Upper School

Portrait of A Cascades Academy Graduate
Our students will demonstrate competency and understanding in the following areas:

The humanities can be described as the study of how people process and document the human experience. Therefore, studying humanities benefits from the integration of many disciplines. For our purposes, these disciplines include history, language arts, sociology, psychology, philosophy, geography, and anthropology. Students explore place-based themes, classic literature, writing, and other styles of communication. The intentions are to develop deeper learning around cultural factors that shape the world around us.

Our humanities courses aim to instill open-ended learning values to teach students to comprehend, analyze, and question their experiences and research. We guide them to acquire the skills to communicate effectively and make ethical choices by providing access to myriad global literature, news, opinions, and history. Students are part of a living community to which they actively contribute through research and evidence-based writing and discussion. We want students to grow as individuals and as a community of learners who connect to the passion and versatility of their world.

Upper school humanities is approached in a place-based thematic format, with the fall and spring terms culminating with a Traveling School trip to the studied region. By approaching the curriculum through an integrated studies method, upper school students gain a deeper understanding of the material and its real-world application. Learning becomes more meaningful. Students become more engaged.

The mathematics department at Cascades Academy believes that an understanding of mathematics is essential in our increasingly complex world. Mathematics allows students to develop into fully literate and critical world citizens, while the beauty and power of mathematics makes it a worthwhile subject to study in its own right.

We aim to teach mathematics in a way that supports students in their goals, whether it be preparing for higher education in STEM disciplines or achieving fundamental mathematical literacy. The mathematics department brings experiential learning into the math classroom by providing opportunities and experiences for students to wrestle with and discover mathematical ideas. While often thought of as a solitary pursuit, mathematics learning is accelerated through discussion and collaboration with peers.

Courses Offered:

• Algebra I/II

• Geometry

• Pre-Calculus

• Calculus I&II

• Senior Applied Mathematics

Cascades Academy science courses are anchored by experiential learning opportunities where students learn by doing and are challenged to think critically as they develop scientific arguments supported by quantitative and qualitative data. Our courses are designed to expand and deepen a student's scientific knowledge while engaging them in mastering the fundamental aspects of the scientific process. We strive to ignite a curiosity about science through a variety of class formats and instructional techniques, including laboratory investigations, research projects, demonstrations, field work, direct instruction, and group discussions. 

We contextualize the cultural value of scientific knowledge so students can build connections that inspire lifelong learning by incorporating math, humanities, and real-world applications into the curriculum. Upon completion of the science sequence, students are able to use their knowledge confidently to explore their natural world and apply their understanding to explain natural phenomena. Furthermore, we aspire to arm students with the scientific literacy required to critically evaluate scientific arguments, the required depth of knowledge to make informed decisions, and the confidence to engage in discussions that impact themselves and their communities. In short, students will have the scientific foundations to make a positive impact in the world.

Courses Offered:

• Physics

• Biology

• Chemistry

• Environmental Science

We believe that knowing Spanish is valuable in today’s world, and that understanding the Spanish language as well as the culture and history of Spanish speakers enables students, regardless of background, to better understand the world in which they live and the people with whom they share their communities. 

While Cascades Academy only offers courses in Spanish, we support students in their independent study of a variety of international languages.  This is made possible through community partner organizations, community college coordination, or online learning platforms.  Past students have studied the following:

• German
• French
• Mandarin
• Arabic
• American Sign Language

Our Spanish classes use the study of the Spanish language as a vehicle to explore topics rooted in and associated with Spanish-speaking countries that have relevance and application to the lives of our students. We encourage students to draw upon their prior knowledge to make cross-curricular connections and draw comparisons between their own experiences and culture and those of the cultures being studied. Furthermore, students are provided with opportunities through their study of Spanish to enhance and advance universal skills, resulting in well-rounded, capable, and world-ready graduates. Integral to our departmental philosophy is the implications of the voices of diverse people from a variety of backgrounds, representing the full richness of geography, culture, language, experience, and giving students the opportunity to expand and challenge their own perspectives about the world in which they live.

In Electives, we seek to ignite curiosity by providing the chance to broaden or deepen areas of interest.  While we seek to empower individuality and allow student choice, we also believe competent global citizens require a set of well-rounded skills.  Thus, students choose one elective in each of the three categories: mind, body, creative spirit. Students take three electives per year, which meet for one hour, twice a week. 

Examples of electives include: 

• Forensic Science
• Anthropology
• Print-Making
• Self-Defense
• Graphic Design

Every year, students engage in a weekly seminar that amplifies their skills and aligns with our values for holistic learning.  These programs are designed to engage students with problems facing our community to equip them to be a positive force in the world beyond our campus.  

9th Grade: Self 101
Freshmen delve into self- awareness, self-direction, executive functioning, and community values. The Digital Literacy course complements this journey, equipping students with critical consumption and analysis skills.

10th Grade: Community 101
Sophomores investigate various issues facing our community and explore organizations working to combat them in partnership with the Oregon Community Foundation. The program culminates in the 10th grade class distributing a grant to an organization of their choice while learning how to organize fundraising efforts to increase the amount granted.

Grade 11: Mastery Project
Every Cascades Academy junior develops a unique off-campus internship experience in order to explore an industry or social issue of interest. The program fosters community partnership and allows students to develop professional skills, culminating in a paper that explores the underlying social topics informing their work and a presentation to the community regarding how the internship was illuminating and challenging.  

Past Mastery Projects have included: 

• Environmental architecture firm
• Journalism with a local newspaper
• Baking with a local bakery
• Healthcare at St. Charles Hospital
• Guitar-making with a local craftsman
• Aviation with Redmond Airport

Grade 12: Legacy Project
In their final year at our school, seniors investigate what it means to leave a legacy and how their presence can be felt in the years after graduation. The class researches, designs, funds, and executes a project of their own design to give back to their school and community.  

Past projects have included:

• Disc-golf frisbee course on campus
• School Coffeehouse
• Monarch butterfly pollinator stations
• Gaga-ball pit in playground
• Natural wood bench installations
• Providing gym equipment for the school

Confluence
Each year, our academic year launches with a three-day, overnight orientation program set in the beautiful Central-Oregon wilderness.  As we are each individual rivers merging for the new year, Confluence is designed to establish community norms, build trust, and open the school year with a strong sense of unity.  

Traveling School
The Cascades Academy Traveling School Program includes two annual immersive experiences that transport students throughout the northwest and the world. Traveling School experiences are rooted in immersion. Students are steeped in new landscapes, new cultures, new experiences, and new friendships. When students are exposed to the unfamiliar within a small, supportive group of classmates and faculty, they are more likely to lean into challenge rather than shrink from it. Such off-campus programming therefore facilitates growth. Students often return with a new sense of self, a broadened sense of the new places, and a richer understanding of the cultures that inhabit it. 

In the fall, Traveling School is intentionally integrated into the academic curriculum so as to deepen students' understanding of content and expand their ability to interact with subject matter.  In the spring, Traveling School is designed to focus on the school’s core values and advance our social emotional learning curriculum.  

Cascades Academy is a place that believes school should be a place to pursue passions and hobbies outside the core academic program.  In addition to our electives and expeditions, clubs are a student-initiated part of our weekly schedule during which upper schoolers are able to organize a group of friends around a favorite pastime.  This is also the time during which the Student Leadership team meets to advance initiatives and plan social events.  Other clubs have included:

• Reading for Pleasure
• Chess and Board Games
• Ultimate Frisbee
• Creative Space
• Film Club
• Latin Dance

US FIRST Robotics Elective

Students in the US FIRST Robotics elective will be members of Cascades Academy’s FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Team. Students will compete in a national competition where students team up with engineers to design and build a 120-lb robot in 6-weeks to compete against teams from around the state and at regional competitions.

Mock Trial

Mock Trial is a state-wide competitive program that is part puzzle, part performance theater, and part legal strategy.  Throughout the program, a group of students review provided materials around a fictional legal case and bring to life the courtroom scene.  With the support of local lawyers and hired coaches, the team builds their case and performs at a regional court house before a local judge.