Micro Courses have been an amazing way to learn about topics outside the classroom, here at Malvern Prep. Students can get an idea of the profession that they wish to pursue in their careers, beyond what just the core classes can give them. Participants of the courses also gain key skills and important insights from the speakers of the CSItizen Speaker Series, who speak about their lives, which can aid students’ future careers. Students, teachers, and wise friends and family of Malvern make this ability to learn possible, and you can too.

The Director of Community Partnerships, Mrs. Harriet Lappas, showed us how these Micro Courses and speaker events are created and what the future holds for them.

“There [are] a number of ways that a Micro Course can be created. First of all, teachers in our school sometimes have something that they’re very passionate about,” Lappas said. 

Teachers can create Micro Courses, when qualified, if they have the drive to teach students who are also interested in the topics.

“The second way that a Micro Course begins is through our students, and that’s since the beginning of the Student Idea Center. Upper School students are allowed to create and teach micro courses for the middle school. And a lot of students who do independent studies… have chosen, instead of doing a presentation, to teach a Micro Course to the middle school,” Lappas said.  

Upper School students can also create their own Micro Courses through the Student Idea Center and can teach to Middle School students, as a demonstration of their learning.

“If you’re an Upper School student and you want to design a course for the Upper School, you can also do that through your Independent Study, but you can’t teach it. The only reason we’ve done that is that we really want the person to be more knowledgeable than their audience. We want them to be an expert in the field. So for the Middle School kids, a senior could be an expert in the field compared to their level of knowledge, but for the Upper School, we do tend to have people who work in the profession, or outsiders that come in and teach it,” Lappas said.

Upper School students who make Micro Courses, which they want to teach to other Upper School students, need to bring in experts in the field. These experts can teach you what they know and give you the ability to turn it into something of your own. 

“This year, we have a Micro Course, for example, in Public Speaking that Luke Bobbitt ‘26 put together. Now he does not teach the course; he has found speakers for each session,” Lappas said.

The Public Speaking Micro Course was put together by a Malvern Prep student and facilitated by experts, in this case, Head of School, Dr. Patrick Sillup. This Micro Course offered skills to build confidence, presence, and communication skills. It also taught students to speak with impact, lead discussions, and leave a lasting impression in class, leadership roles, and beyond.

“[Our Micro Course staff and CSItizen Speakers are] trying to give you a glimpse into a profession,” Lappas said.

These Micro Courses and speeches can lead students on a path to what they wish to pursue in their futures. The program continues to improve every day and change for the better.

“We have the CSItizen Speaker team, which usually does an event at night for parents, alumni, students, and faculty. [We] have decided that their audience is not enough students and faculty, so we [are having] a speaker series during the day, which we’re starting in a few weeks,” Lappas said.

The CSItizen Speaker series is an opportunity for those connected to Malvern to hear amazing stories and insights, which they can apply to their everyday lives and futures as well. These programs can also be a fun activity to do during community time. The future of incorporating the event into school days was brought to reality when Alroy Billiman came in to talk about the amazing achievements he went through during his life. The Iraq War Veteran commented on his struggles through an accident that occurred during the conflict, where he unfortunately lost his arm. He also went into what life is like growing up on a Native American reservation. Throughout all of this, he held the motive to keep pushing forward and getting through “these dark times,” resulting in a very influential speech.

Malvern Preparatory Student, Coby Booker ‘28, participated in the welding Micro Course and gave us his experience working with it. He also informed us about the skills he learned.

“We learned how to do MIG and TIG welding. [We also did] pulse welding; there were a bunch of varieties of the welding. It was very interesting to try out each different type, because then there’s a different challenge to each one too,” Booker said. 

These skills that Coby learned can correlate to his other interests, like the Robotics Team. This link can also go for many other Micro Courses, where what one gains from them can go much further than inside that classroom. 

“Being patient and taking my time with it was a big thing because if you go too fast, then it won’t fuse, but if you go too slow, then it’ll all just pull in one spot. You might just end up wasting material,” Booker said.

The actions you do in a Micro Course can also be taken in a figurative sense, like the movement and patience of welding. This endurance can be applied to other things in your life. While you can gain so much from these programs, they are still very amusing.

“[The Micro Course] was very engaging, very fun. You enjoy doing it, and just watching other students do it too, is fun. It’s pretty chill, a nice thing to do during community time,” Booker said.

Micro Courses and the CSItizen Speakers series are two great institutions at Malvern Prep, and an amazing way to learn about our world. They offer such engaging courses and speeches that are so fun to participate in and listen to, led by students and experts who are tremendously influential and knowledgeable in their fields. Malvern students who participate in these activities gain skills that can continue in their professional lives, while still having a joyful experience. I believe that all students should try to join a Micro Course or come to a CSItizen Speaker event, due to the incredible benefits of them. Involve yourself in one of these programs, or you might miss out on this opportunity found only here, at Malvern.