• Enrollment space is limited in this course. 
• This is a DECA approved class.
• Application required with a possible interview. 
• Practicum work requirement (class participation/homework): 

  1. One work shift (80 minutes) weekly, after-school, all year
  2. Two pop-up events (3-4 hours average) per semester, on a Friday or Saturday. 

This college preparatory course surveys African American literature from the 18th to 20th centuries from both a historical and literary perspective. We will study a range of genres, including novels, short stories, poetry, and autobiographies by African Americans. Texts are explored not only from the perspective of race, but from the larger context of cultural themes, social movements, and literary and artistic connections. Students will develop their writing skills through close reading and response, a series of literary analyses and argumentative essays, and by creating their own original poetry. 

Though summer reading is not required for this course, students will find that establishing a reading habit over the summer helps them get a head start on the reading experience they will have during the year. While we encourage them to read books of their own choosing, we also recommend the following titles as indicative of the type of literary rigor they may encounter in the African-American literature classroom: Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, James Baldwin’s TheFire Next Time, and Richard Wright’s Black Boy. Parents may wish to have students read at least one of these titles, as doing so will help them enter the course better prepared for its pace and expectations.

Additional Expectations: The workload and expectations are designed to prepare students for college-level analysis and writing, emphasizing critical thinking and effective communication skills.

Note: Juniors and seniors may choose between American Literature, African American Literature, British Literature, and Screenwriting. The courses are comparable in work and requirements. If juniors wish to join the AP track, they select AP Language & Composition, followed by AP Literature & Composition their senior year if they remain in Advanced Placement classes. Philosophy in Literature (H) provides an honors-level course for students who are not pursing AP; the workload and rigor are commensurate to an AP course.

British Literature surveys selected authors and work beginning in the Anglo-Saxon period and continuing through contemporary times, emphasizing the historical context of literary works as well as their influence on culture. Students read a minimum of four complete major works, such as Shakespeare's Macbeth and Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice. Students will also read excerpts from Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales,  as well as from other classics from the British literary canon. Over the course of the year, students develop their vocabulary and sharpen their writing skills through a series of literary analyses and timed essays. 

Though summer reading is not required for this course, students will find that establishing a reading habit over the summer helps them get a head start on the reading experience they will have during the year. While we encourage them to read books of their own choosing, we also recommend the following titles as indicative of the type of literary rigor they may encounter in the British literature classroom: Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea, and Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. Parents may wish to have students read at least one of these titles, as doing so will help them enter the course better prepared for its pace and expectations.

Additional Expectations: The workload and expectations are designed to prepare students for college-level analysis and writing, emphasizing critical thinking and effective communication skills.

Note: Juniors and seniors may choose between American Literature, African American Literature, British Literature, Philosophy in Literature (Honors course), and Screenwriting. The courses are comparable in workload and requirements. If juniors wish to join the AP track, they select AP Language & Composition, followed by AP Literature & Composition their senior year if they remain in Advanced Placement classes. Philosophy in Literature (H) provides an honors-level course for students who are not pursing AP; the workload and rigor are commensurate to an AP course.

AP English Literature and Composition is a challenging course intended for students who love to read, debate, analyze, and write. Sampling literary works from a variety of different genres and eras, the course focuses on answering two questions: “What does the author say?” and “How does he or she say it?” While these questions may seem surprisingly simple, the analysis garnered through course discussions, group work, and activities reveals the subtleties and nuances that make literature richly complex. Students who join AP English Literature should expect rigorous application of critical thinking skills in both their reading and writing assignments.

Additional Expectations: A summer reading assignment is required, and the class workload and expectations are intended to prepare students for college application essays, college-level analysis, and college writing.

Summer reading for AP English Literature and Composition students: Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake (click) and complete a short assignment (will be sent at the end of May). These are both due the first day of class in August.

This course is designed for students who have successfully completed Algebra II and possess sufficient mathematical maturity and quantitative reasoning ability.

This course covers major introductory topics in both descriptive and inferential statistics, such as mean, median, mode, variance, standard deviation, linear and nonlinear regression, correlation, and hypothesis testing. Students learn how to collect unbiased data, sampling procedures, experimental design, estimate population characteristics, make predictions, find and interpret confidence intervals, test hypotheses, compare two populations, develop chi- squared tests, and make data-based decisions. Students learn from simulations how to develop probabilistic reasoning to anticipate patterns in data and to determine the likelihood of errors in inference. Students also learn to apply techniques for normal, binomial, geometric, and other discrete and continuous probability distributions. 

Students will learn to use JMP statistical analysis software. Microsoft Excel and other data analysis programs are used as teaching tools in the classroom and are used by students on their computers and iPads. This course includes preparation and review for the AP statistics examination. Students will be prepared for the Advanced Data Analysis course.

Note: A student who has a grade of 'F' in the 1st Semester of the course will NOT be permitted to continue in the course 2nd Semester.

Special Note: A TI-84+ graphing calculator is required.

This year-long honors course covers various topics in linear algebra including matrix theory, systems of linear equations, row operations, row echelon forms, matrix algebra, matrix inverses, determinants, factorization, vector spaces, dependence and independence, linear transformations, eigenvalues, eigenvectors, inner products, orthogonality and least squares, symmetric matrices, and finite-state Markov chains.  Selected applications of linear algebra are included.  The course requires students to be familiar with mathematical proof writing.  This course is a second-year university level course and is offered to students who completed multivariable calculus.

Note: A student who fails the 1st Semester of the course will NOT be permitted to continue in the course 2nd Semester.

Pre-Algebra serves as a bridge between basic mathematics and high school Algebra. Students learn about and explore topics including integers, order of operations, algebraic expressions, one and two-step equations, proportions, percents, probability, geometry, and linear equations. This course prepares students to be mathematically literate as for future courses and state standardized tests.

In this course, practice problems are designed to reinforce content taught and students may be required to preview new content at home through assigned reading with minimal preview practice problems.

This course introduces students to a Biblical understanding of God and His desire to have a relationship with all people. Questions such as, “Who is God?”, “What is God like?”, and “What has God done?” challenge students to examine cultural views of Christianity in order to develop an informed and personal view of the Christian faith. To understand the foundations of this faith, an emphasis is placed on how the historical events in scripture foreshadow and point towards the need for the Savior: Jesus Christ. In conjunction with the text, How (Not) to Read the Bible, this biblically-based curriculum will invite students to critically examine the intellectual, spiritual, and practical areas of their lives.

This course is designed to inform students about big-picture questions in the Bible. In conjunction with the text, How (not) To Read the Bible, students address questions like, “What does it mean that the Bible is God’s word?”, “Does the Bible have any errors in it?”, “How do we know if the Bible is literal or metaphorical?” These questions will help students to engage scripture in light of our culture today. After overviewing the types of literature found in the Bible and interpretation methods, students will apply this knowledge to various Old Testament scriptures. Students spend extra time in the book of Proverbs, interpreting how and when ancient wisdom can be applied today. This course equips students with tools to understand the Bible’s story, genres, and cultural context so they can interpret Scripture wisely. Using How (Not) to Read the Bible as a guide, students explore big-picture questions about how the Bible was written, how meaning is conveyed, and how to read difficult or confusing passages. Throughout the year, students practice interpretation across a variety of biblical books and genres, and consider how Biblical wisdom can be lived out today.

This course examines New Testament teachings, placing specific focus on Jesus’ life and ministry and Paul’s letters to the early church in their first-century contexts. Through analysis of the Biblical text and key events in early church history, students will learn how to clearly articulate the core doctrines of Christian belief. Throughout their study, students will engage with various disciplines of the Christian life, recognizing their biblical roots, historical development, and conceptual rationale.