Courses Offered

I would like to send the RMS Spanish curriculum to my son’s home school to suggest that they incorporate a “sense of place” into their Spanish program. Ben’s class showed how rich the curriculum could be. Last year my son spent (yet another) year studying “some family in Spain” in the textbook — when we live in the largest Dominican city in the world!

— RMS Alumni Parent; New York, New York

At the RMS, students spend five weeks in the backcountry of Colorado and Utah and over twelve weeks on the Leadville campus. In both settings, students participate in a rigorous curriculum. Formally structured contact hours for all courses meet or exceed those of sending schools (60 hours/semester).

Five core values govern teaching and learning at the RMS. The RMS Core Values:

• Mentorship in and out of the classroom
• Transference of what students learn beyond the RMS
• Place and community based education
• Processed-based learning that teaches students how to think, not what to think, and conveys a passion for learning
• Integration of the natural world, academics, and residential life.

All RMS classes match the rigor and expectations of course offerings at our sending schools. Courses are taught at the honors or AP level (Algebra II excepted).

Students attend classes six days a week, taking a minimum of five courses. Each class meets for ninety minute sessions four times weekly.

Courses that keep students abreast of classes in progress at sending schools include Algebra II, Precalculus, Calculus, French, Spanish, and U.S. History (survey and AP). These classes strive to ensure coverage of sending school curricula and promote a productive learning environment for students and teachers. Natural Science, Literature of the Natural World, and Practices and Principles: Ethics of the Natural World stand as self-contained RMS subjects. These courses enjoy more freedom to explore local and regional studies. Although content may differ from home school courses, grade-appropriate skills are taught in these classes.

For more detailed information on the classes described below, please download the RMS Curriculum Guide.

Practices and Principles: Ethics of the Natural World

P&P is the foundational course of the Rocky Mountain Semester. Focusing on both community and individual growth, P&P emphasizes the HMI motto of "where nature and minds meet." The curriculum consists of three parallel progressions: leadership studies, environmental ethics, and expedition skills. On campus, P&P meets twice weekly, and students discuss readings on theories of ethics and leadership. In the field, students participate in a variety of classes on risk management, technical skills, and communication. These discussions complement numerous practical opportunities for students to integrate their learning into life at the RMS.

Literature of the Natural World (Honors)

Could the story of Little Red Riding Hood have contributed to the campaign to eradicate wolves in the United States during the 20th century? The Literature of the Natural World course asks such questions as students examine the relationship between contemporary Western literature and American treatment of wilderness. Texts by Western nature writers such as Norman MacLean, Sherman Alexie, Mary Austin, and Annie Proulx complement the consideration of the relationship that contemporary writers must make to the Western landscape and its many myths. SAT-level vocabulary work, analytical skills, and grammar exercises are featured throughout the course.

Natural Science (Honors)

The Natural Science course blends local natural history content with larger themes of environmental science. Grounding in basic ecologic principles, ecosystem dynamics, and cyclic processes serve as a basis for examination of geology, glaciology, stream morphology, and climate. Field-based labs, expedition research projects, and hands-on learning help foster skills with which the class can examine, discuss, and attempt to solve contemporary environmental issues. The course concludes with a study of sustainable practices, during which students use course material to make sense of new technology and policies to reduce overall global impact.

United States History: Western Perspectives (Honors)

The United States History class follows a traditional United States history curriculum in the fall semester, beginning the term with colonization and ending with Reconstruction. All major themes and events during this time period are covered in detail. The spring semester studies modern American history through the lens of the American West. Students examine the post-Civil War frontier, the Populist Revolt, the Great Depression, New Deal, World War II, Cold War, counterculture, and Reagan conservatism from a western perspective. Writing skills are emphasized throughout the course with particular attention paid to analysis and historical argument.

Advanced Placement United States History

The AP United States History course is designed to prepare students to complete the AP US History exam successfully in May. Students read numerous original documents and utilize a standard textbook. Regular practice with DBQs (Document Based Questions) and analytical writing complement a chronological progression from the colonial era to the modern day. Reconstruction serves as the end of the fall semester and beginning of the spring term.

Mathematics (Advanced Algebra II, Precalculus, Calculus, all Honors with the exception of Algebra II)

During any given semester, up to eight sections of mathematics are offered to accommodate the sequential nature of mathematics in high school. A trigonometry course is offered within both Algebra II and Precalculus. Algebra II students focus on developing profi ciency with mathematical skills and exploring applications of both linear and non-linear functions, integrating their studies from algebra and geometry. Precalculus students explore concepts prerequisite to calculus from the analysis of functions through limits of functions. Calculus, a challenging course, consists of work that is comparable to college-level courses and appropriate for Advanced Placement high school classes. Students entering this course are expected to have a strong mathematical background and to have mastered appropriate trigonometry and precalculus material.

French (Intermediate or Advanced, Honors)

The Intermediate and Advanced French courses concentrate on strengthening students’ grammar, oral, and written skills. Specifi c grammar topics vary by semester depending on student needs and home school curricula. In addition to grammar, students spend time on cultural studies. They expand their vocabulary and increase their comfort speaking in French through daily guided conversations. To develop their written skills, students read a variety of increasingly complex texts and write several short essays. The courses are conducted almost exclusively in French with the goal of matching home school expectations for French levels 3, 4, or AP.

Spanish (Intermediate or Advanced, Honors)

The Intermediate and Advanced Spanish courses are skills and culture-based courses that serve as the equivalents to Spanish 3, 4, or AP level classes. The Advanced class, taught entirely in Spanish, includes a comprehensive review of Spanish grammar and stylistics, lexical issues, and Chicano/Mexican-American culture. Intermediate Spanish students study major verb tenses and Spanish-language stylistics and examine major issues in cultural fusion in contemporary America. In both classes, specifi c topics vary from semester to semester depending on the level of each student group and the topics that need to be covered in order to reintegrate successfully into home school language courses.