One language. Four years of discovery.
ATLAS connects language proficiency with the context that gives words meaning.
Students pursue a concentration in Spanish, Portuguese, Amharic, or Chinese. Daily language study brings together conversation, reading, cultural inquiry, translation, and public presentation.
Beyond vocabulary.
Listen & speak
Attend to context, audience, and tone. Conversation develops through preparation, practice, and a willingness to ask for clarification.
Read & investigate
Literature, interviews, and other texts open questions about history, identity, and daily life. Students learn to approach meaning with curiosity and care.
Translate & explain
Translation asks students to make choices for an audience. They consider accuracy, tone, reading level, and what needs additional context.
Create & present
Research, creative work, and presentations give students reasons to use the language for a purpose and to explain the decisions behind their work.
Keep the process visible.
A four-year portfolio brings together recordings, writing, research, and reflection. Looking back at earlier work helps students recognize how their understanding and expression have changed.
Families can ask students to share a piece of work, explain a revision, or describe a question they are exploring. The portfolio gives that conversation something concrete to begin with.
The Senior ATLAS Capstone.
Sustained interest becomes independent work.
Students develop an original research study, creative work, or community project connected with their language concentration. The process brings together a focused question, relevant sources, revisions, and reflection.
The capstone culminates in a public presentation and a defense that includes the chosen language. Students explain both what they learned and how they reached their conclusions.
Questions for families.
Does a student need prior experience in the language?
Ask the school about entry expectations and placement in each concentration. Language background and prior study should be discussed before enrollment.
Can a student change concentrations?
ATLAS is designed as a sustained four-year experience. Discuss a proposed change or transfer placement with the school so that progression and capstone preparation can be reviewed.
What does the capstone show?
It brings research, language, communication, and independent decision making into one substantial piece of work.
A CLOSER LOOK
Language learning that accumulates over time
Four years with a language allow students to move beyond isolated vocabulary toward more sustained expression. A useful learning portfolio can show that development through early attempts, revised writing, listening reflections, and increasingly independent work. Progress includes the willingness to communicate when every word is not yet familiar.
Spanish, Portuguese, Amharic, and Chinese offer different routes into language and cultural inquiry. Students can connect a developing interest to reading, community questions, or capstone research. Families should discuss language choice and placement with the school, including how prior experience may shape the student’s starting point.