From the Directors, Ms. Abdilla and Ms. Gold:

Welcome to our first BTI newsletter of the year! Inside, you’ll find highlights from the Sophomore Symposium, our field trip to the California Academy of Sciences, and a peek into our classrooms. Be sure to scroll to the end for plenty of photos and a list of upcoming events.

We are grateful for the Carlmont Academic Foundation’s partnership, which allows BTI families to designate a portion of their contributions directly to BTI—support that makes our special opportunities possible. We also extend heartfelt thanks to the parents, guardians, and professionals who so generously share their time, expertise, and resources. Your generosity truly enriches our students’ experiences.

Class of 2028

Biotechnology 1 with Ms. O’Hara

We started our year looking at the history of biotechnology and historical uses of biotech by looking at fermentation and bread-making. We just started learning about the impact of Biotechnology on society through the stock project and other online career and current event explorations. We will be doing labs to develop the core skills of Biotechnology, including measurement, solution preparation, and a fall final where students use their lab skills and knowledge to design a Biotech-based treatment for protein undernutrition.

English II with Ms. Gold

Students began the year with an introduction to ethics based on Susan Liautaud’s The Power of Ethics. They are now reading Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, a dystopian novel that imagines a society shaped by genetic engineering and strict social control. In addition, students recently read about real-world applications of biotechnology for an informative essay and are now preparing to launch their first major team project. Each group will investigate a biotechnology application in depth and present their findings to families at our Open House on February 5, 2025. Save the date!

World History with Mr. Fenech

We began the year with community-building activities and having fun getting to know each other. Our units will take us through the social, political, and economic continuities and changes that impacted the world from the 1700s through today. This semester, we will cover the topics of Pre-Colonial Societies, Revolutions, and Imperialism. We will explore these topics through the perspectives of various regions and cultures to reveal a complete narrative of our world’s history.

Class of 2027

Biotechnology 3 with Ms. Abdilla

We started off the fall semester with a review of solution preparation, learning about the plant and flower parts and the function of those parts. This semester will also include a review of genetics and how to predict the outcome of offspring by focusing on the genetics of Wisconsin fast plants. We also conduct labs focusing on germinating seeds, growing plants from seeds, and cloning plants using 3 different techniques.

Chemistry for Biotechnology with Mr. Engberg and Ms. Lu

So far this semester, will have investigated why some beverage cans float or sink, the gas laws, and the chemistry of smells. In addition to a general introduction to chemistry, the main focus for the first semester will be project-based learning centered around the creation and analysis of a student-created beverage. Students will mostly create this beverage at home and then test its properties at school. During this project, we will focus on the fundamental chemistry concepts of solutions, concentration, measurement, bonding, structure, and other basic principles of chemistry.

English III with Ms. Gold

We began the semester writing narrative essays and are now reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which examines the motivations and ethical challenges of a scientist. We are also exploring the book through a psychological lens—looking at the light and shadow sides of the mad scientist and monster archetypes. After our Frankenstein unit, we will delve into a bioethical issue and argument writing.

U.S. History with Ms. Moynihan

Currently, we are approaching the end of our first unit about the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era of the late-19th/early-20th centuries. Many political, economic, and social changes arose with the rise of big business and industry, unleashing many social, political, and economic problems that the middle class wanted to tackle in order to help the urban poor, immigration, and corruption in both business and the government. Recently, under the Progressive Era content, we’ve also been discussing environmental conservation vs. preservation and private property rights regarding resources that could benefit a wider community. We’ll soon take a brief look at American Imperialism and how we emerged as a world power prior to the outbreak of war in Europe. Our following unit will regard WWI and the 1920s, followed by the Great Depression. I’m hoping we may be able to finish (or at least get part way through) the Great Depression and New Deal by the end of the semester.

Class of 2026

Biomanufacturing with Ms. Burndon

Welcome to Carltech! In our newly formed Biomanufacturing “company”, students will begin the year by manufacturing a variety of biotechnology products, from cosmetics to supplements to biologics, and performing validation testing. We will end the semester with the student favorite project Urease Medical Device Project, where students use low-tech materials and their Biotech skills to design an alternative to Dialysis. Second semester we will compare student-manufactured to commercially available Taq Polymerase for PCR and learn about the computer side of Biotech with a unit on Bioinformatics and DNA sequencing related to Jurassic Park. For their final Capstone project, students will manufacture a Biotechnology project of their choice.

English IV with Mr. Fabic

My goal is to prepare students for success beyond high school by helping them become emergent and engaged critical thinkers, capable writers, and ardent readers. Our first semester begins with a “What’s Next?” college admissions essay writing unit, followed by a Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury) informative essay, and finishing with an argumentative essay writing unit addressing the issues presented in John Carreyrou’s Bad Blood. The following semester, we explore the world of Jurassic Park (Michael Crichton) and end the year with 1984 (George Orwell).

American Government with Ms. Moynihan

In our introduction to government at the start of this fall semester, we began by tracing the foundations of our American democracy and form of government as outlined in the U.S. Constitution. Our current unit focuses on principles in the Constitution, our federal system, the independent judiciary, and the structure of our government. At the end of this unit, students should be able to explain how to amend the constitution, explain how power and responsibility are shared and limited in our government, and describe the major principles of the American Constitution. Our next unit will focus on the Legislative Branch. Students are continuing their practice of civil discourse and critical thinking regarding issues that our current government (and major players currently involved) are tackling today and presenting strong arguments based in the Constitution as well as comparing our modern government to what it may have looked like back in the late 1700s. As it is a presidential election year, we will be taking breaks from regular curriculum every so often to take a look at the campaigns of the presidential candidates and measures and propositions proposed on the county and California specific ballots and debate the ideas presented. Students will be trained and expected to formulate their own ideas around these topics and base their reasoned opinions through concrete and reputable evidence.

Notebook Decorating & Popsicles

Our first BTI social event of the year—Notebook Decorating and Popsicles—offered students a fun way to beat the heat and connect with their BTI peers and teachers outside of class. Students personalized their class notebooks with vinyl stickers, washi tape, and other art supplies. Popsicles added a sweet bonus to the relaxed, playful vibe.

Bonding Field Trip to the California Academy of Sciences

Classes of 2027 & 2028

This September, 105 sophomores and juniors enjoyed our biannual trip to the California Academy of Sciences. Students greeted Claude, the Academy’s beloved albino alligator, who celebrated his 30th birthday on September 15. They also walked the living roof, explored the rainforest, visited the penguins, and more.

The day was not only full of science and discovery but also a chance for the BTI team to connect with students outside the classroom. We are especially grateful to AP Research teacher Dr. Struve, who volunteered as a chaperone. Many BTI students take her classes, and we are proud to call her an honorary member of our team. It was a memorable day for all!