EPIC

This course will provide students an opportunity to explore the aesthetic principles and basic technical skills of photography as a fine art form.  Students will be introduced to functions of digital cameras, how to take quality  photographs, and how to manipulate these pictures in post production to produce expressive and meaningful artworks.  A survey of the history of photography and the work of famous photographers will be included. Coursework will consist primarily of written and photographic assignments by theme, composition, lighting, color, and other variables.  Traditional and experimental post-processing, including a variety of transfer processes into mixed media art pieces, will be included.  A digital camera with manual control over aperture and shutter speed is required for the class.  This course is open to 11-12th grade students who have successfully completed ART I or Graphic Design I, or with teacher approval.

An introduction to graphic design and layout will be components of this introduction course. This class is a prerequisite course for the staff of the newspaper, yearbook and graphic design II. With a foundational focus on principles and elements of design, students will learn about form, shape development, typography, color theory, and how each plays an important and vital aspect in the design process. Students will learn the fundamentals of Adobe Illustrator and Adobe InDesign, while conceptually developing the structure of information to communicate ideas. This will include logo design, product marketing, poster design, and real-world projects for school-wide functions. Students will become familiar with a variety of tools and techniques used to produce professional work in the fields of graphic design, advertising, and illustration.  Moreover, the class will explore the intersection of business and graphic design by introducing students to the fundamentals of planning, research, and design. This course provides practical experience in essential studio processes, procedures, critiques, and group discussions. Open to 9th-12th grade students who have successfully completed ART I,  took Art in 7th and 8th grade or by submission of a portfolio and teacher approval.

Open to juniors and seniors by application and with department approval.

This course is designed for motivated and advanced art students, with an emphasis on improving drawing and 2D skills and visual self-expression in various creative processes at a more accelerated pace. The curriculum follows the general guidelines of the "Breadth" requirements of AP Studio Art, so students are challenged through specific assignments to create a portfolio of works in a range of themes, mediums, and techniques which may be submitted for AP scoring. Creativity as an ongoing process that involves the student in informed and critical decision making is encouraged.

This is a studio class for highly motivated acting students that develops and sharpens the student’s appreciation, understanding, and technical mastery of performance skills, including character development and relationships, stage movement, and script evaluation. Materials include published plays, monologues, poetry, and other manuscripts selected by the students and the instructor. The program is designed not only to heighten the acting student’s mastery of performance technique, but also to acquaint the student with the many elements involved in producing a play or film, including lighting and sound design, costuming, scene design and construction, budgeting, and directing.

Students receive training and practical experience in theatrical set design and construction, costume design and construction, sound and lighting design and implementation, and set properties selection and/or construction. Students have the opportunity to work daily in a state-of-the-art theatre and to broaden their particular areas of expertise through active participation in multiple productions produced by this class and the theatre department throughout the school year.

Successful completion of Precalculus or Honors Precalculus

Application and departmental approval required

AP Statistics is a year-long course equivalent to a one-semester, non-calculus based college course in statistics. Students are introduced to the major concepts and tools for collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from real data. The four main areas of study are exploring data, sampling and experimentation, anticipating patterns, and statistical inference. Statistics, more than any other mathematics course, is ideally suited for hands-on, small group activities, therefore it functions as a activity-oriented course. In addition to student generated data and real world data available from a variety of sources, technology plays an important role in the course. Each student will be required to have a TI-84+ graphing calculator. While the calculator may be used on the AP exam, students will not be allowed to use computers. However, students will be required to read output from standard statistical packages. The AP exam in May is a requirement of the course.

Successful completion of Algebra 2 or Precalculus required

Open to seniors

This spring semester elective covers many financial topics such as banking, college costs, car loans, mortgage loans, insurance, investing, credit cards, credit scores, budgets, taxes, retirement planning, financial goals, personal goals, and career choices so that students will be more educated in making wise financial decisions and choices.

Successful completion of Algebra 2 or Precalculus required

Open to seniors

This fall semester elective focuses on data exploration, experimental design, simulation procedures, and the examination of surveys and information from samples. Real data is used for all statistics lessons. Students learn to select appropriate graphs and plots for a given set of data and to use technology to create graphs. They will learn to examine graphs and plots in order to describe the data, detect patterns in the facts, and make conjectures about them. Analysis of the data in natural context is stressed in addition to the importance of clear, written communication of findings and conclusions. Students are also coached in techniques for the analysis of data found in the media or chosen fields of study. Students will be involved in hands-on experiments revealing the concepts of the course. Students will generate their own data, surveys, and simulation results through individual and group projects.