Electives
- ASSOCIATED STUDENT BODY | LEADERSHIP - Grades 9-12
- Introduction to Athletic Training - Grades 10-12
- LAS Advisory - Grades 9-12
- MILITARY HISTORY - GRADES 10-12
- Photojournalism/School Newspaper
- PSYCHOLOGY - GRADES 10-12
- Sports Medicine 1 - Grades 10-12
ASSOCIATED STUDENT BODY | LEADERSHIP - Grades 9-12
Prerequisite: Required for junior and senior officers. Students must obtain teacher approval.
This is a year-long course designed to empower the elected officers and members for the school year. Class time will be spent planning, organizing, implementing school activities, and learning life-long Leadership qualities. Students enrolled in this course will also attend after-school functions that ASB puts together. Students enrolled in this course will attend a leadership camp, including a Leadership Boot Camp totally two weeks in the summer months. Students will be evaluated on their demonstration of effective leadership and selfless service through in-class tasks and assignments, maintaining a positive and professional demeanor, and a lionheart commitment to JSerra.
- Homework expectation: none
- Year
- 10 Credits
Introduction to Athletic Training - Grades 10-12
Prerequisite: Minimum B in the first semester of Sports Medicine 1
This course provides an opportunity for the direct application of sports medicine in an apprenticeship in Athletic training. Students will be educated on the role of an athletic trainer, job domains and responsibilities of an athletic trainer, and a direct internship in athletic training. This course will take place in both the Lion's Den classroom and the Athletic training room.
- Homework expectation: 30 minutes per night
- Semester
- 5 credits
- (Pending UC/ NCAA Approval)
LAS Advisory - Grades 9-12
Prerequisite: Students must be enrolled in the LAS Department to be placed in a LAS Advisory class.
This course is for students receiving supports and services through the Department of Learning and Academic Support (LAS). Classes are capped at 12 students to ensure a small learning environment. This course is designed to provide students with case-management (grade checks, academic forecasting, etc.) and assistance with Executive Functioning Skills (flexible thinking, self-motivation, task-initiation, organization, planning and prioritizing, etc.). This course is taken in lieu of an elective course and is mandatory for all freshmen and sophomores (highly encouraged for all juniors and seniors). Students earn a letter grade for LAS Advisory, which is factored into their overall GPA (not weighted for academic GPA).
- Year
- 10 credits
- Homework expectation: none
MILITARY HISTORY - GRADES 10-12
Military History is a semester course designed to provide the student with a comprehensive survey of the history, principles, effects, practices, and the profession of armed conflict. Students will use skills in cooperative learning, project development, and excellent standards of technical reading, writing, research, decision-making and public speaking as they study the processes and principles of warfare in the context of the complexities of modern day foreign policy. Students will develop an awareness of the awful realities of war through eyewitness accounts, oral histories, film video, pictures, and literature. They will also apply knowledge and skills in tactics and strategy in the context of historical situations, and using computer simulations, to learn the lessons of military history in relation to today's unpredictable global environment.
- Homework Expectation: 15 to 25 minutes per day
- Semester
- 5 credits
- UC Approved
- NCAA Approved
Photojournalism/School Newspaper
Prerequisite: None
Photojournalism/School Newspaper provides students a hands-on experience in planning, writing, editing, and producing the monthly school newspaper, The Pawprint. This course focuses on how to effectively communicate with the greater JSerra community. The class will emphasize logical thinking, interviewing skills, accurate and concise journalistic composition, editorial writing, original photography, and layout.
The newspaper will be digitally produced on the computer within the Macintosh environment, utilizing the Adobe software programs of InDesign and Photoshop. The finished newspaper will be output as both a traditional, full-color printed piece, as well as an electronic file.
- UC Approved
PSYCHOLOGY - GRADES 10-12
This semester course will provide the student with an introduction to the concepts, theories, and research findings of modern psychology. This survey course will also address the biological bases of behavior, sensory and perceptual processing, learning and memory, human growth and development, social behavior, and normal and abnormal behavior.
- Homework Expectation: 15 to 25 minutes per day
- Semester
- 5 credits
- UC Approved
- NCAA Approved
Sports Medicine 1 - Grades 10-12
Prerequisite: Minimum B in the first semester of Anatomy and Physiology
This course provides an opportunity for the study and application of the components of sports medicine including but not limited to: legal responsibilities, prevention of athletic injuries, environmental concerns, general medical, rehabilitation and management skills, general fitness, nutrition, human anatomy and physiology, therapeutic modalities, therapeutic exercise, athletics and special populations. This course will take place in both the Lion's Den classroom and the Athletic training room.
- Homework expectation: 30 minutes per night
- $80 fee
- Semester
- 5 credits
- UC Approved
- (Pending NCAA Approval)
Computer Science Electives
- AP Computer Science A in Java - GRADES 10-12
- COMPUTING IDEAS - GRADES 9-12
- Cybersecurity - Grades 10-12
- Data Structures Honors in C++ Grades - 11-12
- Introduction to Programming - GRADES 10-12
- WEB DESIGN - GRADES 10-12
- Web Design and Development Honors - Grades 10-12
- Game Design Honors - Grades 9-12
AP Computer Science A in Java - GRADES 10-12
Prerequisites: Must have completed Intro to Programming with an A. Instructor approval required.
The AP Computer Science A in Java course is a year-long course designed to help students master the basics of Java and equip them to successfully pass the AP Computer Science A Exam at the end of the school year. The curriculum has been pre-approved by College Board's AP Course Audit as meeting or exceeding the curricular expectations colleges and universities have for this subject. There is a considerable amount of homework and higher order problem-solving skills are required. This is a blended class that uses an online curriculum to present all the materials and assignments.
- Homework Expectation: 15 to 25 minutes per day, work during breaks
- Year
- 10 Credits
- UC Approved for Honors
COMPUTING IDEAS - GRADES 9-12
Computing Ideas Level 1 introduces the basics of programming with Karel the Dog, the basics of designing a web page, and how information and images are represented with computers. This is a blended class that uses an online curriculum to present all the materials and assignments. There is no homework in this course if students use class time as intended and are not absent.
With a unique focus on creativity, problem solving and project based learning, this class gives students the opportunity to explore several important topics of computing using their own ideas, creativity and help them develop an interest in computer science that will foster further endeavors in the field.
- Homework Expectation: none
- Year
- 10 Credits
- UC Approved
Cybersecurity - Grades 10-12
Prerequisites: Must have completed Computing Ideas or obtain instructor approval.
This course prepares students with crucial skills to be responsible citizens in a digital future. Cybersecurity is an online blended K12 cybersecurity course. This year-long version is designed for students with some exposure to computer science. Students will learn cybersecurity topics including networking fundamentals, software security, system administration and the basics of cryptography and programming, all through the CodeHS web-based platform. The entirely web-based curriculum is made up of a series of learning modules that cover the fundamentals of cybersecurity. Each module is made up of short video tutorials, example programs, quizzes, simulations, programming exercises, and free response prompts. This is not a coding intensive course, but students will learn basic SQL and JavaScript, and will utilize basic HTML and JavaScript within specific contexts while being provided with support within those contexts.
This is a blended class that uses an online curriculum to present all the materials and assignments. There is no homework in this course if students use class time as intended and are not absent, however it does require extensive reading and writing, including 3 reports of 3-4 pages in length.
- Homework Expectation: none
- Year
- 10 Credits
- UC Approved
Data Structures Honors in C++ Grades - 11-12
Prerequisites: Must have completed AP Computer Science A in Java with an A. Instructor approval required.
Data Structures in computer science focuses on different ways to store data, beyond traditional variables and lists. In this course, students will learn about advanced data structures such as maps, queues, sets, etc. while applying them in larger, real-world assignments and projects.
The Data Structures course is designed for students that have previously completed a full year computer science course, such as AP CSA. While C++ is used as the language for the course, the focus of the course is on understanding and applying advanced data structures. Prior C++ knowledge is not a prerequisite, however students should have a working knowledge of basic computer science concepts such as variables, control structures, and functions/methods in at least one programming language.
- Homework Expectation: none
- Year
- 10 Credits
- UC Approved for Honors
Introduction to Programming - GRADES 10-12
Prerequisites: Must have completed the Computing Ideas with a B or must be enrolled in Algebra 2 Honors.
The Level 2 curriculum of Computer Science teaches the foundations of computer science and basic programming, with an emphasis on helping students develop logical thinking and problem solving skills. Once students complete the Introduction to Computer Science course, they will have learned material equivalent to a semester college introductory course in Computer Science and be able to program in JavaScript. This is a blended class that uses an online curriculum to present all the materials and assignments. There is no homework in this course if students use class time as intended and are not absent, however it does require good problem solving and logical thinking skills.
- Homework Expectation: none
- Year
- 10 Credits
- UC Approved
WEB DESIGN - GRADES 10-12
Prerequisites: Must have completed Computing Ideas or obtain instructor approval.
During the first semester, this course teaches students how to build their own web pages. Students will learn the languages HTML and CSS, and will create their own live homepages to serve as portfolios of their creations. Students will finish this course with tangible, professional, mobile responsive websites.
During second semester students will learn how to create mobile apps using React Native, a popular platform-agnostic framework. As an online blended high school course, students will design and build applications to run on their own smartphones and will use the latest tools and technologies available for mobile app development.
This is a blended class that uses an online curriculum to present all the materials and assignments. There is no homework in this course if students use class time as intended and are not absent, however it does require good problem solving and logical thinking skills.
- Homework Expectation: none
- Year
- 10 Credits
- UC Approved
Web Design and Development Honors - Grades 10-12
Pre-requisites: Must have completed the Introduction to Programming with a B.
Web Design and Development Course is an honors class intended to teach students the fundamentals of web design and development in a project-based learning environment. Students will learn the essential elements of web development, such as web hosting, creating HTML/CSS files, and incorporating JavaScript into HTML files. Over the school year, students will collaboratively and independently design, develop, and implement functional and responsive web pages using these foundational skills.
This is a blended class that uses an online curriculum to present all the materials and assignments. This course has no homework if students use class time as intended and are not absent; however, it requires good problem-solving and logical thinking skills. It also requires prior knowledge of JavaScript.
- Homework Expectation: none
- Year
- 10 Credits
- UC Approval Pending
Game Design Honors - Grades 9-12
Pre-requisites: Must have completed the Computing Ideas Course with an A or must be enrolled in Algebra 2 Honors.
The Game Design in Unity course teaches the fundamentals of designing a game using the world's most widely accessed and preferred editing engine. This course intends to prepare high school students with the industry-related skills needed for the workplace and higher learning environments. By the end of this course, they will understand the design planning process, be knowledgeable of industry-related careers, and be able to navigate the Unity environment to create 3D games. Course content is a combination of web-based and offline activities. Students will access lessons through the CodeHS platform and perform activities directly within the Unity game engine. Students and instructors will need to sign up for and download the Unity game engine to complete this course
- Homework Expectation: 15 to 25 minutes per day
- Year
- 10 Credits
- UC Approved