AP Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) is equivalent to an introductory college-level computing course that introduces students to the breadth of the field of computer science. Students learn to design and evaluate solutions and to apply computer science to solve problems through the development of algorithms and programs. They incorporate abstraction into programs and use data to discover new knowledge. Students also explore how computing innovations and computing systems work (including the Internet), explore their potential impacts, and contribute to a computing culture that is collaborative and ethical. Roughly half the course is focused on learning to program in either the Python or Javascript programming languages, but the selection of a programming language is at the teacher’s discretion while the other half of the course covers non-programming topics of computer science.
*Class receives honors weighting in SI weighted GPA and UC/CSU GPA calculations
**This class will be offered pending adequate enrollment.
***Students are required to take the AP Computer Science Principles exam in May.
English 300 covers the literature of the United States from the Puritan Era to the present. All the forms of literature which have been studied specifically in themselves during the first two years are now studied as they emerge historically through the imaginative lives of major U.S. authors. This course complements the study of American History, which is also taken during the junior year. The students’ writing aims at greater and greater control over the expository essay and specifically at developing analytical theses on literature. Students will write at least twelve papers during the year in various rhetorical modes including the personal narrative (at least 1), the expository essay (5-7), the synthesis essay, the timed quick-write, and the creative composition. After consulting with their teachers, students taking this course may opt to take the AP Language and Composition examination. Both this course and the honors course prepare students to pass the Junior Writing Exam taken in the second semester. Students who do not pass this exam with an acceptable score must take Literature and Composition: Non-fiction during the senior year.
English 303H fulfills all the goals of English 300 but requires the students to read several more books and to write longer and more (approximately 20) papers. These papers require a good understanding of the forms of literature in order that the students will be able to formulate and support accurate, interpretative theses about the literature under study. At the end of 303H, students usually take the AP English Language and Composition examination.
Class receives honors weighting in SI weighted GPA and UC/CSU GPA calculations.
Designed to offer students the chance to learn about the art of architectural design in society and its effect on our sense of culture. Particularly interesting for students who plan to major in architecture and/or design of any kind, the class will provide field trips, involvement with our rich cultural environment, and an introduction to “hands-on” skills involving design and composition. Coursework will include short papers, a non-written final project, and opportunity for original creative expression. Students do not need to have experience in drawing in order to take this course.
Dance 1A is a survey course that will introduce movers of all experience levels to a wide range of dance genres. The course will include physical practice in the techniques of ballet, jazz dance, and social dance. Students will study dance history, dance composition, and improvisational techniques. Through written work and class discussions, students will learn to analyze dance performance as an art form, through a critical, informed, and appreciative lens. Students will work collaborative to explore dance elements and perform choreographed dances in a supportive community environment.
In Drama 1A, we will explore various approaches to acting. We will begin by playing a series of theatre games, move to improvisations, then perform professionally scripted and student-written monologues. Students will develop an approach to enact short monologues from professional play scripts for final presentation. Students will receive an overview of the major historical periods of theatre history throughout the world from Ancient Greece to the 19th Century using student projects and teacher presentations. By the end of the course, students will have developed an appreciation for the art of the theatre, a respect for working within an ensemble of artists, and an appreciation for the variety of approaches to actor training.
Music Appreciation A is designed for non-musicians and develops the art of perceptive listening and performance in musical composition through experiential activities. Lectures and experiential learning will cover the instruments of the orchestra, composers, performance practice, musical composition techniques, major compositions of the era, baroque, classical, romantic and 20th century eras, and Broadway musicals. Students will have practice in playing instruments, creating, listening to, analyzing, and describing music. They will evolve specific criteria for making informed critical evaluation of the quality and effectiveness of performances and compositions. Students will identify, explain and perform stylistic features of a given musical work. This is an introductory level course, meeting three times per week with extensive participation in musical activities, class projects, demonstrations and live performances.
A studio-based problem-solving course that uses a variety of materials: paper, wood, plaster, found objects, and wire to explore the design process in 3 dimensions. Study of historical examples of sculpture will serve as a “spring board” for inspiration directed toward solutions to design projects. The work of 20th century sculptors such as Alexander Calder, Louise Nevelson and Henry Moore will challenge the student to understand their own creativity. Field trips to local museums and some written work will complement the original work created by the student in the studio and at home.
*This class will be offered pending adequate enrollment.
This course is a “hands-on” class designed to develop skills in design and composition, a variety of drawing styles, and acrylic painting. Students will receive instruction in a variety of media and will be required to use each of them in the creation of original work. The study of historical examples will be a springboard for the student’s creative expression. No previous drawing skills are required to take this class; just come with an open mind!
Art and Architecture 1B is a follow-up course to Art and Architecture 1A and is designed as a continuing study of the wealth of artistic expression manifested in the architecture, sculpture, painting and artifacts of traditional cultures and modern architectural expressions. An exploration of earth-friendly, sustainable and green architectural techniques will compliment the hands-on approach to building practices and inspire new thinking about shelter and cultural values. Studio assignments in architectural design, drawing and mixed-media architectural structures created from original student designs, will compliment our study of how particular architects and cultures have used architecture as an expression to image themselves, their culture, and their God.
