Experiencing Everest (Full-Day Course) - FULL
Have you ever thought about being a teacher? Do you have a passion for kids coming from challenging backgrounds? Do you want to be a part of a school that is making a difference in the city of Chicago? Then this class is for you!
Through this class students will have the opportunity to observe and serve at the Moving Everest Charter school in the Austin neighborhood. Students will experience the blessings and challenges of teaching as they get to know their own class of elementary or middle school students. Activities such as tutoring, lesson planning, putting together crafts, taking students to gym, and read aloud will all be a part of a typical day throughout this course. Students will also spend a couple of days reflecting on teaching and sharing experiences with one another. By the end of the two weeks, students will have a clear picture of what it looks like to teach in an urban setting at a school committed to helping all students thrive.
Instructor: Annika Yoder
Class Fee: None
Open to: All grades
Alpha
It’s OK to have doubts. It’s OK to have questions. Alpha Youth is a series of conversations that explore the basics of Christianity in a supportive environment. It’s a place where you can ask honest questions or say nothing at all. Everyone is welcome. If you have decided to follow Jesus, this class is for you. If you have questions about faith, this class is for you. If you are looking for a fun and supportive community in class, this course is for you.
During this class, you will experience community building and move through the Alpha Youth curriculum. For more on the Alpha Youth experience, click here.
Instructor: David Moran
Class Fee: None
Open to: All grades
Activities for Lifetime Fitness - FULL
Physical fitness is an essential component of everyone’s life . For too many high school students, the only physical fitness activities they experience are those that are part of the traditional P.E. curriculum or co-curricular activities . This course is designed to provide the students with the opportunity to participate in a wide range of non-traditional physical fitness activities, as well as provide a different twist on traditional physical fitness activities. Proper clothes for each day’s activity are needed.
Planned activities are subject to change based on weather: Bowling, Sledding, Skating, Downhill Skiing in Wisconsin, Laser Tag, Indoor Rock Climbing, Badminton Tournament, Snow Football, Snow Ultimate Frisbee, Scavenger Hunt in Downtown Wheaton.
Instructors: Grant Tillotson
Class Fee: $100
Open to: All grades
American Sign Language
In a this class, you will learn the foundation of a beautiful, useful language. Although ASL takes a lifetime to master, the basics of conversation will be introduced in this Winterim class. Fingerspelling and numbers, greetings, food, home, clothing, idioms, history, culture, media representation and ministry will all be presented, with time for hands-on practice and discussion. God is calling individuals of this generation to extend their hands to an unreached people group who live among us and across the world. Will you respond?
Instructors: Alta Johnson
Class Fee: None
Open to: All grades
Animated Storytelling - FULL
This class is a deep dive into the art and craft of animation through film.
Students will watch and discuss some of the most iconic animated movies and series from across history, exploring how different studios, technologies, and artistic choices bring stories to life. From classic hand-drawn works to modern CGI and hybrid styles, the class highlights the creativity and innovation that define the world of animation today.
Instructors: Luke Fritz
Class Fee: None
Open to: All grades
Aviation - FULL
Are you interested in the aviation field? If so, this class is for you!
This class will be an introduction to the amazing world of aviation. We will take a look at the basics of flight, including aerodynamics, aircraft systems, weight and balance, charts, navigation, flight planning, regulations, and weather.
Offered with the help of the LeTourneau University Aviation Program, Wheaton Academy is excited about once again reaching for the sky!
Instructor: Lee Wilkinson
Course Fee: None; however, if weather permits, we will try
to schedule discovery flights with students. The cost of this flight is an additional $100 per student should a student choose to participate.
Open to: All Grades
Christianity Then and Now
This course will explore the birth, growth, and branching out of the Christian church.
Students might wonder about the history of their own church branch and how it is both similar and distinct from other branches of Christianity. This course will address these questions. Possible field trips include visits to a Jewish synagogue, a Catholic church and an Eastern Orthodox church.
Instructor: Chip Dykema
Course Fee: None
Open to: All Grades
Christian Magazine Writing: From Pitch to Print
What makes an article timely, juicy, accurate, and ready to publish?
Work with a freelance writer with over a decade of experience to find your voice and tell your story! In this course, we’ll explore structuring a publishable piece, practicing ethical coverage, interview with wit and skill, and why certain articles just work.
Bring your unique perspective to creative nonfiction, whether it’s personal essays, investigative news, cultural analysis, devotionals, profiles, or Christian sports reporting. Hear from veterans of the craft and learn how to write the pitch that gets your piece seen.
Students will finish this course with a polished piece in the nonfiction genre of their choosing and an accompanying pitch email to submit for actual publication.
Instructor: Jeanne Whitlock
Course Fee: None
Open to: All Grades
Christian Witness in the Time of War
The class uses feature films and documentaries to tell the story of WWII and the Holocaust and the lives of heroic Christians who took a stand for their faith.
Students will view parts of the well-known films Pearly Harbor, Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, and Hacksaw Ridge. Other films include Amen, Nanking, John Rabe, To End all Wars, Empire of the Sun, Memory of the Camps, Sophie Scholl, and many others.
The class also provides the rare opportunity to talk with, in person, some of the few remaining WWII veterans and Holocaust survivors.
Students will discover how they can apply what they’ve learned to issues in our world today and to our faith as followers of Christ.
Instructor: Scott Young
Course Fee: None
Open to: All Grades
Cooking for Guys FULL
Guys, it has become quite expensive to eat out.
Wouldn’t you like to learn to prepare food that tastes as good or better than restaurant entrees at a fraction of the price?
Cooking is a life-skill you will use again and again! This course will help students learn the basics of cooking something as simple as a brownie box mix, to cooking and serving a complete dinner.
We will also cover safety in the kitchen, knife skills, reading and understanding recipes, and menu preparation.
Menus will include various combinations of desserts, bread, salads, pasta, main dishes and appetizers.
Instructor: Bart Gregersen
Course Fee: $75
Open to: All Grades
Cricut 101 - FULL
This course will teach students how to use a Cricut crafting machine. We will explore the design side of crafting by learning the Cricut software before bringing our creations to life. Students will design projects from custom Starbucks cold cups, to originally design apparel.
The main emphasis of this course will be to help students bring their Pinterest worthy ideas to life. Come prepared to design and create! Students will leave the class with an array of projects to keep!
Instructor: Kimberly Schoepke
Course Fee: $25
Open to: All Grades
Exploration of Acrylic Painting
This course is an overview and hands-on study of painting with acrylics. Together we will learn about the unique properties of this medium that opens up a wide range of potential for creativity. Each day will focus on a new project, with the goal of each student becoming more comfortable with the medium and finding a subject they’re most interested in.
Instructor: Nicole Gosling
Course Fee: $75
Open to: All Grades
Discovering Photographic Styles - FULL
Discovering Photographic Styles is a fun and hands-on class for students who want to explore the art and technique of photography. We’ll start by learning the basics—how to use a camera, work with light, and do simple editing. From there, you’ll get to experiment with a wide range of styles, from portrait and landscape photography to street, abstract, and even experimental techniques. You’ll discover how photography can be more than just capturing an image—it’s a powerful way to tell stories and connect with the world on a deeper level.
Together, we’ll also study famous photographers’ work, learn their unique styles, and see how they use light, color, and composition to evoke emotions. By the end of the course, you’ll have a personalized photo portfolio that shows off your creative style, interests, and expressive vision!
Instructor: Varya Bazalev
Course Fee: None
Class Requirements/prerequisites: DSLR camera (any brand) with at least one of the following lenses: 50mm, 35mm, 18-55mm (standard kit lens)
Open to: All grades
God in the Marketplace
This course could impact you for the rest of your life.
It is fulfilling when you better understand the purpose of work and how God has uniquely gifted you for a role only you can do.
We will take a deep dive in to how you can serve God in your career, what real success means, and how your work matters to God.
The study includes some of the best content written about living out your faith in your work. I’m inviting several guest speakers who are very successful business leaders to tell their life’s story and how they serve God through their life’s work.
In addition to current day business leaders, we will learn more about business leaders recorded in the Bible and how they made decisions.
You will leave the course with a better understanding of workplace ministry, a written life mission statement and I pray an enlightened purpose in life!
Instructor: Bob Schuldt
Course Fee: none
Open to: All Grades
Food Around the World- FULL
This class is designed to help you develop an incredible and adventurous palate. You will experience eight different types of foods from around the world and visit various restaurants in the Chicagoland area.
You will pose as a food critic and be given the opportunity to write about each food experience. You may need to be brave at times and go outside your comfort zone. Being a food critic is not for the faint-hearted. You will try many different types of foods and record your impressions as descriptively as you can .
If you are the kind of person who has a tremendous zest for life and is willing to take many adventures and risks, this course is for you.
Instructor: David Moran
Course Fee: $ 80
Open to: All Grades
Food, Film, & Forgiveness - FULL
The world of film—Spiderman, The Prestige, The Spitfire Grill, and others—focuses on a theme of forgiveness and the possible consequences of refusing to forgive. This class will study the biblical texts that address forgiveness, watch several movies about forgiveness—while eating food–and compare the messages of the movies with the truths of scripture.
Instructor: Melanie Marr
Course Fee: None
Open to: All Grades
Hispanic Culture and Celebrations
This girls-only course will immerse you into Hispanic culture. We will explore Hispanic holidays -with an emphasis on 3 King’s Day (January 6) and the Quinceanera celebration. You will learn about this special birthday celebration and plan your own fictional party.
We will spend time making crafts from Spanish-speaking countries, listening to Hispanic music, tasting Hispanic foods and playing some games. On one special day we hope to explore the music of “Zumba”! We will take one of our class days to learn some special dances from many Spanish-speaking countries.
(Please only sign up if you are willing to dance with us-this portion isn’t optional) Students will finish class with a new appreciation foe Hispanic culture and traditions. You do not need to be taking Spanish to take this course.
Instructor: Kelly Laschinski
Course Fee: None
Open to: All Grades
Game Design Lab
Do you enjoy playing and creating games? Are you interested in how theme, story, and mechanics work together to create an engaging and fun experience? Want to learn more about game design? What about the artwork that brings a game to life?
In this Winterim design lab, we’ll learn how games work and about their basic elements, how designers create an experience for the player, and how to prototype and iterate your own game design. You’ll also have an opportunity to design the visual look and feel for a game you or another team is creating.
You’ll be playing and evaluating games to learn more about how they work before choosing known mechanics to craft your own games with an emphasis on collaboration. Designers and artists will work together to hone the look and feel of the game and its components.
In this class, you’ll learn…
- How to unpack the term “game,” incorporating different concepts and multiple perspectives.
- How to analyze the mechanics of paper and digital games, considering how these mechanics affect gameplay and player experiences.
- How to design, develop, and test paper and digital prototype games using an iterative design process and incorporating user feedback.
- How to craft a visual identity that enhances gameplay.
Instructor: Sean McCallum
Course Fee: None
Open to: All grades
Intro to Improv - FULL
This Improv class is an introductory course to the fundamentals of improv. It is designed for those who have the desire to get more performance experience under their feet as well as to risk trying new things! Whether Improv is something that you’ve been doing for a long time, or if it’s something that you’ve never tried before, this class is open to all levels of experience!
Each day we will have a hands-on rehearsal where everybody will be able to participate in improv warmups, exercises, and games! As we go through these exercises we will focus on the art of collaboration and listening, as well as learning how to make/understand universal humor for audiences that invites all people into the experience of Improv.
We’ll finish off the course with an Improv performance that is open to all families of the students in the class, where students can take what they have learned from the class and put it into action!
Instructor: Joe Jones
Course Fee: None
Open to: All Grades
Intro to Golf - FULL
Are you interested in playing golf? Have you been on the course a few times and want to develop your game? Have you hit a stall in advancing your skills? This class is for you. Think it’s too cold to golf in January?
Wheaton Academy has two brand new indoor golf simulators that have previously only been available to the golf teams. For these two weeks you will have access to these state-of-the-art facilities where you will receive instruction and feedback on your golf game. Working with Mr. Kelly, the Varsity golf coach, he will help craft your swing, teach you new shots, and help you see where you can most improve your golf game.
Sign up for this class to learn a new lifelong sport or dive deeper into a game you already know and love.
Instructor: Brian Kelly
Course Fee: None
Open to: All Grades
National Security & The Intelligence Community - Registration Closed
Technology is stolen, terrorism targets a world superpower, countries go to war, war is prevented. Why and what does it mean? Come behind the scenes to explore the mysterious world of intelligence operations. You will study the concepts of intelligence collection and its role in national security objectives and become educated on the blurred lines between civil liberties versus national security Want to visit rarely seen intelligence centers and hear from intelligence experts in the field? Join us as we go behind those secret doors.
Instructor: Cory Roberts
Course Fee: None
Open to: All Grades
Pilates - FULL
Calling all future physical therapists, athletic trainers, medical professionals, and fitness instructors!
Seeking dancers, gymnasts, athletes, and anyone looking to challenge their body!
Each class will feature a daily workout, time breaking down movements in detail, and lessons in basic anatomy. We’ll discuss and practice using proper alignment and engaging your core correctly. You’ll also learn how exercises can be modified to meet the needs of individuals, including those with injuries or medical conditions. Challenge yourself physically and gain knowledge of the miraculous human body!
This winterim Pilates class will include field trips to Wheaton Sports Center, where our workouts will be on the pilates reformer.
Instructor: Kelly Froehlich
Course Fee: None
Open to: All Grades
Pixel Bash: A Fortnight of Gaming
Do you love gaming? Join us for an adventure and nine days full of electronic gaming! Each student will build and keep their own RetroPie, a retro-gaming machine enabling you to play arcade and home-console games. You’ll pick which games you install and configure, and we will extensively play-test our creations. We will have multiple gaming competitions and prizes throughout. Vintage arcade gaming will also be featured with field trips to the Flux Capacitor Arcade (private arcade of the instructor) and the Galloping Ghost Arcade, which features over 885 games and is the largest video arcade in the USA!
Game on, Warriors
Instructor: Greg Blaum
Course Fee: $100
Open to: All Grades
Rock Climbing - FULL
Rock climbing is an awesome and often overlooked sport . Regardless of your skill level, join this class for a challenging and chill experience spent in the gym climbing with friends. In this class, we will be traveling to Vertical Endeavors, a nearby rock climbing gym almost every day .
This class is open to all levels of climbers. If you are completely new to the sport, this class will teach you the basics of climbing, including how to belay climbers so that you can take on any top rope routes . Rock on!
Instructor: Maddie Urban
Course Fee: $100
Open to: All grades
Sales, Staging & Successful Investing: A Real Estate Overview - FULL
In the two weeks of Winterim, the course will provide an overview of the real estate industry. There will be three field trips over the course of the class, such as the opportunity to learn how to stage a home.
The class will touch on the light-hearted side of real estate (sales and marketing, property pricing) as well as some heavier topics (negotiation tactics, and real estate ethics).
Everyone will be affected by real estate in their lifetime, and this class will give each student a taste of this industry and perhaps an appetite for getting their real estate license. (Licensure age is 18!)
Instructors: Carly Brust
Class Fee: None
Open to: All grades
Sweet Winters: A Pastry Workshop - FULL
Warm up your Winterim with butter, sugar, and creativity!
Over the course of 10 hands-on classes, students will journey from the fundamentals of baking to professional-level pastry techniques designed to help you bake like a pro—whether you dream of opening your own business, pursuing a culinary career, or simply want tomaster baking as a lifelong passion.
We’ll start by building essential skills in mixing, measuring, and baking science, and then dive into the world of cookies, cakes, and decorating, tarts and bars, and even French classics like pâte à choux. Each session combines learning and creativity as students produce their own delicious pastries to share and enjoy.
To top it all off, we’ll end the workshop “with a bang” by planning, styling, and presenting a full dessert table—complete with a variety of student-made sweets and lessons on setup, balance, and presentation. By the end of Sweet Winters, you’ll not only take home your creations, but also the confidence, skills, and inspiration to keep baking beyond the classroom.
Instructors: Nicole Masek
Class Fee: $75
Open to: All grades
Table Tennis, Truth, & Trails
In this class, we will combine the fun of table tennis with the power of scripture memory and the beauty of nature. Each day will include plenty of ping pong action including matches, tournaments, and honing new skills. We’ll take advantage of time away from the busy pace of the school year to engage our minds and hearts in scripture memory in order to fuel our love for God and understanding of his word. By the end of the course, each student will be able to confidently recite a significant passage from God’s word. We’ll spend some time outdoors, going on walks on local trails to give ourselves space to learn scripture and let it sink deep into or hearts in the midst of God’s creation. Our fellowship that we form during our ping pong time will hopefully fuel each other’s depth of understanding of God’s word. Join us for this unique blend of fun, fellowship, and faith!
Instructors: Steve Willemssen
Class Fee: None
Open to: All grades
Traditional Hand Tool Woodworking
Humankind has been converting trees into buildings, furniture, and innumerable items for all of human existence. Come discover the knowledge and skills used by artisans for millennia, skills that are no longer commonly known. Class is active: we learn with tools in our hands, with logs, lumber, and workbenches. All tools will be human-powered; no electricity. Everyone will practice newly learned skills by building personal projects… all of which you take home to keep. Gain knowledge to become an inspired creative maker in a consumer world, understand wood’s amazing uses as one of the most sustainable resources we can utilize, and do it all powered exclusively by you
Instructors: Ed Bouvier
Class Fee: $125
Open to: All grades
Video Editing: Theory and Technique - FULL
| Editing is the craft of taking video footage and sculpting it into a story. In Video Editing: Theory and Technique, we’ll be exploring the reasoning behind why certain edits work, the early history of film editing, and how to use modern-day editing apps like Final Cut Pro and Premiere. We’ll shoot and edit our own footage in class and discuss our work together. By the end of this class, you’ll see videos, shows, and movies through a brand new lens, and will be able to take your footage in new potential directions. |
Instructor: Chris Yiesla
Course Fee: None, need a phone with camera
Open to: All grades
Walking in a Winter Wonderland - FULL
Winter in the Midwest is often a time to hunker down inside with a warm blanket and hot cocoa in front of a fire. In this class we will learn that it is also the perfect time to get outside and explore the wonder of God’s creation right here in our own backyard!
Come experience the wonders of winter at the nearby Morton Arboretum. We will plan to spend from 30-90 minutes outside every day, followed by time inside to warm up with those hot drinks, soups, etc, while enjoying winter-themed art, stories, music, and maybe films.
The Morton Arboretum has over 16 miles of trails, and we will explore as much of that as possible through different types of hikes (group, partner, solo…intentional, guided, free-wandering), and, weather-dependent, possibly a day of cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing, or ice-skating.
Winter is the perfect time to get outdoors and the Morton Arboretum is the perfect place to do so. Join us and discover your inner arctic explorer!
Instructor: Jennifer Kang
Course Fee: $50
Open to: All grades
Warrior Consulting Group - FULL
This two-week course offers students a practical, hands-on experience in business consulting, focusing on solving common, real-world challenges faced by small local businesses.
Students will work in small teams to apply business principles and creative problem-solving to deliver tangible, high-impact recommendations to our local business partners. The class culminates in a professional presentation of their strategic solutions.
Instructor: Roland Gardner
Course Fee: None
Open to: All grades