Critical thinking is stressed when covering civics, social issues, and citizenship. A mock trial on the decision to drop the bomb is a cross-disciplinary program done as part of this course. D.C. Foreign Language Seventh and eighth grade students complete one year of high school level foreign language in the student's choice of French, Spanish or Latin. At the eighth grade level, the Art Program explores the power of linoleum block printmaking. Exploring the works of Thom Shaw, Kathe Kollwitz and Pablo Picasso, students are led to see how a reduction print can be an embodiment of a social statement.
Students work on a unit within ceramics during the eighth grade year.
Students are then given an opportunity to explore hand-built and thrown pieces on a potter's wheel. At the seventh and eighth grade level, students again choose among Band, Chorus, and General Music. In Band, students strengthen their skills at their instrument, play as an ensemble, play at pep rallies and games and perform various concerts throughout the year. In Chorus, students learn to sight sing, learn to blend as an ensemble, learn about vocal production, and perform concerts. In General Music, students strengthen their listening skills, learn important musical terms and study the history of classical music and rock and roll.