Elective Courses

$60/Month and $45 supply fee

Students will need a sketch pad; all other materials are included in the supply fee and will be provided by the instructor.   

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Welcome to Middle School Art at Arete! In this course students will learn about and create art in a fun, fast paced, encouraging environment. Our top goals for the year are creativity and fun! Students will spend the year creating their own individual art books. Each book will be a compilation of our student directed art lessons, completed art challenge & activity pages, and original sketches and artwork. Students will be instructed in the elements of art and principles of design while the majority of class time will be spent on creating our own masterpieces.

During our first semester each student will choose an element of art, create artwork to demonstrate it, and share an artist whose work exemplifies that element. Students create their art lesson pages from these presentations. Additional art lesson pages are created during our second semester as students present information on their favorite art movements and favorite artists.

Each week students will choose a fun art challenge or art activity page to complete at home. Students will also complete an original sketch, tracing, or other artwork each week. Art projects will be completed during class time. Students will be allowed to come in early to work on ongoing projects. Fun art activities and games will be sprinkled in throughout the year.  Grades will be based on class participation and completion of weekly assignments. Students will set up art displays of their work throughout the year and for our art show at Arete’s year end celebration.

This class will examine over 50 world religious views, always with a focus on the Word of God as the standard, and with a heart of compassion to share the gospel to all.

A world religion is a belief system that attempts to explain some aspect of reality and often how the physical and spiritual world operates, and yet it is independent of another world religion (though they often have different sects, cults, and denominations). For all practical purposes, this is usually how a world religion is defined.

A cult is typically defined as a religious offshoot of a major world religion that no longer holds to the core tenets of that world religion. They would no longer be seen as orthodox by the majority of that religion’s practitioners and are often seen as distant from them.

The supply fee will be used to buy each student their own chef’s knife, pastry mat and other baking tools that they may keep at the end of the year.

Supplies: Chef’s knife, measuring tools, spatula

During this course we will learn the basics of different types of cooking, gain a basic understanding of common kitchen tools and equipment, and learn how to plan and prepare meals. Over the course of the year, I plan to include food preparation and planning, creating food arrangements, and holiday food, among other things. At the end of each quarter, we will hold food challenges including a gourmet ramen challenge, a charcuterie challenge, a dessert challenge, and a food truck challenge. Students will be assigned some ingredients to bring to each class, and we will work sometimes individually and sometimes cooperatively on the dishes we prepare.

The supply fee will be used to buy each student their own chef’s knife, pastry mat and other baking tools that they may keep at the end of the year.

Supplies: Chef’s knife, measuring tools, spatula

During this course we will develop our baking and pastry skills. This will include, cakes, cookies, pies, yeast breads and pastries, gluten free baking, cupcake decorating, candy making, the chemistry of baking and perfecting your own recipes through adaption. I will teach you how I have taken recipes and rewritten them to make them better. At the end of each quarter, we will hold food challenges to showcase what you are learning along the way. These will include a gourmet brownie challenge, a cupcake challenge, a bread challenge and a pastry food truck challenge. Students will be assigned some ingredients to bring to each class, and we will work sometimes individually and sometimes cooperatively on the dishes we prepare.

TEXTBOOK: Speech Class for Teens, by Diane Windingland

The purpose of this class is to provide students with the knowledge of writing and speaking in styles of persuasion and argumentation. One way this will be achieved through the writing and exchanging of papers between students to place an emphasis on formal persuasive and argumentative styles. This will also be achieved through various speeches and presentations given by each student individually. The knowledge students gain through individual work will then be applied to team projects and debates. This class focuses on using the first semester to build the majority of the foundational knowledge needed to debate successfully, then focusing on the application of that knowledge during the second semester. There will be three debates during the second semester when students will apply all that was learned; each debate will build on the previous debate,

leading to a large, final debate. For the final debate, students will work in teams and write speeches, then present them in a formal debate setting.

** This class can also count as an English credit. **

Supplies: Notebook, 3 Ring Binder, Dividers

In this course you will learn effective communication skills for job interviews including professional etiquette, active listening, conflict resolution, and teamwork. You will learn to develop a resume and cover letter. Career exploration will also be a focus, and will include identifying your personal interests and skills, exploring different professions, and researching job requirements. I will bring in various people from both the trade industry and the professional industry to share their experience and give you insight into different career options. My goal for students in this class is to cultivate personal skills and interest and equip each one to be successful in whatever career path is chosen.

This course is designed for high schoolers to achieve a PE/Health elective credit.  Students will explore the building blocks for healthy lifestyle choices through physical exercise and whole group discussion related to weekly readings and lectures on various aspects of health and nutrition

$40/month; $50 supply fee for the year  

Students must have a computer or full-size device (ie. i-Pad) that has the capability to run the online software and also access the Dropbox and Instagram apps.

In this course, students will be taught to use the Picaboo software and collaborate to design and publish a professional-quality yearbook. They use Picaboo’s intuitive online software to create layouts, edit photos, and incorporate personalized content. The class fosters teamwork, creativity, and attention to detail as students capture the year’s most memorable moments. By the end of the course, they gain hands-on experience in design, photography, and publishing while producing a keepsake for their peers. In addition, the Yearbook staff will also use their creative skills to make Instagram posts, reels, and fun group videos for Spirit Week and other Arete’ calendar reminders, which may require some class meet-up times outside of the normal day.