ACADEMIES

Today I will be telling you about academies. These fun groups are there to help you learn about different things used every day. Some examples of academies are wildlife, energy, coding, and photography. Academies are ways to learn about the world around you and become closer to it. They are totally new to Ogden and are incredibly amazing.

4th Grade Academies

Engineer- Want to be one of the people who help solve problems in the world, make a difference in people’s lives, and work with a great team?  Be an engineer! We will explore a few different kinds of engineering challenges – such a building towers, moving people at high speeds, and improving everyday items.

Knitting Academy- Learning how to make beautiful patterns from different materials and wear handmade dresses is an amazing experience. Whether we are making dresses, coats, shirts, pants, or different accessories you always learn something new.  

Photography Academy- Photography has become a part of our everyday lives, whether we are taking pictures, are in pictures or look at pictures online.  This academy will teach you how to take better pictures of your everyday world - people, nature, action....  We will learn about composition and perspective, explore old and new cameras, work with light and more.  Each student will share their favorite pictures in a digital photography show.

Greek Academy- Learning how to speak Greek can be very useful and fun. There are over 6,000 Greek words in the English language. Words like cinema, biology, microscope and hexagon are just a few examples of Greek words. We use Greek words and Greek letters in math and science. We will not only learn the Greek alphabet and how to count in Greek, but also learn about Greek culture and mythology.

Coding Academy-Do you know what makes your video games work?  What about your parents' smart phones, or cars and airplanes, or even your brand new refrigerator?  Computers!  And do you know what makes computers work?  Code!  We will spend time learning about different types of computer code (hint - it's something similar to different languages such as English, Spanish, and French), where the different types of code is used in the world, and then we'll have time to build our own game that we can play in class using code that have learned about during the Academy.

Farm to Table- Have you ever wondered where your food comes from? Are you curious about what it takes to grow your own garden? The Farm to Table Academy will explore the process and economics of growing your own food!. Participants will develop redesign and rebuild the Ogden school gardens, develop a sustainability plan, and enjoy getting their hands dirty!

The Human Body and Exercise- The human body and exercise.
Our bodies are amazing machines which consist of many different parts that work together to keep the machine running. Like any machine, it works best
when the parts are taken care of well. We will learn about the different organ systems that keep our body moving and discover how they respond to fitness, and also, how they respond in a body that isn't well cared for.   In addition to learning how the body works, we will measure the effects of exercise in our bodies and explore ways in which we can take better care of ourselves.

5th Grade Academies

Energy Academy- We’re doing the earth a favor by being energy savers!  The Energy Academy will investigate the energy conservation efforts by the New Hanover County Schools and see how Ogden compares with other elementary schools.  A tour of our own campus will help us learn about the biggest consumers of electricity, and we’ll come up with ways to measure and help reduce it.

Photography Academy- Photography has become a part of our everyday lives, whether we are taking pictures, are in pictures or look at pictures online.  This academy will teach you how to take better pictures of your everyday world - people, nature, action....  We will learn about composition and perspective, explore old and new cameras, work with light and more.  Each student will share their favorite pictures in a digital photography show.

Wildlife Academy- Wildlife is all around us, even when we don't usually see it.  Wildlife biologists have developed all sorts of methods for studying wildlife, and we will use some fun methods to discover the wildlife in Ogden Elementary School's backyard!  Not only will we explore the habitats and learn about the wildlife at Ogden, but we will also use the information we collect to help other scientists studying wildlife in North Carolina.

Coding Academy-Do you know what makes your video games work?  What about your parents' smart phones, or cars and airplanes, or even your brand new refrigerator?  Computers!  And do you know what makes computers work?  Code!  We will spend time learning about different types of computer code, where the different types of code is used in the world, and then we'll have time to build our own game that we can play in class using code that have learned about during the Academy.

Investment Basics: Introduction to Stocks and Mutual Funds- Equity investing will be an important part of our financial lives. Learning about money at a younger age may help us be more financially responsible as we grow older. In this academy we will look to develop an  understanding of different financial terms and investment vehicles.  

Recognizing the risk and rewards of stock investing and being able to track and experience the results of making financial decisions.