideas to life; compose, arrange, edit, mix and master your tracks.

Experiment and build a variety of structures as you use your imagination, judgement, and reasoning to investigate: energy, strength, force, motion, gravity, momentum and more. Learn about kinetic energy as you design a “stick bomb” obstacle course and compete with your fellow engineers to win the race! Discover the science and engineering behind amusement park rides as you design a ferris wheel and classroom rollercoaster. Become a solution builder to tackle a series of real world challenges as you build towers, bridges and other structures. Get ready to test, build, engineer and experiment with the elements of physics!

Develop your skills to work effectively and creatively with this image creation, graphic design and photo editing software. From touching up family photos, to creating professional grade digital images learn how to use Photoshop to add lighting and color effects, or achieve more complicated results by creating multiple layers, digital filters,

and splicing separate images together. Explore a comprehensive range of tools to modify, refine and remix a variety of images as you create an amazing portfolio of digital designs.

Enter the college radio station, turn on the microphone and go live! Discover how to develop a radio show to cover sports, comedy, current events, entertainment, music and more. You will create podcasts, have audience interactions with your listeners, conduct interviews and be a music DJ. Learn about playlists, commercials and programming all while LIVE on air at WSHL 93.1.

Using the EV3 platform, you will learn how to construct a series of complex vehicles and use advanced programming to engineer your way through a series of progressive challenges. Advanced planning, clear strategy, and your programming skills will be put to the test. Students are expected to work in a cooperative group environment.

Rocketry Beginner – Explore aerodynamics, physics, and the forces of flight as you construct and launch your own model rockets. Learn about nosecones, body tubes, fin placement, engines, ignition systems, and launch safety. Finish your build with a customized paint design and decals. Get ready for the countdown to blast your rocket into the sky, and watch as a successfully engineered recovery system provides a safe return. Look out, NASA, here we come!

 

Rocketry Advanced – Expand your knowledge of propulsion, flight dynamics, and recovery systems using more complex building techniques. Finish your rocket with a customized paint design and prepare to launch using more advanced engine systems. If you have taken Rocketry in our program during the past summer, the advanced level awaits you.

Use your imagination and develop your art techniques while creating your own works in 3-D using air-dried clay. Students will create freestanding, handmade pieces using sculptural techniques, including coil building, form molding, and carving.

Use the college television studio to produce a variety of projects, and once the filming is done, move to post-production, including editing, background music, voice-over, and more.

College Gate® Gallery

College Academy® Gallery