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Communications: Speech, Drama, Debate, Reasoning
At this level, students take two quarters of speech, debate or drama in addition to further study of vocabulary and argumentative reasoning. In past years, we have held large debates with dozens of students and our public speakers have won contests against teams from other schools with the Optimist Club. Our drama club has performed the following plays: "Les Miserables","A Comedy of Errors", "Hamlet", "Arsenic and Old Lace", and "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Drama and debate class will teach students systematically the art of oral presentation in all forms.
Introduction to Computers
This middle school class is intended to attract students to the educational side of computers by teaching them to use the internet efficiently and intelligently for research purposes, to write papers and make presentations using office software packages such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint, and to design attractive graphics using imaging and publishing tools such as Adobe Photoshop and other similar software utilities.
Topics covered include: computer software and hardware basics, presentations and publications, Internet research, computer graphics.
Computer Science I
This middle school course introduces students to computer languages in a fun, yet challenging manner. At the seventh grade level, the Computer Language class may cover the basics of HTML syntax and programming, simple web page designing, and introductory computer graphics. Students have the choice of using a variety of development tools available to professional programmers to make programming fun and intuitive.
Topics covered include: HTML syntax, HTML programming with Dreamweaver, layouts and web page design, Adobe Photoshop and graphics design, Flash and animation.
GRADE TWELVE
VIA seniors generally study economics and politics. They may also take interesting electives like AP Psychology, AP European History, AP Geography, or Introduction to Philosophy. Generally, we focus on the AP Micro-Economics course in the fall because it will best prepare students for careers involving entrepreneurship. Celebrating seniors may not wish to prepare for a May AP Politics exam, so most will take high school American Politics. We have the option to teach AP Macro-Economics or AP Comparative Politics for the intellectually venturesome.The AP Microeconomics course, which fulfills requirements for graduating seniors in the University of California's A to G requirements, teaches students vital practical lessons about the nature of both businesses and consumers. Students learn how to allocate resources within firms and how firms grow to become competitive enterprises, monopolies, oligopolies etc. They see how regulation affects business pricing and performance. They learn consumer buying patterns and preferences and come to understand the basics of international trade. They learn analytical thinking through economic models and mathematical problem sets.
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