Accelerated Elective #: SE553
5 Credit Full Year Course
Recommended for grades 10-12

In this Project Lead the Way (PLTW) elective course, students study the structure and function of the human body. Students design experiments, conduct investigations, and use data acquisition software to monitor body functions such as muscle movement, reflex and voluntary action, and respiration. Exploring science in action, students build organs and tissues on a skeletal mannequin, work through interesting real world cases, and often play the role of biomedical professionals to solve medical mysteries. This course will be of particular interest to those students intending to follow careers in any of the medical and health fields, as well as careers in physical education, science, and biology. Students who have a demonstrated interest in the biological sciences will also tend to do well in this course.

Elective Course #: SE580
2.5 Credit Semester Course
Recommended for grades 9-12

Would you like to work in a zoo? Do you want to know about careers for people that love to work with animals? Do you ever wonder how animals communicate or behave the way they do? This course will explore the answers to these questions and much more as we learn about the fascinating work of animal behavior. In this course, we will learn how animals are classified, analyze the amazing diversity of life on our planet, interpret animal communication and social structures, and explore career options in the field of animal science.

Elective Course #: SE561
2.5 Credit Semester Course
Recommended for grades 11-12

Astronomy is a course which includes topics such as our view of the night sky; using telescopes; motions of heavenly bodies; the planets and moons of our solar system; views of the origin and evolution of the universe (cosmology); historical views of the cosmos; the search for extrasolar planets; the possibility of extraterrestrial life; and the life cycles of stars, including black holes and supernovae. The course will review pertinent science topics from prior science courses, and serve as a way for students to combine physics, chemistry, and biology concepts through the study of astronomy.

Elective Course #: SE587
2.5 Credit Semester Course
Recommended for grades 11-12

Forensic science is an elective course for those who wish to study the application of science to law. This is a project-based course involving all areas of science, including biology, anatomy, chemistry, physics, and environmental studies. There is an emphasis on complex reasoning and critical thinking. Topics will include forensic science versus investigation and other scientific processes, fingerprint recovery and identification systems, lip and bite print identification, hair and fibers, body tissues and parasites, documentation, bombs, arson, and profiling. Guest speakers, when available, will share their expertise with the students. Due to the nature of the material, a certain level of maturity is required, as well as the ability to work safely. Note: Forensic Science will not replace the college entry requirement of Chemistry.

Elective Course #: SE755
5 Credit Full Year Course
Recommended for grades 11-12

Medical Interventions (MI) is a Project Lead the Way (PLTW) course in which students investigate the variety of interventions involved in the preventions, diagnosis, and treatment of disease as they follow the lives of a fictitious family. A “How-To” manual for maintaining overall health and homeostasis in the body, the course will explore how to prevent and fight infection, how to screen and evaluate the code in our DNA, how to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer, and how to prevail when the organs of the body begin to fail. Students practice problem solving with structured activities and progress to open-ended projects and problems that require them to develop planning, documentation, communication, and other professional skills (PLTW Course Outline).