Academic Programs » Science

Science

The Science Department at the HART High School helps students critically evaluate the biological and physical foundation of our world. We believe that true scientific thought can lead individuals to make sound moral decisions that are the very centerpiece of a democratic society. As a result, we believe that for students to merely memorize information is not enough. Our science teachers are facilitators of understandings and insights that will help students in ways that memorization could never approach.

In our living environment course, students will learn to explain, analyze and interpret biological processes and phenomena. Instruction will focus on understanding important relationships, processes, mechanisms, and applications of concepts dealing with diversity of life, genetics, evolution, reproduction and development, dynamic equilibrium, and ecology. Earth Science helps students analyze the physical shifts of our Earth and provides them with the opportunity to consider the human impact on the physical Earth. Chemistry is the science of matter. Chemistry topics include atomic theory, the Periodic Table, relationships between molecules, chemical bonding, the interrelationship between matter and energy, practical applications of chemical principles and nuclear chemistry.

Students have the opportunity to enroll in AP Environmental Science. The AP Environmental Science course is the equivalent of a one-semester, introductory college course in environmental science, through which students engage with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world. The course requires that students identify and analyze natural and human-made environmental problems, evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and examine alternative solutions for resolving or preventing them. Environmental science is interdisciplinary, embracing topics from geology, biology, environmental studies,
​environmental science, chemistry, and geography.