Physical Education combines the best of online instruction with actual student participation in weekly cardiovascular, aerobic, and muscle toning activities. The course promotes a keen understanding of the value of physical fitness and aims to motivate students to participate in physical activities throughout their lives.

Specific areas of study include: Cardiovascular exercise and care, safe exercising, building muscle strength and endurance, injury prevention, fitness skills and FITT benchmarks, goal setting, nutrition and diet (vitamins and minerals, food labels, evaluation product claims), and stress management. The course requires routine participation in adult-supervised physical activities. Successful completion of this course will require parent/legal guardian sign-off on student-selected physical activities and on weekly participation reports to verify the student is meeting his or her requirements and responsibilities.

Physical Education is built to state standards and informed by the Presidential Council on Physical Fitness and Sports standards.

1 semester, 0.50 credit

Music Appreciation introduces students to the history, theory, and genres of music, from the most primitive surviving examples through the classical to the most contemporary in the world at large. The course is offered in a two-semester format. The first semester covers primitive musical forms and classical music. The second semester presents the rich modern traditions, including American jazz, gospel, folk, soul, blues, Latin rhythms, rock and roll, and hip-hop.

The course explores the interface of music and social movements and examines how the emergent global society and the Internet bring musical forms together in new ways from all around the world.

2 semesters, 1 credit

Health is a valuable, skills-based health education course designed for general education in grades 9 through 12. Health helps students develop knowledge, attitudes, and essential skills in a variety of health-related subjects, including mental and emotional health, social health, nutrition, physical fitness, substance use and abuse, disease prevention and treatment, and injury prevention and safety.

Through use of accessible information and project-based learning, students apply the skills they need to stay healthy. These skills include identifying and accessing valid health information, practicing self-management, identifying internal and external influences, communicating effectively, making healthy decisions, setting goals, and advocating. Students who complete Health build the skills they need to protect, enhance, and promote their own health and the health of others.

This course is built to state standards.

1 semester, 0.50 credit

Art Appreciation is a survey of the history of Western visual arts, with a primary focus on painting. Students begin with an introduction to the basic principles of painting and learn how to critique and compare works of art. Students then explore prehistoric and early Greek and Roman art before they move on to the Middle Ages. Emphasis is placed on the Renaissance and the principles and masters that emerged in Italy and northern Europe. Students continue their art tour with the United States during the 20th century, a time of great innovation as abstract art took center stage. While Western art is the course’s primary focus, students will finish the course by studying artistic traditions from Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas.

Coverage of each artistic movement highlights historical context and introduces students to key artists that represent a variety of geographic locations. Throughout the course, students apply what they have learned about art critique to analyze and evaluate both individual artists and individual works of art.

This course is built to state standards and informed by the Consortium of National Arts Education Associations standards. It encompasses a variety of skills to enable students to critique, compare, and perhaps influence their own works of art.

1 semester, .050 credit

High school students have many questions about the college application process, what it takes to be a successful college student, and how to begin thinking about their careers.

In College and Career Preparation I, students obtain a deeper understanding of what it means to be ready for college. Students are informed about the importance of high school performance in college admissions and how to prepare for college testing. They know the types of schools and degrees they may choose to pursue after high school and gain wide exposure to the financial resources available that make college attainable.

Career readiness is also a focus. Students connect the link between interests, college majors, and future careers by analyzing career clusters. Students come away from this course understanding how smart preparation and skill development in high school can lead into expansive career opportunities after they have completed their education and are ready for the working world.

Students who complete College and Career Preparation I have the basic skills and foundation of knowledge to progress into College and Career Preparation II, the capstone course that provides hands-on information about the transition from high school to college and career.

This course is built to the American School Counselors Association National Standards for school counseling programs.

1 semester, 0.50 credit