AP U.S. GOVERNMENT & POLITICS/AP MICROECONOMICS PAIRING: The semester-long courses AP U.S. Government and AP Microeconomics are paired. Students who enroll in AP U.S. Government and Politics will automatically be enrolled in AP Microeconomics. A civics course (government and/or economics) is required for graduation.

This course focuses on the state of politics in the United States, as well as looking at the structure of the U.S. government. Students learn about the various agencies and institutions that make up the government and learn to describe how their interactions influence the people as a whole and, conversely, how the people are able to influence the government. Through simulations and discussions, students examine case studies from the U.S. These discussions and simulations enable students to gain an understanding of the institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that make up the American political environment. This course will help students attain the skills and knowledge they need in order to understand the shifting political climate. Students also learn how the U.S. both influences the world and how events around the world affect the United States. This semester-long course prepares students to take the AP U.S. Government examination in May.

Instructor expectations: Using various note taking strategies; reading outside of class and bringing that information into the lesson; homework is around an hour after every class meeting, but could take longer if students read slower or need to process information; managing time outside of class for homework; if students are struggling they are responsible for talking to the teacher and asking for help; reading the news to know current events discussed in class.

AP U.S. GOVERNMENT & POLITICS/AP MICROECONOMICS PAIRING: The semester-long courses AP U.S. Government and AP Microeconomics are paired. Students who enroll in AP Microeconomics will automatically be enrolled in AP U.S. Government and Politics. A civics course (government and/or economics) is required for graduation.

Economics can be defined as the study of exchange given certain institutional arrangements, or it can be viewed as the study of human action—people making choices. This university-level, semester course focuses on microeconomics concepts. Through a variety of teaching methods including lecture, simulations, group activities, discussions, and debates, students explore microeconomic topics, including fundamental concepts such as scarcity and opportunity cost, the role of prices in allocating goods and services, applications of supply and demand to public policy issues, public choice analysis, public goods theory, externalities, and market structures.

This course introduces students to the foundational aspects of Presentation Skills, Stage Presence, Basic Acting, Musical Theatre, and Technical Theatre. Students will build self-confidence both on stage and off, focusing on the exploration of presenting for a group, acting styles, choreography, and vocal performance through exercises, monologues, scenes, and ensemble work. They will also study the fundamentals of audition techniques and etiquette. Dance work will focus on styles of dance for Musical Theatre. Additionally, students will be introduced to several areas of Theatrical Design & Technology, and will receive practical, hands-on experience in Technical Theatre.

Additional Expectations: Some time outside of course is required. Students must complete 10 Tech Hours each semester.

Theatre III investigates and develops an intimate working knowledge of theatrical performance. Students continue to explore styles, methods, and genres through academic study and active presentation of assigned projects. Coursework includes further study of voice, physical theatre, mental awareness, and theatrical styles. Ample class time will be given for scene/monologue work, which will comprise a major portion of the curriculum, as will script analysis, audition techniques, and production performance. Theatre III(H) students are automatically cast and required to participate in Brown Bag lunchtime productions, as well as EXPERIMENTS IN COMEDY & TRAGEDY our annual student-produced and directed production, performed for one weekend in April/May.

Additional Expectations: Some time outside of course is required. Students must complete 15-20 tech hours each semester.

This is an intensive upper-level elective that concerns itself with advanced performance, design, and production for the theatre. Students are expected to have already developed a working knowledge of both stagecraft and the art of theatre. This course focuses on further developing these skills, culminating in the ability to apply theatrical performance & design to productions created by the class. Students continue to develop advanced skills in acting, producing, and directing, as well as developing necessary collaborative production skills. Students also study, critique, and emulate both classical and contemporary professional design & performances. They are expected to know how to read a script, analyze its thematic structures, discern metaphoric patterns, understand the use of classical symbols, and create & execute design concepts that accurately reflect these practices. In addition, students who have proven their aptitude in the dramatic arts are given the opportunity to create theatre in a professional environment. Students will collaborate to create “Brown Bag” lunchtime one-act performances: conceived, designed, and performed by Theatre III(H), Theatre IV(H), and Technical Theatre III(H) students. This course culminates in the creation of a full-length, student-produced, -designed, and -directed evening of theatre called EXPERIMENTS IN COMEDY & TRAGEDY. Participation in this production is mandatory.

Additional expectations: Students are required to participate in lunchtime performances and afternoon/evening rehearsals & performances for EXPERIMENTS IN COMEDY & TRAGEDY as needed. It is expected that these students will take on leadership roles in VCHS mainstage productions as well, either in performance or backstage. Students must complete 15-20 Tech Hours each semester.

This course introduces students to the foundational aspects of Technical Theatre. Students will explore all areas of technical theatre, offering practical, hands-on experience in the design and execution of scenery, lighting, sound, makeup, and costumes. Students will become familiar with the basic components, tools, and theory of technical theatre, including safety, construction, and maintenance of theatre sets and facilities.

Additional Expectations: Some time outside of course is required. Students must complete 10 Tech Hours per semester.

This course leads students to develop an intermediate understanding of technical theatre and theatrical design. Students continue to develop practical skills in the design and execution of scenery, lighting, sound, make-up, and costumes. This course may also introduce students to the fundamentals of metalwork and welding, while further developing knowledge of the components, tools, and theory of technical theatre. Coursework applies intermediate techniques of design, drafting, and set construction, focusing on computer design software in all technical areas. Practical experience is gained through the design, construction, and maintenance of theatre production sets and facilities.

Additional Expectations: Some time outside of course is required. Students must complete 15 Tech Hours per semester, and are required to participate in at least one backstage crew for a VCT production over the course of the school year.

This is an upper-level elective that concerns itself with advanced performance, design, and production for the theatre. Students are expected to have already developed a working knowledge of both stagecraft and the art of theatre. This course focuses on further developing these skills, culminating in the ability to apply theatrical performance & design to productions created by the class. Students continue to develop advanced skills in stage management, woodworking, metalworking, set design, prop design, costume design, stage makeup, stage lighting, and sound design, as well as developing necessary collaborative production skills. Students also study, critique, and emulate both classical and contemporary professional design & performances. They are expected to know how to read a script, analyze its thematic structures, discern metaphoric patterns, understand the use of classical symbols, and create & execute design concepts that accurately reflect these practices. In addition, students who have proven their aptitude in the dramatic arts are given the opportunity to create theatre in a professional environment. This course culminates in the creation of “Brown Bag” lunchtime one-act performances, which are conceived, produced, designed, and performed by Theatre III, Theatre IV (H), and Technical Theatre III (H) students. Technical Theatre III(H) students are also required to participate in the end-of-the-year student production, EXPERIMENTS IN COMEDY & TRAGEDY.

Additional Expectations: Students are required to participate in lunchtime performances and afternoon/evening rehearsals & performances for EXPERIMENTS IN COMEDY & TRAGEDY. Students must complete 15-20 Tech Hours each semester; significant time outside of class is required.

This is an intensive, upper-level elective that concerns itself with the design process of the different productions offered throughout the year. Students learn to apply knowledge acquired during prerequisite courses in project-based opportunities. Students work closely with both the directors and technical directors on various shows to produce the necessary designs used during the production process. The course offers students experience in stage management, sound design, set design, prop design, lighting design, costume design, and video design and development. Students are expected to work in a professional environment, attend production meetings, and provide necessary materials, information, and design work on a given schedule. The opportunity allows students to develop the design portfolios and resumes that can be used for career and college advancement. Technical Theatre IV(H) students provide mentorship to Technical Theatre III (H) students for the Brown Bag lunchtime performances, in collaboration with Technical Theatre III(H), Theatre III(H), and Theatre IV(H) students. This course culminates in the mandatory participation and creation of a full-length, student-produced, -designed, and -directed evening of theatre called EXPERIMENTS IN COMEDY & TRAGEDY, where Technical Theatre IV (H) students take on all leadership roles in design and production for the show.

Additional Expectations: Significant time outside of class is required. Students are required to take on one leadership role per semester for an after-school VCT production.

Ceramics I is an entry-level course in basic ceramics and sculpting techniques. The course is an exploration in three-dimensional design, which develops an understanding of art elements and principles as they apply to three-dimensional form. Topics covered in this course include the nature of clay bodies, the history of ceramics, basic hand-building, glazing, decorating techniques, and the firing process. Students express themselves creatively through a variety of projects and learn how to assess the success of their work and that of others using vocabulary specific to the course content.