Tod Cossairt
Science Instructor

Lindsay Bergen
Science Instructor

Jeff Narva
ESL Science Instructor

For more information contact:
Alexis Spina
Chair of Science Department
at

aspina@besanthill.org

or by phone at

(805) 646-4343
Ext. 113

A Message from the Chair of the Science Department

Besant Hill School offers a variety of stimulating and challenging courses within the Science Department. Through the use of inquiry-based projects, lab experiments, and real-world applications, our students learn how to "think like a scientist." We ask our students to play an investigative role as they learn about the world around us all. In every science class we offer, students are encouraged to never stop questioning the unknown.

The Besant Hill School Science Department requires students to take a total of 3 years of science. Students can choose between several different courses, including Environmental Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and our electives, Astronomy and Advanced Environmental Science. Freshman year students typically start off with Environmental Science. This course is designed to engage students in problem-based learning investigations of realistic environmental issues, in which they must make recommendations for sustainable uses of resources. Sophomores and juniors usually find themselves in Biology and Chemistry, where they learn about the world at large, as well as the smaller pieces that we are built on. Students taking physics find there is an emphasis on critical thinking skills, requiring them to study the motion of matter through space and time. Astronomy and Advanced Environmental Science are also offered to students as electives. Both classes contain a lab component and build extensively upon all the previous sciences.

Alexis Spina
Science Department Chair