Business & Technology

Department Overview

DESCRIPTION OF EXCELLENCE

The Business and Technology department's program is designed to create academic opportunities for students to develop their 21st century skill grounded in Biblical principles. Intentional in developing critical thinkers, students develop their God-given leadership skills to become change makers in the field of business, technology, engineering, and communications.

DISTINCTIVE EXPERIENCE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Building upon the foundational learning in core subjects in business, technology, engineering, and communications, our students extend their learning to the next level through real world applications and hands-on/project based learning through co-curricular programs. The programs include the President's Business Challenge, DECA, Quest Incubator, and Speech and Debate.

Department Map

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY COURSES

This map is a general planning tool, intended to show the course and typical student tracks. Students may deviate from the map and should consult with the counselors and teachers to find the best classes to meet their academic and spiritual goals. Courses offered may vary from year to year.

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTIONS

All of our course descriptions are found online: vcs.net/hscoursecatalog.

Business Courses

Business

Personal Finance & Stewardship

This course provides students the skills needed to avoid debt like the plague, budget with intention, invest, and build & steward wealth.  Biblical tools and knowledge will be taught through teacher lectures, videos, class discussions, team projects, homework assignments and tests. All these ways of teaching a student will help them learn and bring this curriculum to life in their everyday financial decisions. This class will change the financial future of students and set them on a path to win with money.

In this course, emphasis is placed on the four major units.  Savings and budgeting will provide an introduction to personal finance, outline components for financial planning, understand the evolution of America’s dependence on credit, develop strategies for managing money and discussing financial issues and identifying your financial strengths and weaknesses by identifying your money personality.

Business Fundamentals

Entrepreneurship (H)

What are the key factors are critical in the process of creating a company?  What fundamental knowledge and skillset do entrepreneurs need to develop to turn an idea into a business opportunity? The Entrepreneurship Honors course provides students in grades 10-12 with the ability to go through the process of planning and development to launch their own startup during this yearlong, project-based course.  Students will build upon the lessons and skills learned in the Business Fundamentals course and work through the process from ideation to product development.  Students will interact with top industry leaders in Silicon Valley through personal mentoring as they go through the process from concept to launch.  As part of this course, all students will participate in the President’s Business Challenge and/or a Social Innovation Challenge. The President’s Business Challenge gives students an opportunity to work through the process of creating a startup idea and earning the opportunity to pitch their idea in front of venture capitalist at Radar Partners in Palo Alto. For more information on the President’s Business Challenge, go to: bei@vcs.net.

Students will use a variety of curriculum such as the Entrepreneurship, the Practice and Mindset by Professor Heidi Neck at Babson College and/or the Disciplined Entrepreneurship developed by Professor Bill Aulet at the MIT Center for Entrepreneurship and go through the 24 steps to take their startup idea from inception to implementation. They will gain valuable experience in teamwork and collaboration as they learn to problem solve and develop innovative business solutions that are viable, profitable, scalable, and sustainable. The end product will be a formal pitch deck including identification of their problem/opportunity, solution/product, TAM (total addressable market), go-to-market strategy, pro forma income statements, product brochure, and mock prototype.

(DECA approved course)

Additional Expectations: As with other advanced academic courses, students can expect two to three hours of homework per week.

Computer Science Courses

Computer Science

Introduction to Computer Science (Code HS)

AP Computer Science Principles (Code HS)

AP Computer Science A (Code HS)

This course covers basic and advanced topics of Java programming—including types, methods, conditionals, strings, and objects—in preparation for the AP Computer Science A exam. Students design and implement solutions to problems by writing, running, and debugging computer programs using algorithms and data structures. Students also recognize the ethical and social implications of computer use.

Additional Expectations: As with other advanced academic courses, students can expect two to three hours of homework per week, including programming assignments. This class utilizes an online curriculum for delivery of content for an additional $60 fee.

AP Computer Science A (Code HS) - ONLINE

ONLINE COURSE EXPECTATIONS

Intro to AI (Code HS) - ONLINE

Mobile Apps (CodeHS) - ONLINE

iPad Technical Support Internship

Interns are on the front lines of student iPad support and are expected to help students with their use and application of iOS settings, iOS productivity and creativity Apps, file and data management, digital learning workflow, and common student functions such as communication, planning and organization, eReading, note taking, and Internet research. Students are trained in customer service and communication skills, troubleshooting skills, and escalating student help requests to the next point of support when necessary. Interns also contribute support articles to an iPad knowledge base and tips to an iPad blog. Interns are expected to be model digital citizens and learners. Students work directly for the VCS IT department during one of the eight periods of the school day or afterschool. There is also a summer internship available.

Additional Expectations: Interns also participate in a approximately 3-5 VCHS events during the school year, including registration day, Junior High LOST Night, and a teacher in-service.

Engineering Courses

Engineering

PLTW: Introduction to Engineering Design

This course exposes students to the design process, research, and analysis used in engineering. Students learn about global and human impacts and how to use the standards and technical documentation of engineering to address those impacts. Students also learn about the importance of teamwork and clear communication when using engineering solutions. Students use 3D solid modeling design software to help them formulate solutions to proposed problems. The skills taught culminate in an ability to effectively document work and communicate solutions to peers and members of the professional community.

PLTW: Principles of Engineering

This course is for students who are serious about pursuing a possible future in engineering. This survey course exposes students to major concepts they will encounter in a post-secondary engineering course. This survey introduces mechanisms, energy sources, electronic circuits, thermodynamics, statics, material properties, structural design, control systems, and kinematics.

Students employ engineering and scientific concepts to solve design problems. Students develop problem-solving skills, document their work, and communicate solutions to peers and members of the professional community.

PLTW: Aerospace Engineering