Wellness

Grades: 9  |  Term Block  |  Credits: ½

There is a physical education component and a health component in this course. During the physical education component, students will participate in team building and trust activities in preparation for our low and high ropes course. Students will be encouraged to go outside of their comfort zone into their learning zone. The health component is based on the foundations of the Wellness Hexagon and making healthy decisions. Students will gain knowledge through analysis and discussion of personality/esteem/emotions where they will apply a variety of coping skills to their lives. During the discussion of relationships, emphasis will be placed on positive communication skills and violence prevention (this includes cyber bullying). Students will learn about food and nutrition and making healthy food choices and will use a variety of apps to evaluate their current choices and look for ways if needed to make improvements in their daily lives. Students will also look at various eating choices (athlete, vegetarian, diabetic, food intolerance/allergy and eating disorders). Students will learn about tobacco use with a discussion around newer devices and look at drug use with an emphasis on marijuana and opioid use.  There will be discussions around cancer and how to protect their health over the years to come.   

Grades: 10  |  Term Block  |  Credits: ½

Students appropriate for this course have successfully completed Wellness 9.

This course is based on the foundation of the Wellness Principles and understanding and applying physical fitness habits for life. The term will begin with a review of nutrition concepts from wellness 9 in connection with fitness theme. Students will be introduced to proper human movement and the benefits of fitness application. There will be a pre and post fitness assessment during the physical education component. Students will learn about the cardiovascular, respiratory, muscular, skeletal and nervous systems as we evaluate performance, exercise and planning fitness plans relative to personal goals. Further study will look at mental health disorders relative to stress management and the risk factors for depression and suicide. Students will examine the risk factors of alcohol use through in-depth investigations, analysis and class discussion. The course will conclude with the evaluation of healthy peer relationships, dating violence and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS.

Grades: 11 -12  |  Term Block  |  Credits: ½

This course will meet the requirements for American Heart Association CPR and First Aid and students will have the option of paying for certification at the end of the course.  It is a great choice for those students who are physically active, are working in childcare, athletics, camps, lifeguarding and for those students considering a career in the medical field.  After a review of human anatomy, students will learn how to take proper safety precautions, decrease risk of injury, as well as recognize and treat respiratory, cardiac, trauma and overuse emergencies in addition to muscle, bone and joint injuries until medical help arrives.  The course will also provide students with information on what they can do in the case of allergic reactions, drug related reactions, the fundamentals of inflammation and healing, and the importance of properly responding to and managing return to play after a concussion or other sport injuries.

Grades: 11 -12  |  Term Block  |  Credits: ½ 

Leadership skills play a significant role in a student’s future success. Adventure education provides the opportunity to develop assertive leadership skills through group dynamics and team building initiatives. This course is designed to introduce students to the techniques and fundamentals of leadership through individual and group activities. Activities will incorporate problem solving skills through the use of indoor and outdoor, low and high ropes course elements, belay techniques, use and care of ropes. The goals are: improved self-confidence, improved communication skills, team building, increased level of agility and coordination, improved group cooperation and peer support. 

Grades: 11 -12  |  Term Block (T1 & T4)  |  Credits: ½

Do you like a challenge or understand the fear that comes with challenge? 

This course is designed to introduce students to the techniques and fundamentals leadership through team building, bouldering, and indoor and outdoor rock climbing. Students will be taught the proper set up and safety protocol for “top-roping”, as well as learn proper equipment use, rope skills, secure set up, and belaying procedures. Climbing provides the development of self-confidence, body awareness, balance, coordination, strength and the overall level of wellness. 

More importantly, climbing provides the opportunity to develop assertive leadership skills through group dynamic. Leadership skills play a large roll in students’ future success. The challenges of this course will focus on the cooperative element found in rock climbing, group initiatives, problem solving, with the objective of transference to being a team player in real life challenges ahead. This course is great for students who are willing to approach fears and go beyond comfort zone in quest to grow individually. The course potentially includes indoor and outdoor field trips (No field trips when course is offered during the 2nd and 3rd terms). 

Grades: 11 - 12  |  Term Block  |  Credits: ½

This course will cover human development from conception to birth, the development of an infant during the first year of life, and the physical, cognitive, social-emotional and intellectual development of the toddler (1-3), pre-school (3-5) and school-aged child (6+). This also includes discussions of male and female anatomy, infertility, options for conception, stages of pregnancy, prenatal testing, human genetics and labor and delivery. 

Students will continue to develop an understanding of rearing a child as they reflect on their own personal experiences working with young children. Students will continue to explore the responsibilities of parenting and what it takes to build strong, resilient families. Some additional topics that will also be explored will focus on the developing brain, language, food intolerances, personality and behavior, and the impact of traumatic events. 

Lastly, students will gain an understanding of pregnancy and parenthood through the use of our pregnancy belly and interactive baby manikins and will reflect on their experienced with each. Students will also have the opportunity to write their own children's book and work on a game designed for children.

Grades: 11 - 12  |  Term Block  |  Credits: ½

A person’s thoughts dictate attitude, attitude dictates emotions, and emotions create everyday behaviors that create your life’s experience and ultimate destiny. Stress is a natural part of every adolescent’s life. This course is great for the student who wants to build resiliency and to become the master of their destiny. The enduring understanding is to increase performance in any personal or athletic endeavor and ultimately increase goal setting proficiency. There will multiple individual and group passion project-based options throughout the term.

Classroom days will be utilized to identify triggers and stressors, and how to recognize individual stress responses and to investigate management techniques. The objectives are to understand what drives the human spirit toward success and how to control the motivational forces in a quest to discover what you want most in life and how to achieve and enjoy it with passion.

Physical education days will be dedicated to learn and practice stress management in order to build resiliency. A variety of relaxation, deep breathing, visualization, and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) techniques will be taught and practiced. Other phys ed days will involve team building activities designed to enhance collaboration, communication, and critical thinking, in order to connect the lessons of the classroom topics. Occasional traditional phys ed sports and activities will be mixed in as well.

Grades: 9  - 12 |  Term Block  |  Credits: ½

This will be a term course based on the Wellness model. Students will gain knowledge in the classroom in a variety of health topics and will also be exposed to the basic skills necessary for a lifetime of recreation and improve physical fitness.  Essential health topics that will be covered are building healthy relationships, positive communications skills, learning how to be safe and how to protect one’s self.  Lessons are based on the curriculum “Sexuality Education for Students with Developmental Disabilities” written by Katherine McLaughlin.

Service identified through the IEP (Individualized Education Program) process

Grades: 11 -12  |  Term Block  |  Credits: ½

Are you as fit as you want to be? Students both in and out of high school sports season can take this class and work at a level that fits your weekly demands of sports with flexibility of intensity to fit individual goals. No matter what your experience level, from beginner to expert, you will gain knowledge and skills to become better.  Students will be in a fitness atmosphere in which all students are created equal with a philosophy that all humans were born to be athletic, to jump, lift and run.  We will investigate the science of fitness through body weight movements, kettlebells, plyometrics, Olympic weightlifting, gymnastics, metabolic conditioning, team and individual workouts and many other tools. The objective is to teach students how to confidently manage safe and healthy movement throughout life with functional fitness and mobility in a fun and challenging environment. 

In preparation for post high school independence students will learn how to design their own fitness program with an understanding of the principles of specificity, overload, progression, frequency, intensity, time and periodization in accordance to personal goals and ability to workout at home or in any present day fitness facility  This class is great for students who want to exhibit or develop a work ethic that reaps results and transfers to many aspects of life.  The Nutritional application will begin with a week long diet analysis for the basis of discussion and research. Students will study personal eating behaviors and the current nutritional science. The nutrition analysis is designed to be impactful and motivational for students to grow and discover the constantly developing science of nutrition and apply to performance in academics, athletics and all other endeavors in between.

Grades: 11 -12  |  Term Block  |  Credits: ½

Do you want quality relationship in your life?  This class will gently and gradually take an in-depth investigation and self-assessment related to personality and behaviors in the areas of relationships and sexuality.  Students will learn and discuss the components and types of relationships, including but not limited to, friendship, love and other types in between. It is believed that the quality of your life and level of happiness is dependent upon the quality of your relationships.  We will discuss, analyze and debate the laws of attraction, stages of relationships, how to assess relationships, and the process of breaking up.  All this is supported with learning the most advantageous styles of communication for lifelong success.  Additionally, this course will include gender roles, sexual orientation, diversity and an opportunity to understand the consequence of risky behavior and one's lifestyle in today's society.