Special Event Registration

Compass 2 College: Foundations helps high school families of 9th and 10th graders get organized early with college planning, transcripts, GPA calculation, course records, testing options, and advising. Students receive two advising meetings each year, priority access to PSAT preparation workshops, the opportunity to apply for Compass-exclusive internships, and guidance on service, leadership, and student awards. The goal is to help families build a strong, well-documented high school record without waiting until senior year. Read more about Compass 2 College.

Compass 2 College: Scholars provides expanded college-planning support for high school students who want more guidance as they prepare for applications, essays, transcripts, testing, and senior-year milestones. Scholars students receive two annual advising meetings, transcript and GPA support, priority access to SAT preparation and college essay-writing workshops, access to Compass-exclusive internship opportunities, and guidance on service, leadership, awards, and Common App homeschool counselor responses. Senior Scholars may also choose a professional diploma and graduation regalia options for Compass’s graduation or another ceremony. Read more about Compass 2 College.

Go beyond the trail. Learn to see the wild. Curious Naturalists Field School is a guided, small-group exploration led by a senior master naturalist and environmental educator. Meeting bi-weekly, families engage in purposeful field study where every outing is an opportunity to investigate, identify, and understand the natural world in depth.

This is not a casual nature walk. Families learn how to observe like naturalists and think like scientists as they identify native plants, track seasonal changes, study wildlife signs, and examine ecosystems up close. With expert guidance, they explore topics such as botany, ecology, water systems, and habitat relationships, building real knowledge of the environment around them.

Led by a credentialed educator with advanced training in environmental science, stream monitoring, and habitat restoration, each session is grounded in both expertise and experience. The group may assess stream health, recognize invasive species, understand watershed dynamics, and participate in meaningful stewardship practices.

Curious Naturalists Field School offers a deeper, more intentional outdoor experience for families ready to move beyond basic exploration. It cultivates curiosity, sharpens observation, and builds confidence in the field while fostering a lasting connection to the natural world.

This is a family program with parents and children participating together. Each participant in a family must register and pay separately. Children under age 3 are free to tag along, provided they are not a distraction. This is not a drop-off program. Registration and commitment is by single date with the group meeting bi-weekly. For more information on outdoor expectations, see the Compass outdoor class webpage.

Scoop up the last sweet days of summer. In this hands-on workshop, students celebrate the season by creating frozen treats from scratch. From creamy classics to refreshing fruit flavors, this class is all about chilling out in the kitchen and enjoying the process.

Students will explore a variety of ice cream-making techniques as they craft 3 types of desserts:

• Rich creamy Vanilla Egg Custard
• Fruity and indulgent Blueberry-Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
• Bright, refreshing Watermelon Sorbet

Along the way, they'll learn how ingredients, temperature, and technique come together to create smooth, delicious results. With plenty of tasting, mixing, and creativity, this workshop is the perfect way to end summer on a sweet note. Students will leave with new skills, great recipes, and a love for making frozen treats at home. There is a supply fee of $25.00 due to the instructor on/before the start of the workshop.

Go beyond the trail. Learn to see the wild. Curious Naturalists Field School is a guided, small-group exploration led by a senior master naturalist and environmental educator. Meeting bi-weekly, families engage in purposeful field study where every outing is an opportunity to investigate, identify, and understand the natural world in depth.

This is not a casual nature walk. Families learn how to observe like naturalists and think like scientists as they identify native plants, track seasonal changes, study wildlife signs, and examine ecosystems up close. With expert guidance, they explore topics such as botany, ecology, water systems, and habitat relationships, building real knowledge of the environment around them.

Led by a credentialed educator with advanced training in environmental science, stream monitoring, and habitat restoration, each session is grounded in both expertise and experience. The group may assess stream health, recognize invasive species, understand watershed dynamics, and participate in meaningful stewardship practices.

Curious Naturalists Field School offers a deeper, more intentional outdoor experience for families ready to move beyond basic exploration. It cultivates curiosity, sharpens observation, and builds confidence in the field while fostering a lasting connection to the natural world.

This is a family program with parents and children participating together. Each participant in a family must register and pay separately. Children under age 3 are free to tag along, provided they are not a distraction. This is not a drop-off program. Registration and commitment is by single date with the group meeting bi-weekly. For more information on outdoor expectations, see the Compass outdoor class webpage.

Cut the chaos, build better systems, and create a calmer, more organized homeschool year. Homeschooling takes flexibility- but it works a whole lot better when the year has a plan. Whether this is your first year homeschooling or you have been teaching your children for years, every family reaches a point when routines need refining, systems need adjusting, and expectations need recalibrating. Early October is an ideal time to look at the first month of school, celebrate what is working, and make thoughtful changes before small frustrations turn into daily stress.

In this interactive two-hour workshop, professional organizer and productivity coach Camille Prunka will share practical, real-world strategies for creating a homeschool environment that supports learning while reducing overwhelm for parents and students. Parents will explore ways to organize lesson plans, schedules, learning materials, digital resources, paperwork, household responsibilities, and family routines while creating systems flexible enough for real homeschool life.

The workshop will also address how parents can help children become increasingly organized and independent learners. Participants will explore age-appropriate approaches to planning, prioritizing, managing assignments, organizing study spaces, building routines, and gradually transferring responsibility to students.

Parents will leave with practical ideas, useful tools, and a clearer plan for making the remainder of the homeschool year calmer, smoother, and more enjoyable.

Taste the past. Cook like the ancients. In Eating Through History: Ancient Tables, students step into early civilizations to explore how people cooked, ate, and lived thousands of years ago. Guided by an engaging instructor, students prepare recipes inspired by ancient cultures while learning the history behind each dish.

From Babylon to Rome, each class connects food with daily life, geography, and culture. Students will recreate:

• Tiger Nut Cake (Babylon, 1400 BC)
• Lamb Stew (Babylon, 1740 BC)
• Puls, a Roman grain porridge (2nd century)

This hands-on class brings history to life through taste, texture, and tradition, making the ancient world both tangible and memorable. See the Compass Cooking Class webpage for more FAQs about our cooking classes. There is a supply fee of $25.00 due to the instructor on/before the start of the workshop.

Go beyond the trail. Learn to see the wild. Curious Naturalists Field School is a guided, small-group exploration led by a senior master naturalist and environmental educator. Meeting bi-weekly, families engage in purposeful field study where every outing is an opportunity to investigate, identify, and understand the natural world in depth.

This is not a casual nature walk. Families learn how to observe like naturalists and think like scientists as they identify native plants, track seasonal changes, study wildlife signs, and examine ecosystems up close. With expert guidance, they explore topics such as botany, ecology, water systems, and habitat relationships, building real knowledge of the environment around them.

Led by a credentialed educator with advanced training in environmental science, stream monitoring, and habitat restoration, each session is grounded in both expertise and experience. The group may assess stream health, recognize invasive species, understand watershed dynamics, and participate in meaningful stewardship practices.

Curious Naturalists Field School offers a deeper, more intentional outdoor experience for families ready to move beyond basic exploration. It cultivates curiosity, sharpens observation, and builds confidence in the field while fostering a lasting connection to the natural world.

This is a family program with parents and children participating together. Each participant in a family must register and pay separately. Children under age 3 are free to tag along, provided they are not a distraction. This is not a drop-off program. Registration and commitment is by single date with the group meeting bi-weekly. For more information on outdoor expectations, see the Compass outdoor class webpage.

Clear the clutter, stop forgetting, and build a personal organization system that works for you.

You have enough stuff to keep track of- schoolwork, activities, deadlines, ideas, files, passwords, papers. It is time to get it together. Being organized does not mean remembering everything or becoming the kind of person who color-codes every notebook. It means creating reliable systems that keep important things from getting lost, forgotten, or buried under everything else. In this two-session workshop, students will begin building a personalized organization system that supports school now and college, work, and independent life later.

Students will explore practical ways to organize physical and digital materials, capture assignments and ideas, use planners and calendars, establish routines, and reduce the mental clutter that can interfere with focus and productivity. Rather than prescribing one perfect system, the workshop introduces a variety of tools and methods so students can determine what actually works for their personality, learning style, and schedule.

Between sessions, students will put their systems to work in real life, then return to troubleshoot what did not work, strengthen what did, and make adjustments. They will leave with a practical organizational framework for managing academics, activities, volunteering, and personal responsibilities with greater independence and less overwhelm.

Roll, slice, and savor. In this hands-on, three-hour workshop, students learn the art of sushi making as they create multiple rolls, sliced and ready to enjoy or share.

Students will learn how to properly prepare and season sushi rice, layer ingredients, and master the technique of hand rolling. Recipes include favorites such as:

• California rolls
• Cucumber rolls
• Coconut shrimp rolls

Along the way, they will work with ingredients like smoked salmon, shrimp, imitation crab, nori, rice vinegar, sesame seeds, coconut wrappers, cucumber, avocado, cream cheese. Each student will leave with a tray of their handmade sushi garnished with pickled ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce. This workshop builds confidence in the kitchen while introducing a fun and creative culinary skill students can continue at home. No raw seafood is used, making this class approachable for beginners while still delivering authentic flavors and techniques. There is a $33.00 supply fee due payable to the instructor on/before the start of the workshop.

From stage and screen and just in time for Halloween! Learn ghastly special effects make-up tricks from a professional make-up artist. In this two-hour clinic, teens will learn how to create gory wounds to transform themselves to patient or victim of an imaginary attack. Students will learn how to create cuts and gashes, scars and scabs, bruises, burns and bullet holes using professional make-up products on themselves or their friends. A special effects make-up kit of consisting of cream make-up, coagulated blood gel, modelling putty, liquid latex, make-up sponges, and applicators is included in the class fee. Each student must bring a stand-up table top mirror to the class. The clinic is for students ages 13 and up.

From stage and screen and just in time for Halloween! Learn ghoulish special effects make-up tricks from a professional make-up artist. In this two-hour clinic, teens will learn how to create realistic effects that they can apply to transform themselves into a zombie, monster, troll, demon, or other dark creatures. Students will learn how to create hollow, sunken eyes and peeling or ripping skin using professional make-up products on themselves or their friends. A special effects make-up kit of consisting of cream make-up, coagulated blood gel, modelling putty, liquid latex, make-up sponges, and applicators is included in the class fee. Each student must bring a stand-up table top mirror to the class. The clinic is for students ages 13 and up.

Go beyond the trail. Learn to see the wild. Curious Naturalists Field School is a guided, small-group exploration led by a senior master naturalist and environmental educator. Meeting bi-weekly, families engage in purposeful field study where every outing is an opportunity to investigate, identify, and understand the natural world in depth.

This is not a casual nature walk. Families learn how to observe like naturalists and think like scientists as they identify native plants, track seasonal changes, study wildlife signs, and examine ecosystems up close. With expert guidance, they explore topics such as botany, ecology, water systems, and habitat relationships, building real knowledge of the environment around them.

Led by a credentialed educator with advanced training in environmental science, stream monitoring, and habitat restoration, each session is grounded in both expertise and experience. The group may assess stream health, recognize invasive species, understand watershed dynamics, and participate in meaningful stewardship practices.

Curious Naturalists Field School offers a deeper, more intentional outdoor experience for families ready to move beyond basic exploration. It cultivates curiosity, sharpens observation, and builds confidence in the field while fostering a lasting connection to the natural world.

This is a family program with parents and children participating together. Each participant in a family must register and pay separately. Children under age 3 are free to tag along, provided they are not a distraction. This is not a drop-off program. Registration and commitment is by single date with the group meeting bi-weekly. For more information on outdoor expectations, see the Compass outdoor class webpage.

Step into the past. Cook from centuries ago. In Eating Through History: Medieval Fare, students explore the foods and traditions of medieval England through hands-on cooking and engaging discussion. Each week, students prepare recipes inspired by historical sources while learning how food reflected daily life, social structure, and available ingredients. Students will make:

• Spiced gingerbread (England, 14th-century)
• Douce Zane, a savory-sweet dish of capon (chicken) with milk and honey (England, 1390)
• Pumpion Pie (England, 1670)

This immersive class blends culinary skills with cultural exploration, helping students experience history in a way they can see, smell, and taste. See the Compass Cooking Class webpage for more FAQs about our cooking classes. There is a supply fee of $25.00 due to the instructor on/before the start of the workshop.

Plan ahead, take control of deadlines, and make your time work for you.

You cannot make more time- but you can get a whole lot better at using the time you have. Instead of constantly reacting to deadlines, students can learn to make intentional choices about where their time goes. In this two- session workshop, students will develop practical strategies for balancing schoolwork, activities, responsibilities, friendships, hobbies, and downtime without feeling as though everything is competing for the same few hours.

Students will practice estimating how long tasks really take, prioritizing competing responsibilities, planning short- and long- term assignments, and avoiding last-minute rushes. They will experiment with calendars, planners, task lists, weekly planning, reverse planning, and time blocking while also exploring productivity concepts such as the Pareto Principle, Parkinson's Law, and the Pomodoro Method.

Between sessions, students will test selected strategies during their actual week and return ready to evaluate what helped, what got in the way, and what needs adjusting. They will leave with greater awareness of how they use their time and a practical set of tools for managing increasingly complex responsibilities.

Go beyond the trail. Learn to see the wild. Curious Naturalists Field School is a guided, small-group exploration led by a senior master naturalist and environmental educator. Meeting bi-weekly, families engage in purposeful field study where every outing is an opportunity to investigate, identify, and understand the natural world in depth.

This is not a casual nature walk. Families learn how to observe like naturalists and think like scientists as they identify native plants, track seasonal changes, study wildlife signs, and examine ecosystems up close. With expert guidance, they explore topics such as botany, ecology, water systems, and habitat relationships, building real knowledge of the environment around them.

Led by a credentialed educator with advanced training in environmental science, stream monitoring, and habitat restoration, each session is grounded in both expertise and experience. The group may assess stream health, recognize invasive species, understand watershed dynamics, and participate in meaningful stewardship practices.

Curious Naturalists Field School offers a deeper, more intentional outdoor experience for families ready to move beyond basic exploration. It cultivates curiosity, sharpens observation, and builds confidence in the field while fostering a lasting connection to the natural world.

This is a family program with parents and children participating together. Each participant in a family must register and pay separately. Children under age 3 are free to tag along, provided they are not a distraction. This is not a drop-off program. Registration and commitment is by single date with the group meeting bi-weekly. For more information on outdoor expectations, see the Compass outdoor class webpage.

Create a one-of-a-kind piece of wearable art using delicate mini millefiori, tiny ceramic and glass tiles, and natural stones. In this hands-on workshop, students will design and create one mini mosaic jewelry piece, choosing from a pendant, bracelet, or pair of earrings, subject to available styles and sizes. A variety of settings and materials will be provided so each participant can create a piece that reflects his or her own style.

This beginner-friendly project is a great introduction to the art of miniature mosaics. Each registration includes one finished jewelry piece. Participants who finish early and would like to create an additional piece may do so for $35.00 per item, as time and materials allow.

Ages 13+ may register independently. Students ages 10- 12 must register with a paid, participating parent.

Instructor Shona D'Cruz is a Virginia artist and owner of Blue Hyacinth Mosaics, LLC, where she creates one-of-a-kind wearable and functional mosaic art using mosaics, fused glass, and metal clay. She is a member of the Made in Fairfax artist network and has been teaching fused glass, mosaics, and art to children and adults since 2018.

Warm ovens. Wonderful aromas. A table made more meaningful by their own hands. In Kids' Own Thanksgiving, young cooks step into the heart of the holiday by preparing delicious, crowd-pleasing dishes to share with their families. This hands-on workshop celebrates the joy of giving, as students create recipes they can proudly contribute to the Thanksgiving table.

Students will prepare a selection of festive favorites with a creative twist including:

• Spinach Stuffing Balls
• Victorian Sugared Cranberries
• Tomato Manchego Tartlets
• Apricot and Prosciutto Focaccia

Along the way, they will build confidence in the kitchen while learning techniques that bring both flavor and presentation to life.

Each dish is designed to be taken home and either frozen and reheated on Thanksgiving Day or recreated and perfected for the big meal. Whether served as a side, appetizer, or showpiece, these recipes allow students to take an active role in their family's celebration and experience the true joy of sharing what they've made. There is a $25.00 supply fee due payable to the instructor on/before the start of the workshop.

Candy-cane columns, licorice lattice, gumdrop gutters, iced icicles, or a peppermint path. Journey to your own Candyland with darling gingerbread houses adorned with unique confection constructions. Enjoy your gingerbread house as a holiday centerpiece or a delicious pull-apart treat! Students will learn how to plan their design considering layout and symmetry. Then they will learn how to embellish with Royal icing and candy-encrusted details. They will also learn how to simulate frosted shingles and how to do chocolate writing. The instructor will provide a mouth-watering array of candy decor choices.

Notes: (1) For children under age 8, an adult must attend with the child. Over age 8, children may be dropped (2) Some garnishes (gummies or marshmallows) may contain gelatin and food coloring. (3) Each student should bring a cookie sheet to transport his/her gingerbread house home. (4) There is a supply fee of $25.00 due to the instructor on/before start of the workshop.

Go beyond the trail. Learn to see the wild. Curious Naturalists Field School is a guided, small-group exploration led by a senior master naturalist and environmental educator. Meeting bi-weekly, families engage in purposeful field study where every outing is an opportunity to investigate, identify, and understand the natural world in depth.

This is not a casual nature walk. Families learn how to observe like naturalists and think like scientists as they identify native plants, track seasonal changes, study wildlife signs, and examine ecosystems up close. With expert guidance, they explore topics such as botany, ecology, water systems, and habitat relationships, building real knowledge of the environment around them.

Led by a credentialed educator with advanced training in environmental science, stream monitoring, and habitat restoration, each session is grounded in both expertise and experience. The group may assess stream health, recognize invasive species, understand watershed dynamics, and participate in meaningful stewardship practices.

Curious Naturalists Field School offers a deeper, more intentional outdoor experience for families ready to move beyond basic exploration. It cultivates curiosity, sharpens observation, and builds confidence in the field while fostering a lasting connection to the natural world.

This is a family program with parents and children participating together. Each participant in a family must register and pay separately. Children under age 3 are free to tag along, provided they are not a distraction. This is not a drop-off program. Registration and commitment is by single date with the group meeting bi-weekly. For more information on outdoor expectations, see the Compass outdoor class webpage.

*Note this activity fee includes an additional surcharge for the required group pass.

Chewy, chunky, crispy, or crunchy- kids love cookies! Join us for a one-day, 3-hour Christmas Cookie Academy where bakers will craft 3 kinds of cookies. In the workshop, kids will prepare and bake: Spiced Sugar Cookies with Espresso Glaze, Spritz Butter Cookies, Orange Cranberry Cookies with Orange Glaze, and White Chocolate Cherry Oat. Students will leave with a tray of 3-4 dozen cookies ready for an exchange or holiday party and the recipes to repeat the cookies at home. See the Compass Cooking Class webpage for more FAQs about our cooking classes. There is a supply fee of $25.00 due to the instructor on/before the start of the workshop.

Chewy, chunky, crispy, or crunchy- kids love cookies! Join us for a one-day, 3-hour Christmas Cookie Academy where bakers will craft 3 kinds of cookies. In the workshop, kids will prepare and bake: Spritz Butter Cookies, Orange Cranberry Cookies with Orange Glaze, and White Chocolate Cherry Oat. Students will leave with a tray of 3-4 dozen cookies ready for an exchange or holiday party and the recipes to repeat the cookies at home. See the Compass Cooking Class webpage for more FAQs about our cooking classes. There is a supply fee of $25.00 due to the instructor on/before the start of the workshop.

Break it down, beat the overwhelm, and keep big projects moving forward.

Big project? Do not panic. Break it down, map it out, and get moving. Even capable students can get stuck when an assignment feels too large, too complicated, or too important to mess up. Procrastination is not always laziness; it can grow out of overwhelm, perfectionism, uncertainty, or simply not knowing where to begin. This two-session workshop gives students a repeatable system for turning intimidating projects into manageable next steps.

Students will learn to break projects into smaller actions, establish milestones, create realistic timelines, reverse-plan from deadlines, reduce decision fatigue, and build momentum without waiting for motivation to magically appear. Hands-on planning exercises will allow them to apply the strategies to research papers, presentations, long-term assignments, volunteer projects, and personal goals.

Between sessions, students will use the system with one of their own projects and return ready to evaluate their progress and troubleshoot challenges. They will leave with a practical framework for replacing procrastination and last-minute panic with steady, intentional progress.

Cut the distractions, fuel your focus, and create conditions that make it easier to get things done.

Your attention is valuable. Learn how to stop giving it away. Focus is not simply a matter of trying harder or sitting at a desk longer. Where students work, what surrounds them, when they work, and the habits they bring to a task can all make concentrating easier or much harder. This two- session workshop helps students create conditions that make focused work more natural and productive.

Students will examine how clutter, interruptions, multitasking, notifications, and mental overload affect concentration. They will explore strategies for designing effective study spaces, limiting distractions, developing productive routines, and identifying personal cues that make it easier to begin working. The workshop also considers sleep, movement, nutrition, breaks, and individual peak-energy times as part of a broader approach to managing attention and executive functioning.

Between sessions, students will experiment with changes to their environment and routines, then return to evaluate what actually improved their focus. They will leave better equipped to protect their attention, work more consistently, and make studying more efficient without simply adding more hours.

Build independence, strengthen real-world skills, and get ready for college, careers, and adult life.

Eventually, nobody is going to remind you. Learn how to keep yourself on track. College, jobs, internships, volunteer roles, and adult life all require more than academic knowledge. Young adults are expected to manage responsibilities, communicate professionally, solve problems, keep commitments, and follow through without someone constantly checking behind them. This final two-session workshop connects the organizational and executive-functioning skills in the series to the independence students will need after high school.

Students will explore systems for managing multiple commitments, long-term goals, meetings, deadlines, and group projects. They will also practice organizational habits that strengthen communication, including preparing thoughtful questions, writing organized emails, managing shared calendars, documenting commitments, and communicating effectively with professors, employers, mentors, teachers, and teammates.

The workshop will also address self-monitoring, adapting systems when circumstances change, meaningful goal-setting, resilience, perfectionism, comparison, imposter syndrome, and fear of failure. Between sessions, students will put several strategies into practice and return ready to evaluate what they learned.