Note: This will be the same class as last year's offering, as always, No prior computer science knowledge is required. And, it's once again taught by Mr. Spradlin who is a Senior Development Engineer for Amazon who runs the AI for their Airline. No kidding, he's on the forefront of this entire movement and we are lucky to have him!

Now, more than ever, students of the world must learn to grapple with the pitfalls and promises of AI. It's showing up everywhere in our lives from navigating your shortest route to school, to helping you prepare for job interviews, and even reinventing your tuna salad recipe. In this five-day class we will explore how common kinds of artificial intelligence work and dig into their strengths and weaknesses. 

Here's how Chat GPT summarized Mr. Spradlin's course: By the end of the week, participants will gain a solid understanding of AI principles, techniques, and applications, equipping them with valuable knowledge to navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence.

Mr. Spradlin couldn't agree more! Besides being a long-time programming aficionado  and currently a Senior Software Development Engineer at Amazon (where he coordinates their fleet of approximately 100 aircraft), he is also the husband of Ms. Welch in our math department. 

Preliminary & essential notes: 

A) There are three sections, please only sign up for ONE. Much of the material repeats, and there's a deluge of students who want to take this class every summer. 

B) The class dates may change based on the Crew team's schedule in July. We'll know well before then, and I'll write if there are any changes. If you do not here from Dr. Lech or Mr. Viger then the dates and times are the same. 

C) This is a compact session to accomodate the growing popularity of Mr. Viger's classes. For those who want a bigger bite of the catalytic converter check out the two week long sessions in July!

Alright, here's what his VERY popular class is all about. 

Want to understand the basics when it comes to what's going on under your hood? You are not alone. This 4-day class always runs one of the longest waitlist we have. That's because Mr. Viger is one of the best mechanics in Nashville. He will show you how to jump car battery, make oil and air filter changes, conduct a brake job, and even how to diagnose check-engine lights. All students will leave with their own fully-loaded emergency roadside kit!

We know that many of you are Boy Scouts with your eye on getting to Eagle. This summer class is a linkage with the Automotive Maintenance Merit Badge, obviously.  If you have designs on obtaining this merit badge then work with Mr. Viger WELL BEFORE the class takes place to see how many requirements you can meet! 

This three day class will teach you how to move your frisbee game to the next level. The first two days are on campus; the third is often a  field trip to Charlotte Park.  This class is very popular with the boys. So, we encourage you take a spot if you know you can be on those days and times.

One of the more interesting aspects of this class is that over the last year and this one the school has purchased the multiple versions of the sophisticated discs you can imagine: They record their flight data! Now, you can have numerous metrics on every throw after you download the data into rather intriguing graphs.

This class is for everybody who wants to have a little fun this summer throwing frisbees with people who know how to do expertly. Yet, it's even better for those interested in the Ultimate Frisbee or Disc Golf teams, for sure!

Join Mr. Hannon and Mr. Reynolds to delve into the science of flying discs. Why do they fly as they do? How do we make them go where we want them to go? What physical and chemical properties apply to their flight? We'll spend some time in the classroom before heading outside to test our hypotheses. You'll even get a custom, premium disc at the conclusion of the class.

Note: Please sign up for only one session of this class (there are now two). If the seats are filled by the beginning of May, feel to take another seat in the other class.

This class proved to be a hit in its first year, so we are bringing back with an extra session. The goal remains to obtain a better understanding and a deeper engagement with the world around us.  In a series of lunches, we will learn interviewing concepts, grow in cultural sensitivity, and identify common characteristics over the most natural human social practice; breaking bread together.  With people from different parts of the world, we will appreciate a slice of their story on their terms and with their favorite foods right here in Nashville.

The students will meet in at the pick up circle located off of Wilson Blvd. Mr. Lawrence will write the students (and parents) about the precise itinerary, and if there's any required reading to accompany the trip. 

Preliminary & essential notes: 

A) There are three sections, please only sign up for ONE. Much of the material repeats, and there's a deluge of students who want to take this class every summer. 

B) The class dates may change based on the Crew team's schedule in July. We'll know well before then, and I'll write if there are any changes. If you do not here from Dr. Lech or Mr. Viger then the dates and times are the same. 

C) There is a third, a compact session in June to accomodate the growing popularity of Mr. Viger's classes. 

Alright, here's what his VERY popular class is all about!

Want to understand the basics when it comes to what's going on under your hood? You are not alone. This 4-day class always runs one of the longest waitlist we have. That's because Mr. Viger is one of the best mechanics in Nashville. He will show you how to jump car battery, make oil and air filter changes, conduct a brake job, and even how to diagnose check-engine lights. All students will leave with their own fully-loaded emergency roadside kit!

We know that many of you are Boy Scouts with your eye on getting to Eagle. This summer class is a linkage with the Automotive Maintenance Merit Badge, obviously.  If you have designs on obtaining this merit badge then work with Mr. Viger WELL BEFORE the class takes place to see how many requirements you can meet! 

Note, there are prerequisites: This is the first time we are offering this advanced course. To qualify you 1) must have had the introductory course (offered BEFORE this one this year) either this year or in a previous summer; 2) have significant experience in programming Python (submit in writing to Mr. Spradlin you have this experience (address below) 3) Take this course and share your certification to Mr. Spradlin in an email (address below) that you did so.  Please note, working a few hours a day, it will take a little less than week to accomplish. Please have this course completed by June 13th. Learning Python is a lot of fun, this course is simple, solid and truly useful.

https://www.codecademy.com/learn/learn-python-3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5KVEU3aaeQ

Email: mitch@applicative.us

Okay, on to the description! 

This class is also taught by Mr. Spradlin, a senior software engineer at Amazon for the last 10 years. He has extensive day-to-day experience applying AI tooling in all phases of software development lifecycle, developed and released AI-backed systems that are used across Amazon’s aviation operation. We are lucky to have him!

In this course you will learn: What AI models are and where to find them- How to choose an AI model for a project- Ways to quickly create apps to solve real problemsYou will use Python to create your own tools that use AI for specific tasks. We’ll leverage AI coding agents to shorten the time between ideas and results without getting lost along the way.Familiarity with Python and a laptop is required.

Note: We will be checking to see if those who sign up this year took last year's dumpling classes. So, we ask that you wait a 10 days to sign up to give other a chance to have a good time with dumplings this year. 

It's back! Ms. Zhang's ridicously popular class on making dumplings has returned. You will make various kinds of delicious dumplings over the course of the week and you will be able take some home and share them with your family. Moreover, you will also leave with your own Chinese rolling pin!

We are also offering another course from Ms. Zhang: Spring Rolls, Egg Rolls, Roll Red Rolls! Please note you cannot take both classes! Choose carefully.

Of course this class can help you get the Cooking Merit Badge and it looks like it could also help with American Cultures Merit Badge. However, you must work with Ms. Zhang WELL AHEAD of the class if completing some of the requirments for either one of these badges is a goal of yours.

This is a four-day class that runs from Monday-Thursday.

Note: We will be checking to see if those who sign up this year took last year's dumpling classes. So, we ask that you wait a 10 days to sign up to give other a chance to have a good time with dumplings this year. 

It's back! Ms. Zhang's ridicously popular class on making dumplings has returned. You will make various kinds of delicious dumplings over the course of the week and you will be able take some home and share them with your family. Moreover, you will also leave with your own Chinese rolling pin!

We are also offering another course from Ms. Zhang: Spring Rolls, Egg Rolls, Roll Red Rolls! Please note you cannot take both classes! Choose carefully.

Of course this class can help you get the Cooking Merit Badge and it looks like it could also help with American Cultures Merit Badge. However, you must work with Ms. Zhang WELL AHEAD of the class if completing some of the requirments for either one of these badges is a goal of yours.