The Seven Hills Experiential Learning program nurtures individual strengths and interests and extends the educational experience beyond our campus.
Learning Through Experience
Experiential learning creates pathways within a coherent structure that allows students to pursue an area of interest to a deep and meaningful level. By the time every student leaves Seven Hills, we will help them to develop self-awareness of where their interests lie, facilitate exploration of those interests, and provide them with pertinent real-world experiences so that they have the confidence to explore and embrace life beyond high school.
Accordion
AI is already changing everything: how you work, create, learn, and think. This course puts you in control of understanding it. You won’t just learn about AI. You’ll use it, experiment with it, and tackle the big questions: Can AI be creative? Who’s responsible when algorithms fail? What does “cheating” even mean anymore? The challenge: Create the guide for how Seven Hills should actually use AI. You’ll research how schools and workplaces are handling it, wrestle with real ethical dilemmas, and develop smart recommendations that go beyond “don’t use ChatGPT.” This is hands-on and interdisciplinary. You’ll become the person your friends ask when they’re unsure about using AI for something. The truth: Adults are figuring this out as they go. This course makes you part of the conversation instead of just following someone else’s rules.
Introduction to athletic training is a foundational course where students will explore the roles and responsibilities of athletic trainers in injury prevention, evaluation, treatment, and rehabilitation. This course emphasizes practical skills such as bracing/taping/wrapping, emergency care, and safe exercise techniques. Also introducing ethical considerations, communication skills, and career pathways in athletic training and related health professions. Hands-on learning, real-world scenarios, and applied problem-solving are the core components of this course
It’s no secret that the Upper School’s shared spaces and schedule can feel uninspired, awkward, and even poorly designed. Why not do something about it? Instead of complaining or settling, in this course, we’ll learn how to notice what isn’t working, uncover and understand the perspectives of all stakeholders, and imagine better possibilities. We’ll learn design thinking by doing it — getting out of the classroom to visit other schools, talk with students, teachers, and administrators, and use what we learn to develop ideas for real change. Additionally, we’ll hear from professionals in a variety of fields about how they use design thinking in their work. Whether treating patients, making business deals, writing legislation, designing buildings, or doing other human-centered work, design thinking is a skill that improves the ability to listen to and understand others, to think more creatively, and to generate solutions that make a difference.
Entrepreneurship aims to equip students with the attributes of an entrepreneurial mindset and the analytical tools needed to innovate and succeed in any career path they choose to pursue. Students will engage in practical, real-world tasks that utilize essential skills such as creative problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, goal setting, and reflection.
This course will build foundational concepts to understand the sports medicine team and the roles of each individual (athletic trainers, physical therapists, physicians, EMS) We will examine the evaluation, management of sports injuries, mechanisms, risk factors, surgical procedures, emergency care, and performance. This course will also explore these topics through hands-on labs, case studies, professional insights, and real-world scenarios. Sports medicine should be an interest for all who are intrigued by athletics, physical health, and medicine.
What kind of leader are you? While many people think leadership is a position held by a few, the opposite is true: leadership is for everyone, and is really a set of skills and practices for all. It’s something you can put to use in your own life. This course is all about that: helping you think about what kind of leader you can be, what you want to accomplish, and what tools you can develop to help you do that. You’ll start by investigating your own core values and learning about leaders in your community, all the while beginning to identify key traits and practices of good leaders. But you’ll spend most of the semester doing: first, you will develop and lead a workshop in which you’ll lead your peers in experiencing something new. Finally, you’ll complete a capstone project in which you take on and carry out a passion project of improving something within your community. All the while, you’ll be practicing these key skills (organization, team-building, time management, communication) that will serve you as you grow into your role in our school, your family and community, and college, career, and beyond.
Marketing teaches students to answer the questions companies pay dearly to solve: What do customers want? Why do some products win while others fail? Students conduct real-world market research for Cincinnati companies — from strategic problem framing through data collection, analysis, visualization, and stakeholder presentations. Essential skills include primary and secondary research, critical thinking, persuasive communication, and translating insights into business strategy. Guest speakers provide industry perspectives.
Interested in building skills used in fields like healthcare, teaching or social work? In this course you’ll work alongside therapists and teachers as they educate kindergarten to eighth grade neurodivergent learners at the Linden Grove School. Learn how different brains communicate, learn, and thrive as you rotate through shadowing experiences with speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, classroom teachers, and more. Whether you’re curious about education, psychology, healthcare, or simply want to better understand how different brains work, this course invites you to learn, connect, and see strengths where others might miss them.
This fall semester experiential elective will focus on improving our community’s impact on the living world. Students will study topics like biodiversity, food systems, and soil science, and then put their knowledge into action by applying what they have learned to the natural areas and food systems here at Seven Hills and, where applicable, in the wider community. Expect a mixture of classroom learning, field trips, and hands-on work
This spring semester experiential elective will focus on improving our community’s impact on atmospheric and physical systems. Students will study topics related to physical systems in the environment, like climate change, waste and recycling, and water management, and then put their knowledge into action by applying what they have learned here at Seven Hills and, where applicable, in the wider community. Expect a mixture of classroom learning, field trips, and hands-on work.
In this small, practice and reflection-based seminar, student interns learn approaches to process-centered peer writing facilitation. Beginning with guided analysis of their own writing practices, consideration of writing center research and best-practices, and role-playing of conference scenarios, interns prepare to assist both middle and upper students in becoming more independent, confident writers. Working closely with faculty and staff, interns are then assigned specific students to help them through all steps of their writing process. Interns will also collaborate with center directors on developing the space, forms, norms, and processes for the future growth of the writing center.