Seminars

Each term, students at CCLCS have a choice of elective courses, known as Seminars. Fifteen to twenty different seminars, in subjects ranging from Mock Trial Competition to Forensic Science to Songwriting, are offered each term (see the historical list or current seminars), so students are able to explore their own interests in greater depth, or to try out new things that intrigue them.

Seminars are an integral part of the Lighthouse School philosophy and curriculum. Meeting twice a week for 1 1/2 hours a session, the seminars are a way for students and teachers to explore in-depth subjects which might not be covered under the traditional parameters of a middle school curriculum. Each quarter the seminar offerings change to reflect both the instructional interests of the faculty as well as the learning interests of the students. The seminars also provide a window of opportunity for community members to act as resource partners and sharing in the education of our local students.

Reflections are completed by the students at the end of each seminar. A letter grade or Pass/Fail are provided by the facilitators.

Seminars may occasionally be an introduction to an ongoing activity.

Examples of Seminar descriptions

Mock Trial: Students have worked hard to get to this point, often meeting after school hours to hone their trial skills. This year's case is a federal conspiracy case involving animal rights groups, a federal facility which uses animals, a break-in, destruction, fire, and the death of a federal employee. Students prepared and went to court with both sides of the case, appearing as attorneys and witnesses before judges in Bristol County. The skills developed in this seminar include careful writing, good listening, effective oral presentation and a good deal of thinking on one's feet.

SNAKE Art: ..or Salient Neuro-Artistic Kinesis Experiments. This seminar focused on self-expression through experimentation with obsessive doodling, automatist (automatic) drawing, painting, writing, and curating art. We took a look at folk art, primitive art, outsider art and the art of the mentally ill in order to better understand how someone develops personal imagery, and what diverse forms expression may take. We improved our painting skills, learned color mixing, and experimented with texture. Our daily studio work was primarily based on Surrealist visual and writing "games" or exercises. Often we would push the work further in the next class by reworking these exercises into new works. Students in this seminar also curated a show (selected works from the permanent collection) at the Provincetown Art Association & Museum, were involved in a creative writing project, drawings, and monoprints based on their selections, and then created their own works of art for an exhibition in the newly renovated Museum space. This day-long experience at the Museum culminated in a successful, well-attended opening and dinner.

Recreational Math: Math is a blast. Honest - Just ask any of the participants in the recreational math seminar. Among our cool, fun topics, we studied the geometry of three-cushion billiards (with field study, of course), tested Pythagoras' glass harmonica design (seems Pythagoras had a line on some finer crystal than the Chinese restaurant could supply), discovered the difference between a maze and a labyrinth and even developed an alternative dimensional theory.

A nearly-complete history of seminar offerings through the years

1997 - 1998 Art Through the Ages Biographies Cape Cod Geology Ceramics Challenge Discovery Community Service Creative Writing French Art History French Tv Show History of Art and Architecture Humanity Magazine Instrument Building Japan Jazz Band/Improv. Journey North Jrr Tolkien Keyboarding/Animation Keyboarding/Pe Labyrinth Marine Plankton Project Mixed Bag Mock Trial Model Home Construction Mural Painting Nature Writing / Multimedia Outdoor Landscape Painting Recreational Math Science Fair Science Moments Shakespeare Sports and Society Student Teaching Taiko Drumming The Crucible Ultimate Frisbee Seminar Writing Adventures Yearbook 1998 - 1999 3-Dimensional Art Applique Beauty &Amp;amp; the Beast Cape Cod Dissections Challenge Discovery Seminar Community Service Creative Imaging Creative Writing Dance Exploring Paine's Creek Food Historical Walks Japan Homestay Journalism Knitting Lord of the Rings Making Books Making Movies Math Enhancement Mock Trial More Real Folk Blues Mural Painting Nature Hiking Outdoor Landscape Painting Pe Plankton Project Puppetry Quilting Renaissance Seminar Science Through Fiction Stand and Deliver Stock Market Study Skills Telescope Making Town Portrait Ultimate Frisbee Watching Movies Writer's Block Yearbook 1999 - 2000 Acoustic Guitar Animation Applique Art and the Landscape Art Outside Community Outreach Community Service Cooking Dial Up a Telescope Drama Environmental Ethics History Goes to the Movies Homemade Gifts For the Holidays Jane Austen Japanese World Youth Conference Landscape Design Lord of the Rings Making Books (As Opposed to Bookmaking) Math Enrichment Mock Trial Mountain Biking Mystery Writing People Who Have Made a Difference Pipe Organs of Cape Cod Plankton Seminar Quiltmaking Sailing Science Fair Seminar Select Chorus Shakespeare Sound Design Sports Management Technology The Anxious Object The Holocaust The Write Connection The Write Stuff Travel Around the World Ultimate Frisbee Writing Connections Yearbook Yoga 2000 - 2001 Acoustic Guitar Workshop American Sign Language Animal Tracking Animation Backgammon Beading Chess Community Service Cover to Cover Documenting Seminar Drama Exploravision Gardening History Goes to the Movies..Part 2 Horses &Amp;amp; Horsemanship Immigration to Us Japan Homestay Journalism Knitting Math and the Art of Timber Framing Mathematics and Puzzles Mixed-Media Art Mock Trial Mural Brigade Outside Art Painting Pin-Hole Photography Plankton and Marine Biology Seminar Puppetry Quilting Reach For the Stars! Sailing Sculpture 101: Seen, Recycled, Re-Seen Select Chorus Spring Power Hiking Stocking Up For the Future The Crucible The Pipe Organ The Write Connection Traditional Inuit Ultimate Frisbee Water Water... Winter Power Hiking Yearbook Your Own Art History 2001 - 2002 A Beautiful Mind Aromatherapy Basic Knitting &Amp;amp; Crocheting Cape Cod Foods and Crafts Community Outreach Cooking Is Fun Copper Lamp Seminar Crypto Cards Dance Dial Up a Telescope - Phase 2 Drama Environmental Theatre Foods From Around World Golf Guitar / Song Writing Workshop History Goes to the Movies...Part III Horses and Horsemanship I Just Like to Draw Lord of the Rings Math and the Art of Timber Framing-Part II Math Counts - Math Club Mock Trial Mural Painting Seminar Outside Art Paranormal Science Pastry, Pastry, Pastry!!!! Performing the Art of Monty Python Piano Class

Pin-Hole Photography Quilting Quilting 101 Random Acts of Kindness Recycle/Reinvent Rocketry Sailing Science Fair Select Chorus Shakespeare Shakespeare: the Good, the Bard, and the Ugly Skateboarding Social Justice The Word Tupac Is Poetry Too Ultimate Frisbee Understanding East Asia Through Traditional Folk Art Vietnam Web Page Design World Mythology Yearbook 2002 - 2003 Ancient Life On Earth Animation 2, the Electric Boogaloo Applique Quilting Aromatherapy Birds of Prey Bookbookbook Cape Cod Foods and Crafts Chamber Music Chess Anyone? Community Service Cooking 101 Cultural Creations Drama Drawing From Life Environmental Mountain Biking Exploring Earth's Weather Exploring Energy Fishing Forensic Science Garbage, Garbage Everywhere Hiking, Reading, and Kayaking Hitchhiking the Galaxy Hollywood Is Screaming For Young Writers Horses &Amp;amp; Horsemanship It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry Japanese Homestay Japanese Language and Culture Knit 2 Knitting Lessons For Hope Lifestyles of the Fit and Healthy Magic Is Not a Game Math and the Art of Timber Framing-Part II Metalworking Mock Trial Mural Painting Seminar Outdoor Survival Skills Painting Your Town Pythagoras Unveiled Or a Beautiful Mind Pt.2 Quilting and Sewing Sailing Salem Witchcraft Hysteria Sauntering and Poetry Society (Saps) Select Chorus Take a Stab At Cross Stitch Technical Drawing and Architectural Rendering: The Art of Fashion The Art of Fashion - II The Game's Afoot! The Write Connection Ultimate Frisbee Write Stuff Yearbook-52 Pages of CCLCS Craziness!! Yoga 2003 - 2004 Advanced Knitting Alternative Transportation Amnesty International Animal Tracking, Reading Nature Basic Knitting Bird Migration On Cape Cod Chamber Music Community Service Cooking 101 Cooking Concepts From a to Ziti! Drawing In Space-What's My Line? Earth Action Esperanto / Make Your Own Language Fishing the Cape Flex-Art Growing Up At the Movies Happy New Year-Book Haunted Tales of Cape Cod Hip Knits History Goes to the Movies... It's Sew Great "It's All Good" News Channel Jammin' the Blues-Guitar Seminar Vol. 6 Japanese Culture Knitting Lessons For Hope Magic Is Not a Game! Masterpiece Making Math and the Art of Timber Framing Mock Trial Mural and Curatorial Seminar Music At the Movies Navigation & Orienteering Not So Simple Machines Pin-Hole Photography Quilting Ready, Set, Draw! Dessinez! Role Playing Games As Fantasy Fiction Generator School Newspaper Science Fiction Science of Sports Scrapbooking Select Chorus Sound Design &Amp;amp; Exploration Spring Birds and Adaptations For Survival Street Performance Taking Stock Technical Drawing and Architectural Rendering: Tennis The Holocaust The Lord of the Rings The Write Connection The Write Stuff Ultimate Frisbee Yurt Building 2004 - 2005 A Stitch In Time Ads, Ads, Everywhere! Amateur Radio Analytical Study of Children's Literature Beachcombing - Treasures of the Deep Blues Guitar Broadway Babies Building a Garden Café Philo CCLCS Film Fest! Celebrating World Traditions Charter Challenge Children's Theater Community Service Create a Culture Out of Nothing Creature Feature: From Fairies to Fangs Don't Throw That Out! How to Preserve Your Memories Drama and Moviemaking Esperanto Fishing With Mr. Trull Flash Fiction Gardening Happy Birthday CCLCS! Here Come the Jets! History Goes to the Movies-Part IV Japan Homestay Keeping a Nature Journal Knitting Life On Paper Marketing 101 Math &Amp;amp; the Art of Timber Framing Mechanical Drawing Mock Trial 05 Monsters&Hellip; Seen, Heard, and Felted! Paint, Paint, Paint! Percussion Pond Ecology - the Study of Freshwater Ponds Public Speaking Rock and Roll Middle School Run For Your Life! Select Chorus Statistics Through Baseball The Brick Project The Monster's Point of View The Salem Witch Hysteria The Secret Life of Ceramics 101/Mural Reclamation The Write Stuff Treasure Hunting Ultimate Frisbee World Music Appreciation Yearbook 2004-2005 Young Entrepreneur 2005 - 2006 Adopt-A-Beach Animal Tracking, Reading Nature Art &Amp;amp; Culture of the Civil Rights Movement Backgammon-The Ancient Game of Strategy Baseball and Statistics Bird Migration On Cape Cod Café Philo 2 Culinary Arts Dance, Dance, Dance!!! Destination Animation Destination Imagination

Early Childhood Development Esperanto / Make Your Own Language Fantasy: Watching, Reading, Writing It Foreign Film Forum Forensic Science Game Plans Games of Chance (Or Are They...?) Haunted House/ Paranormal Science History Goes to the Movies I Am Tiger Woods Jewelry Making Lighthouse Charter School Newspaper! Lord of the Rings Making Memories: the CCLCS Yearbook Mock Trial Museum Science and Nature Study Newspaper One World Youth Project Reading the Bass Clef -- Garage Band Relief Prints For Katrina Relief Romeo and Juliet Row and Sail With Atlantic Challenge S.N.A.K.E Art Searching For Mr. Darcy Select Chorus Sign Language Seminar Sisterhood Seminar Song Writing Sticks, Stones and Sand Stopping the Attack On Pleasant Bay Telling Stories With Thread The Art and Science of Recycling: Was Barney Wrong? The BEACON: the "Guiding Light" For CCLCS Students The Brick Project Continues The Write Stuff Ultimate Frisbee Volleyball For Girls Wellness Seminar What Can We Do? Windmills and Ham Radio 2006 - 2007 Arts and Crafts For the Homestead Birds of Wing Island Café Philo CCLCS Newspaper! Clay Workshop Destination Imagination Four Wheeled Fundraising! Growing Up At the Movies Holiday Sampler 10 Might and Right-Understanding King Arthur Preserving Memories With Scrapbooking Select Chorus String Art Studying Pleasant Bay The Salem Witch Hysteria Yearbook Analytical Study of Children's Literature CCLCS Activists Celebrating World Traditions Charter Challenge Community Service Face-To-Face Portrait Painting Guys and Dolls Italia! Italia ! Italia! Lord of the Rings Mask, Movement and Memory Mock Trial Seminar Preserving Memories With Scrapbooking Statistics Through Baseball Tracking and Nature U.S. Music Appreciation Where In the World? Yoga and Meditation 2007 - 2008 Adopt a Grandparent Ads, Ads Everywhere! Art History 101 Behind the Scenes... Birds and Their Habitats Brass Ensemble Bye, Bye, Birdie! Café Philo 2 Cape Cod Through My Eyes Capturing Thoreau's Cape Cod CCLCS Newspaper Clash of Cultures Community Television Don Quixote Finding the Cornerstone Fitness Wow! Ham Radio Haunted House History Goes to the Movies Part Vi I Am Tiger Woods Joy Luck Club! Knowledge/Compassion/Action Learn to Row and Sail With Atlantic Challenge Library 2.0 Lord of the Rings Mock Trial More History Goes to the Movies My Family and Other Animals &Quot;The Number Devil&Quot;: a Mathematical Adventure Painting Hemingway's &Quot;The Old Man and the Sea&Quot; Photojournalism Pin-Hole Photography Programming With Scratch Quantum Physics Quilting Random Acts of Fulghum Rock, Paper, Scissors Banner Workshop Select Chorus Side-By-Side Clay Workshop The Da Vinci Code: Fact Or Fiction?! The Monster's Point of View The Tracker The Write Stuff Ultimate Frisbee Volleyball For Girls Wellness Seminar What's In a Pond? World Music Appreciation Yearbook 2008 - 2009 1000 Word Picture Adopt A Grandparent Alice In Wonderland Appreciation of World Music Art History 102 Banned! Build a Boat, and Hope It Floats Build a Wind Turbine Café Philo CCLCS and the 3 (or More) Bears CCLCS Mythbusters CCLCS Newspaper Destination Imagination Developing a Nature Trail Exploring African Culture Finding the Cornerstone Part 2 Game Plan Ham Radio Haunted House History Comes to Life! History Goes To The Movies Part 7 How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci I am Tiger Woods Japan Seminar Know Your Musical Roots Lord of the Rings Mock Trial Nature Writers of Cape Cod Nature's Sketchbook-Art and Mosaics Omnivore's Dilemma Paw Prints Preschool Book Buddies Quilting School Musical Storm Chasers Strat-O-Matic Baseball Tennis, Anyone? The Art of the Catapult The Election The Game of Dominoes The Mysteries of King Arthur's Court The Seuss Seminar The Tracker Twilight and the Witch of Blackbird Pond Ultimate Frisbee Volleyball for Girls Walkers, Naturalists, Writers Weird Travels through Words Wellness What is a book? Yearbook Yoga: Pranayama, Poses & Poetry 2009 - 2010 Afghans to Afghantistan/Knitting for Peace Bedtime Stories Bird Migration Creature Feature 3D Soft Sculpture Workshop Dream Weavers European Games of Strategy Geocaching: Where technology and treasure hunting meet Growing Up At The Movies Haunted House Hiking Adventures Introduction to Irish Traditional Music Kids' Guide to Cape Cod Reading and Writing the Strange and Unusual Salem Witch Trials Scrapbooking Strat-O-Matic Baseball The Hobbit Wellness/Fitness Seminar Yoga