“What kind of actions can you take to make a difference?” Davidson Day Head of School Bonnie Cotter asked students in her business class Thursday, Nov. 18.

Students in eighth through twelfth grade started a mini term last week that lasts until Thanksgiving break. Teachers, school staff and administrators take a break from their regular schedules to share their passions for other subjects with the students.

The course offerings run the gamut, and include the history of hip-hop, mountain biking, sports ethics, creative marketing and yoga, among many others.

“It’s a good way to get them interested in something they wouldn’t otherwise get into,” said Julie Brown, who usually teaches life sciences and is teaching the science in movies class for the mini term.

“I probably wouldn’t have learned this anywhere else,” eighth grader Kedahl Tyburski said of her “inside college life and admission” course.

Director of Public relations John Tobias teaches two mini term courses this year, and said the children enjoy learning more about their teachers as well as about the course subjects. “The teachers choose these classes because they are truly passionate about them, and that passion is infectious for the kids,” he said.