MCDS offers sequential study in the core sciences. Students gain the scientific knowledge essential to understanding the world of natural phenomenon. The program emphasizes the scientific method where students acquire knowledge in an analytic manner. In their senior year, students may pursue a specialized course of study.

9th Grade Chemistry
By its very nature, this subject is considered to be the central science. From the materials that make up a high-tech computer chip to the DNA that carries the genetic makeup of our bodies, chemistry provides the basis for further scientific studies. Students in this course learn the principles of structure, matter-energy relationships, thermodynamics and chemical equilibrium. They study the vocabulary of chemistry as well as the processes involved in chemical change in a lab setting. Specific topics include matter, atomic structure, the periodic table, chemical formulas, chemical reactions, molecular structure, kinetic theory, liquids, gases and solids, acids, bases and salts, electrochemistry, nuclear chemistry and the basics of biochemistry.

10th Grade Biology
Following a natural progression from the study of chemistry, much of what is studied in biology classes can rightfully be called biochemistry. The cell is the fundamental unit of all organisms, and most cell functions involve chemical reactions. In this course, students study the makeup of living things, their interactions and their importance in the world. Topics include energy and the cell, cellular reproduction, chemistry of the gene, classification systems, animal and plant adaptations, microorganisms and fungi, vertebrates and invertebrates, plant structure and function and systems of the human body. Frequent biology labs reinforce the use of the scientific method.

11th Grade Physics
This course provides the rules to understand our physical world and the connections to what is found in nature. While chemistry may be the central science, physics is the most basic of all sciences. Here, students explore motion, forces, energy, matter, heat, light, sound and the composition of atoms. Topics include Newton's Laws of Motion, the use of vectors and scales, momentum, gravity, special relativity (space-time, length-momentum-energy), the properties of matter, temperature, heat and expansion, thermodynamics, changes of phase, vibrations and waves, reflection and refraction, lenses, electricity and magnetism, and atomic and nuclear physics.

12th Grade
Students will be offered an AP course in either biology or chemistry, to be determined by school year 2004-2005. In this course, students extend their previous knowledge and experience. The rigorous AP curriculum sets an appropriately high standard for our students.