Freshman Summer Courses
Summer enrichment classes offer a fun and engaging way for any student to prepare for her freshman year. On-campus, hands-on courses give her the opportunity to hone her skills and explore new interests, meet her classmates, and get to know her teachers and our school.
Summer classes will be offered between June 15 and mid-July.
Please see your email for registration link. Registration for enrichment courses will be shared in March for 2030; academic courses will open following placement testing.
Enrichment Courses
Introduction to Painting
Dates: June 15 - 18 (4 days, no class Jun. 19) OR June 22 - 26 from 9:45 - 11:15 PM
Description:
Students will explore the elements of art (color, light, line, composition) through the creative process. Participants will use acrylic paint to create a color wheel, tint and shade chart, then a monochromatic masterpiece on canvas. To end the session, students will create a plein-air piece (outdoor painting) on Visitation’s beautiful campus.
Instructor: Mrs. Smith - Fine Arts Chair and Art Teacher
Tuition: $130 (Session 1) or $160 (Session 2)- Enrichment
- Freshman
Orchestra
Date: June 15 - 18 from 9:45 - 11:15 a.m. (No Class on June 19)
Description: Students who have previous experience playing a musical instrument (strings, brass, woodwinds etc) will join together in learning music for a culminating performance with Visitation's Orchestra Director. Also learn the Visitation school songs! Students must provide and bring their instrument each day.
Cost: $120
- Enrichment
- Freshman
Floral Creations
Dates: June 16-18 (3 days), 1:45 - 3 p.m.
Description: Join us for a three-day floral arranging and crafting workshop designed for beginners and budding floral enthusiasts. You will be guided through essential skills and techniques: safe and effective use of clippers and floral knives; creating structure and stability with floral tape, floral foam, and chicken wire; and utilizing three containers of different shapes and styles. We will incorporate floral crafts, including greeting cards decorated with dried flowers and a wrist corsage or boutonniere. Each day, participants will set up, clean up, and prepare their work stations for the next day’s session. Enjoy this 3-day workshop full of color, creativity, variety, and beauty!
Teacher: Ms. Liz Burke, Librarian
Tuition: $300
- Enrichment
- Freshman
The Cost of Starbucks: Helpful Financial and Economic Concepts for Your Everyday Life
Dates: June 22-26, 8 - 9:3 0 AM
Description: Visi students are known to frequent the popular beverage chain Starbucks, braving DMV traffic and navigating the perils of mobile order all in the name of a caffeinated beverage. In 2024, most Starbucks beverages landed close to $6. However, that drink costs more than the price in the app. Time spent getting to the Starbucks, money lost that could have been spent on a different drink, or even the decisions of the past that necessitated the Starbucks make the pursuit of caffeine a costly endeavor. Before you think Dr. Angermeier has a vendetta against Starbucks, the truth is that everything has a cost. To better understand those costs, many of us look to Economics, the Study of Choice. This class will provide you with a few basic economic tools to help you navigate a complex and opportunistic financial world so that you can make the most out of your opportunities and make choices helpful to you (and your wallet). Is there such a thing as a free lunch? Spoiler: No. Why is a cake pop so expensive, corporate greed or the natural upward growth of prices? How does the stock market work? Is online shopping really cheaper? Why are credit cards both very helpful and very risky? Take this course and you will get answers to these questions and so much more!
Teacher: Dr. Derrick Angermeier, History
Tuition: $150
- Enrichment
- Freshman
Emerging Leaders: Finding Your Voice at Visitation
Dates: June 22 - 26, 9:45 - 11:15 AM
Description:
Step into high school with confidence! This session focuses on building leadership skills and strengthening public speaking in a supportive, engaging environment. Students will explore their individual strengths, learn effective communication strategies, set personal goals, and discover leadership opportunities at Visitation. Through interactive activities, participants will also build confidence in public speaking, including speech organization, body language, impromptu speaking, and giving constructive feedback. No prior leadership experience is required, just a willingness to grow, connect, and find your voice.
Instructor: Mrs. Singleton - Director of Student Activities
Tuition: $150
- Enrichment
- Freshman
Mind Benders: Unlocking Critical Thinking Through Puzzles & Inquiry
Dates: June 22-26, 12 - 1:30 PM
Description: In this course, students will learn strategies for critical thinking and problem solving through the use of puzzles and inquiry activities. We will learn to define a problem, identify alternatives for its solution, and implement a plan. While the class will not focus specifically on math and science problem solving, students will be better equipped for solving mathematical word problems upon finishing. There will be no homework (other than to continue thinking).
Teacher: Bernard Griggs, Science Department Chair
Tuition: $150
- Enrichment
- Freshman
Visi Spirit Arts & Crafts
Dates: June 22 - 26, 12 - 1:30 PM
Description:
Students will make new friends and build school spirit through Visi-themed craft projects. Each day will include a new project with fun crafts and accessories to bring home and wear throughout freshman year. Themes will include our mascots, Ferdinand and Nicodemus, Salesian Spirituality, the Green Gate, and, of course, Gold-White!
Instructor: Liz Silver '01, History Teacher
Cost: $200
- Enrichment
- Freshman
Creative Writing - Fiction
Dates: June 22 - 26 from 1:45 - 3:15 PM
Description: Short story writer and novelist Flannery O'Connor once said that anyone who has survived his or her life to the age of fifteen has enough material to last a lifetime. The creative writing - prose class will give you the opportunity to use your writing skills for self-expression. We will take a look at all the things that interest and fascinate us, and spend our time turning them into prose works of either fiction or non-fiction. The work you write will be something you can hold onto throughout your four years at Visitation, and look back on at the end to see what you were thinking when you came in, and how you have grown during your four years here. Look forward to a fun, exciting, and creative time together!
Instructor: Mr. D’Agata - English Teacher
Tuition: $150
- Enrichment
- Freshman
AI Innovation Lab: Arduino Design & AI-Assisted Coding
Dates: June 22 - 26 from 1:45 - 3:15 PM
Description:
Step into the world of engineering, coding, and artificial intelligence in this hands-on summer AI Innovation Lab.
In this week-long course, students will use an Arduino microcontroller to design, build, and program working systems that control motors, sensors, pumps, and LED lighting. A key feature of the course is the integration of AI as both a design partner and coding assistant. Students will learn how to use AI tools to brainstorm system designs, generate and refine Arduino code, and troubleshoot errors—while developing the critical thinking skills needed to evaluate and improve AI-generated solutions.
The course culminates in a final project where students design and build a touchless, sensor-activated faucet, demonstrating automation, intelligent system design, and AI-assisted programming.
No prior experience is required. Ideal for students interested in engineering, robotics, computer science, or STEM innovation.
Instructor: Mr. Haralson, Science Teacher
Tuition: $150
- Enrichment
- Freshman
Creative Writing - Poetry & Creative Nonfiction
Dates: July 6 - 10, 12 - 1:30 PM
Description: Do you love short stories and poetry? Have you ever wished there was more time in the semester to write them? Do you wonder if those stories and poems in your notebook margins or the notes app on your iPad are actually any good? Do you have a book of creative writing, but you don't know where and how to publish your work professionally? If so, then I am happy to extend this invitation to join a group of your peers in this writing and reading-intensive, workshop-style course. Students will analyze works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and will have the opportunity to respond creatively to the assigned readings. Students will leave the course with a portfolio of original stories, creative essays, and poems, and will leave with writing strategies, workshop experience, and a solid knowledge of best practices regarding submission for publication and high school writing prizes. Come write with us and embody Richard Bach's famous words, "A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit.”
Instructor: Ms. Jackson, English Teacher
Cost: $150
- Enrichment
- Freshman
Walking Tours and History of Washington, DC Neighborhoods
Dates: July 6 - 10, 8:00 - 11:00 AM
Description: Students will examine Washington as a living city: a city whose politics, economy, neighborhoods, architecture, culture, and population have evolved over time. In addition, the course emphasizes the importance of students learning how to ask thoughtful questions about their environment, finding ways to answer these questions, and effectively communicating their answers. Excursions into different neighborhoods and guest speakers will happen daily.
Instructor: Mr. Petri - History Teacher
Tuition: $300- Enrichment
- Freshman
GENERAL INFORMATION
Location: Enrichment courses are offered on-campus unless otherwise noted.
Registration: Registration for enrichment classes will open later this spring. Full tuition is due at registration. Enrollment is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. Visitation will maintain a waitlist in Veracross in the event of cancellations. Visitation reserves the right to cancel any class that does not meet the minimum enrollment.
Financial Aid: A limited amount of financial aid is available for Summer Enrichment courses. If you would like to apply for aid, please email Director of Admissions & Financial Aid Janet Keller at janet.keller@visi.org.
Credit: Students do not earn credit for summer courses.
iPads: iPads are required for math and English classes to take and organize notes, submit assignments, and view some course materials. The courses will introduce apps that students will use during the school year, such as Notability. Other classes may also require an iPad.
Lunch: Lunch is NOT provided. Students taking multiple classes are responsible for their own lunch / snacks.
Questions: Contact Summer Enrichment Coordinator Eric Chalfin at eric.chalfin@visi.org.