Course Offerings

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.

What does it mean today to be a person of character, a person of integrity and values, or simply put, a good person? How do we determine whether actions are morally right or wrong? How do we equip ourselves to make grounded ethical decisions and develop a moral compass? Such questions will provide the framework for this course.
 
After an introduction to major Western ethical theories, the course will focus on the study of both personal ethics (topics such as: honesty, loyalty, forgiveness, etc.) and ethical issues in contemporary society (topics such as: discrimination, violence, the environment, etc.). Work on these topics will help students develop their capacity to analyze texts and issues, to criticize and construct philosophical arguments, and to present their thoughts orally and in clear written form. Students will be better prepared to recognize, confront, and think critically about difficult questions that we encounter in our daily lives.

This semester course is designed to introduce students to the field of global studies by promoting an understanding of the interconnectedness and interdependence of global processes. The course focuses on historical, cultural, environmental, technological, political, and economic global developments. Some of the key issues will include the challenges of our global economy, the fading of the nation-state, emerging nationalism and transnational ideologies, new communications media, environmental crises, and human rights abuses. This course will challenge students to “think globally” by linking pressing global issues of our time to relevant regional developments. The historical framework of the course is the Cold War to the present and coverage of world regions will provide a foundation for grappling with the emerging possibilities and the ethical responsibilities of living in an interconnected world.

This course presents an introductory survey of the study of Economics theory and practice. Taken in a semester, the course includes Units of Study on Macroeconomics, money and banking, and the roles which the government, business firms, labor unions, and consumers play in the functioning of a Market Economy.

This course presents a survey of the study of competing Economic Theories, Microeconomics and the principles and practice of Entrepreneurship. Taken in a semester, the course includes Units of Study on various theories of Economics, Microeconomics and the characteristic traits and practices of Entrepreneurship, concluding with a Semester Project consisting of a Formal Business Plan. 

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.

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.

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. 

Both biology and chemistry are prerequisites.

Biotechnology will introduce students to various laboratory techniques used in modern biotechnology research. The course has five major objectives:(1) understand the theory behind techniques such as restriction digestion and gel electrophoresis analysis, transformation and plasmid purification, polymerase chain reaction, and ELISA; (2) learn how to locate and read primary scientific literature with particular emphasis on the methodology used by the researchers to answer their research questions; (3) understand what a standard operating procedure is and how to use one; (4) demonstrate mastery of biotechnology laboratory techniques; and (5) discuss ethical issues related to modern biotechnology research. Biotechnology will be a largely hands-on class. We will discuss various techniques as a class along with their application in research.  Students will then be given standard operating procedures along with materials for each technique discussed and will be expected to independently troubleshoot the procedure until it is mastered. 

Robotics and Engineering will be split into two independent courses for fall and spring.  It is not necessary to take one before the other.  During the fall, we will be focusing on coding.  To introduce coding, we will be learning Python which is currently one of the most popular programming languages.  This will be an introductory, problem-based course where you will learn about logic and how computers can be used to help with everyday problems.  You do not need any programming experience.  In this course, we will focus on data types, for and while loops, if/else statements.  For students who have beyond a basic understanding of coding, you will be able to move through projects at your own pace and solve higher level problems.

Robotics and Engineering will be split into two independent courses for fall and spring.  It is not necessary to take one before the other. During the spring, we will focus on building a small robot and learning how to control our robot through various methods.  You will have the opportunity to learn two platforms: Arduino and Raspberry Pi.  While there is some coding involved with each, you will be working in groups where the building and coding can be done as a team.  Some may be more geared toward one or the other and that is fine.  Engineering is a team effort.  Additionally, you will learn about electrical engineering and mechanical engineering and about the Engineering Design Process.  You will also have the opportunity to design your own project and solve your own projects as a group. 

This course is designed to introduce students to the astounding interactions that exist within environmental systems. Environmental Science reinforces ecological and taxonomic concepts learned in biology while adding a more detailed vocabulary to the complexities that exist. A large component of this course includes the analysis of current environmental trends, and examination of environmental science principles through fieldwork and activities outside of the classroom.

After successful completion of this course, students will be able to define and use appropriate terminology relating to environmental science, successfully implement the scientific method when asking questions, compare and contrast local, regional, national, and international environmental systems and processes, interpret scientific data and make inferences through critical analysis of peer-reviewed research, and describe the level at which humans affect the environment.