United States Histories and Cultures examines the social, cultural, political, economic, religious and ideological movements and moments that constitute the American history. We will focus explicitly on the diversity of the American experience and the development, change, and perpetuation of structures of inequality in the U.S over time. Empowered with this knowledge, students will then analyze what unites us as Americans through our shared historical experiences and events. Students will examine, critique, and analyze historical narratives, focusing explicitly on tensions between historical events and the stories that have been written about them. This course focuses on building an understanding of knowledge production, critical research and writing skills, and college-level reading and analysis. Students will leave this course prepared to heed our school’s mission to respond to the challenges of our time by becoming active participants in their civic communities.
In addition to the assigned coursework, the honors curriculum for this course will include college-level historical analysis, including, but not limited to supplemental textbooks, primary documents, original research, historical fiction assignments, museum visits, and optional preparation for students who wish to take the AP exam.
*Class receives honors weighting in SI weighted GPA and UC/CSU GPA calculations
Science teaching assistants provide support for the science department (1 hour/week) either before school, after school, or during resource period in one or more of the following ways:
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- Lab Assistant – assist with the setup and cleanup of science labs
- Peer Assistant – assist students taking introductory biology, chemistry, or physics
- Teacher Assistant – assist with grading assignments that require no teacher interpretation
Students interested in being a TA are required to fill out a short application available from the science department chair. Teaching assistants will be selected based on department needs and student qualifications. In some cases, students taking AP science courses will have priority in being a TA due to their qualifications in offering peer assistance.
*Taken as an independent study with the guidance of science teacher
(Physical or Life Science) Students perform one or more additional independent science or engineering research projects, beyond those completed in the first semester Science Research Project course, or perform a substantial extension of a project completed in the previous course. This is an independent study course, with flexible meeting times that will be arranged to fit the schedules of the students. This course is taken in addition to the science requirement for graduation. Enrollment in Advanced Science Research does not qualify a student for a study period during the regular academic day.
*Taken as an independent study with the guidance of science teacher
This course offers students the opportunity to develop and demonstrate the maturity and self-discipline required to perform independent scientific research. Students perform one or more independent science or engineering research projects, in laboratory or field settings, on topics of their own choice. The meeting times are flexible and will be arranged to fit the schedule of the student. Areas of study include any area of science or engineering, including: quantum physics, astronomy, robotics, electronics, biotechnology, geology, meteorology, biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, oceanography, marine biology, psychology, sociology, economics, political science, statistics, etc., as well as traditional areas of biology, chemistry, physics and engineering. Students will gain direct experience in research methodologies used by professional scientists and engineers in industry and academia. This course is taken in addition to the science requirement for graduation. Enrollment in Product Design 1-Mechanical Design does not qualify a student for a study period during the regular academic day.
*Taken as an independent study with the guidance of science teacher
Advanced Journalism is an 8th period course in which students will learn the skills necessary to serve as Editor-in-Chief for the school newspaper of St. Ignatius, Inside SI. The primary objective of this class is the publishing of six issues of Inside SI. As such, students will be involved in all areas of publication production, including creating the master schedule, generating feature topics, determining content, supervising reporters in each department (Affinity, Arts, Feature, Humor, Op-Ed, Outside SI News, SI News, Sports, and Spotlight), writing articles, editing, laying out pages for each issue, and overall design. In the process of generating content, writing their stories, and laying out newspaper pages, students will learn to use specialized software for word processing, page layout, graphic design, and distribution management. Students enrolled in this course will practice effective collaboration skills, lead training sessions, and will work to ensure Inside SI reflects the diverse and unique voices of all members of the SI community. Credit for this class will be included in the SI GPA calculation.
Enrollment in this class is subject to Moderator Approval. Individuals who apply for and are accepted as Editor-in-Chief during the Spring semester will be enrolled by the moderators during the Fall semester of the school year.
*This course is offered outside of the 9:00 am – 2:45 pm school day, 8th period ONLY: This class meets weekly to discuss journalism topics and conduct planning for issues. During the two weeks prior to each issue’s production, students will meet every day after school for approximately 3 hours.
Journalism is a year-long 8th period course in which students will learn the skills necessary to serve as Managing Editors for the school newspaper of St. Ignatius, Inside SI. The primary objective of this class is the publishing of six issues of Inside SI. As such, students will be involved in editorial decisions, including determining content, supervising reporters in their section (Affinity, Arts, Feature, Humor, Op-Ed, Outside SI News, SI News, Sports, and Spotlight), writing articles, editing, and suggesting lay out for pages in each issue. Students enrolled in this course will practice effective collaboration skills (both on-line and in-person) and will work to ensure Inside SI reflects the diverse and unique voices of all members of the SI community. Credit for this class will be included in the SI GPA calculation.
Enrollment in the class is subject to Moderator Approval. Individuals who apply for and are accepted as Managing Editors the previous Spring semester will be enrolled by the moderators during the Fall semester of the school year. Students will meet regularly each week.
*This course is offered outside of the 9:00 am – 2:45 pm school day, 8th period ONLY : This class meets weekly to discuss journalism topics and conduct planning for issues. During the two weeks prior to each issue’s production, students will meet every day after school for approximately 3 hours.
The Video Editing and Production (SITV 101) course is a full-year UC approved Visual/Performing Arts F course that takes place once per week on Monday evenings from 6 to 8:30 p.m. with dinner and snacks provided. The course will provide students with a deeper understanding of:
video editing skills for professional and social media use
video camera skills for creative imagery and real-world use
foundational knowledge of equipment such as professional Sony cameras, drones, gimbals, lights, microphones, tripods, etc.
Students will develop an array of video editing and production techniques essential for high quality video content, pivotal for many industries in today’s media landscape. Students will develop an arsenal of industry-grade production tools that will assist their pursuits in potential film, video creation and social media careers. By getting hands-on experience with premium gear and software, students will take leaps toward mastery of such elements and elevate their creative ideas. Lessons in pre and post production will break down how students can turn their ideas into fulfilling pieces of work. Students will explore different types of production, such as montages / reels, short films, and branded story videos. Students will learn techniques to produce high quality video material and the steps necessary in pre and post production to satisfy goals. By the end of the year, students will be fully equipped to blueprint, produce, and market their own top-end videos
Students will meet 1 evening per week (usually Mondays unless there are special circumstances like Holidays) for 2.5 hours with dinner, snacks & drinks provided.
First Year Taken: Video Editing and Production (SITV) (9430) – 8th period. This course counts as a UC Approved F Visual/Performing Arts Course.
Second and Subsequent Year Taken: Advanced Video Production and Editing (SITV) (9435) – 8th period. This course is NOT UC approved and does NOT count in the GPA.
This course is offered outside of the 9:00 am – 2:45 pm school day.
The Ignatian is the yearbook of St. Ignatius College Preparatory, published annually and distributed to all students and staff. Yearbook Design and Publication is a challenging course in which the primary objective is for students to create and produce a yearbook that documents the unique history of a school year. This course provides students the opportunity to develop and improve leadership and collaboration skills, compassionately tackle social justice issues and the nuances of equity and inclusion, strengthen their analytical and problem solving skills, enhance communication skills, work with advanced technology, and take on tremendous responsibility while working under multiple hard deadlines. Yearbook students learn and practice the fundamentals of theme development, journalistic writing, photojournalism, graphic design, and distribution management. Yearbook students act as ambassadors to all members of the school community, working together to ensure that each of the diverse and unique voices at St. Ignatius is represented in a thoughtful, creative, and original way in the yearbook. Yearbook students will instruct, schedule, and supervise staff members working in each section of the yearbook (Academics, Arts, Athletics, Clubs, Freshman, Junior, Photography, Senior, Sophomore, Spirituality, Student Life, Writing). Yearbook students will be required to attend regular meetings, as well as to photograph events outside of school.
Selected students enrolled in the Advanced course will develop the annual yearbook theme in consultation with the moderator(s) and principal, design the cover and endsheets in consultation with the publisher’s art department, build the yearbook ladder and index, liase with publisher representative(s) and technical support staff from Varsity Yearbooks, and solicit feedback on and approval of all pages from selected adults in the St. Ignatius community, making suggested corrections before the pages are submitted to the publisher. Students enrolled in the Advanced course may be required to attend additional meetings during the school year and yearbook camp during the summer before enrollment.
This course is offered outside of the 9:00 am – 2:45 pm school day, 8th period ONLY
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- First Year Taken: ADVANCED YEARBOOK DESIGN AND PUBLICATION A (9425)
- Second Year Taken: ADVANCED YEARBOOK DESIGN AND PUBLICATION B (9426) – This course will NOT be included in the SI GPA calculation.
The Ignatian is the yearbook of St. Ignatius College Preparatory, published annually and distributed to all students and staff. Yearbook Design and Publication is a challenging course in which the primary objective is for students to create and produce a yearbook that documents the unique history of a school year. This course provides students the opportunity to develop and improve leadership and collaboration skills, compassionately tackle social justice issues and the nuances of equity and inclusion, strengthen their analytical and problem solving skills, enhance communication skills, work with advanced technology, and take on tremendous responsibility while working under multiple hard deadlines. Yearbook students learn and practice the fundamentals of theme development, journalistic writing, photojournalism, graphic design, and distribution management. Yearbook students act as ambassadors to all members of the school community, working together to ensure that each of the diverse and unique voices at St. Ignatius is represented in a thoughtful, creative, and original way in the yearbook. Yearbook students will instruct, schedule, and supervise staff members working in each section of the yearbook (Academics, Arts, Athletics, Clubs, Freshman, Junior, Photography, Senior, Sophomore, Spirituality, Student Life, Writing). Yearbook students will be required to attend regular meetings, as well as to photograph events outside of school.
*This course is offered outside of the 9:00 am – 2:45 pm school day, 8th period ONLY
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- First Year Taken: YEARBOOK DESIGN AND PUBLICATION A (9420)
- Second Year Taken: YEARBOOK DESIGN AND PUBLICATION B (9421) – This course will NOT be included in the SI GPA calculation.
Students enrolled in Advanced Journalism-II will serve as a second-year Editor-in-Chief for Inside SI.
Advanced Journalism is a year-long 8th period course in which students will learn the skills necessary to serve as Editor-in-Chief for the school newspaper of St. Ignatius, Inside SI. The primary objective of this class is the publishing of six issues of Inside SI. As such, students will be involved in all areas of publication production, including creating the master schedule, generating feature topics, determining content, supervising reporters in each department (Affinity, Arts, Feature, Humor, Op-Ed, Outside SI News, SI News, Sports, and Spotlight), writing articles, editing, laying out pages for each issue, and overall design. In the process of generating content, writing their stories, and laying out newspaper pages, students will learn to use specialized software for word processing, page layout, graphic design, and distribution management. Students enrolled in this course will practice effective collaboration skills, lead training sessions, and will work to ensure Inside SI reflects the diverse and unique voices of all members of the SI community. This course will NOT be included in the SI GPA calculation.
Enrollment in this class is subject to Moderator Approval. Individuals who apply for and are accepted as Editor-in-Chief during the Spring semester will be enrolled by the moderators during the Fall semester of the school year.
*This course is offered outside of the 9:00 am – 2:45 pm school day, 8th period ONLY: This class meets weekly to discuss journalism topics and conduct planning for issues. During the two weeks prior to each issue’s production, students will meet every day after school for approximately 3 hours.
