Golden Eagle Charter School
Courses of Study
Humanities: Students participate in an integrated Language Arts / Social Studies curriculum that focuses on culture, media, and historical events throughout history. The humanities program also emphasizes writing and 
public speaking skills.
Mathematics: Depending on their individual needs and goals, students work in small-group Algebra and Geometry classes or follow a course of independent study planned in consultation with a credentialed math instructor. Starting in Fall 2007, and Algebra 2 class will also be available.
Science: Our environmental science curriculum integrates life and physical sciences within an applied science framework, with an emphasis on scientific inquiry. Students learn science
through active participation in the scientific process. This year students spent a semester learning about issues energy, and sustainability, and resource use in various cultures, followed by a semester of ocean science that will culminate in a trip to the CSU Humboldt Oceanography Department.
Community & Citizenship: Students are actively involved in all areas of school governance. The students begin the year with a Constitutional Convention, an event in which the students write a school constitution for the year. As the year goes on, the entire school community meets once a week to discuss issues and make decisions for the school. A Leadership class gives interested students an active voice in determining policies and developing programs within the school. Community members who violate the school constitution are referred to a student jury, who determine the accused person’s guilt and, if necessary, set consequences.
Visual & Performing Arts: Visual arts are taught once a week, and performing musician and teacher Susan Ruhe teaches music, sight reading, and instrumental skills. Program co-manager Dave Theno also teaches a once-a-week band class that brings intermediate level students together to work on song arranging, ensemble playing, and stylistic interpretation of a variety of songs.
Foreign Languages: Program co-manager and fluent Spanish speaker Alana Althaus-Cressman teaches a twice-a-week Spanish class with a focus on developing conversational skills. Students in this small-group class benefit from personalized attention and extensive opportunities to practice speaking and comprehension skills. Students also have the opportunity to develop self-study courses in French, German, Japanese, or other languages using the excellent Rosetta Stone book and CD-ROM program.
Project-Based Learning: A cornerstone of our academic program is the student-directed project, a mode of learning that integrates time & task management, research skills, reading, writing, presentation skills, and the ability to bring together many different disciplines into one coherent process of learning. Students use this process to look deeply into subjects that interest them while using many academic skills at once. Students learn to balance the rigor of academic learning with the relevance of pursuing their interests and life goals.
Other academic opportunities: Students are encouraged to organize additional classes and seminars. The high school program offers a web-design class, and students this year have organized cooking and drama classes, as well as student-led workshops in dance and photography.