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Electives

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College & Career Planning

6 Elective credits are required for graduation. Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies credits earned beyond the required credits count towards Elective credits.

Arts Rotation - Gr. 6 & 7

Students in grades 6 and 7 participate in a year-long quarterly arts rotation that includes:

SEL Exploration: SEL Exploration focuses on developing students’ knowledge of their social and emotional well-being. Students will practice listening and speaking skills, work on social/emotional problem solving, and spend time talking about time management and personal responsibility. Students will also have the opportunity to build organizational, typing, and communication skills.

Physical Education - Gr. 6-8

The Physical Education program encompasses individual and team sports, fitness, team building, traditional activities and non-traditional games. This course is designed to provide all students with opportunities for mental, physical and social growth and development through physical activities. Active participation in these activities and games becomes a vehicle to teach students important life skills about teamwork, competition, cooperation, and ethical behavior.

Around the World in 88 Days - Gr. 11 & 12

Length: semester
Credit: .5

The 19th and 20th centuries saw rapid industrialization, widespread imperialism, and significant global political shifts as European powers expanded their colonial empires across Africa and Asia, leading to major changes in society and international relations. In this second semester course, students will look for patterns in history and thematic concerns, especially around wars and governmental shifts. Short stories, poems and a few novels along with some basic history outlines of various countries will offer a fast-paced survey of the world in reading and the arts.

Sociology - Gr. 10-12

Levels: College Prep
Length: Semester
Credits: .5

Have you ever wondered why people do the things they do? Where does the idea of poverty come from? How about the concept of racial inequality? The study of sociology tries to answer these types of questions. This course will focus on sociology as a tool to understand the social, cultural, and economic systems that make our world turn. Students will be introduced to important sociological concepts including socialization, culture, social construction of knowledge, socio-economic inequality, racial inequality, poverty, and political sociology.

This class will require a considerable amount of perspective-stretching as we examine ideas and behaviors that are completely foreign to many people. Being an elective course, it will be designed for students with a genuine interest in the subject matter. There will be a certain level of independence required of students when it comes to research and assignment completion.

Introduction to Philosophy - Gr. 10-12

Levels: College Prep
Length: Semester
Credits: .5

The human mind is an incredible thing. Using this enigmatic organ, humans have created languages, built empires, created items of immense power, cultivated new food, invented countless machines, cured diseases…its capacity seems almost limitless. But all of these achievements tend to come from a common human desire; to understand the world around us. Have you ever stopped to think why robbery is seen as a negative behavior? Perhaps you have considered why people seem to be drawn to specific works of art.

Philosophical study is the name we have given to the human quest for understanding. In this course, students will learn how to discuss, analyze, clarify, and create arguments that will help them to be successful in an academic context..

Modern Religious Conflict - Gr. 10-12

Levels: College Prep
Length: Semester
Credits: .5

This course explores modern religious conflicts, examining how religious, ethnic, and political identities intersect to fuel violence across regions. Students will analyze key case studies: “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland, where sectarian tension between Catholics and Protestants was interwoven with issues of national identity and independence; the Serbian and Armenian genocides, showcasing how state forces targeted religious minorities in the Balkans and Ottoman Empire; the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, highlighting persecution faced by Muslim minorities in a Buddhist-majority country; and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one of the world’s most complex struggles over land, nationalism, and religious identity. Through these conflicts, students will analyze how religion shapes identities and serves as both a source of solidarity and a tool for exclusion in modern political landscapes.

20th Century History - G. 10-12

Levels: College Prep
Length: Semester
Credits: .5

This course will be a survey of world history in the 20th century. It will begin with a discussion of the causes and effects of the First World War and the rise of authoritarian leaders in the aftermath of that conflict. In addition, it will explore the causes and effects of the Second World War and the emergence of the superpower states. In the second semester, this course will examine the ideology, geopolitics and major crises of the Cold War before completing our study with a focus on the implications of the Vietnam War on US society and culture.