Computer Skills & Applications (CSA)

This is an engaging hands-on course that allows students to learn the touch method of keyboarding, including the numeric keypad while building speed and accuracy throughout the course. Basic word processing and document formatting skills are reinforced through business letters, memos, tables, and academic reports.  Students will use multiple web 2.0 tools such as Edutyping, Canvas, Kahoot, Lotus Notes, YouTube and more. Students enrolled in the course may join the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) club and participate in competitive events, community service, job shadowing and leadership activities.

Exploring Career Decisions

This elective engages students in the exploration of various careers and the following aspects of those careers which include job outlook, salary, education, and required skills.  Students will complete a career survey and a personality test to determine their learning style and how this information influences their career choice.  Other engaging activities may include participation in the National Junior Achievement program, guest speakers, job shadowing experiences, creation of a resume, cover letter, job application as well as mock interviews.  Students enrolled in the course may join the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) club and participate in competitive events, job shadowing, community service and leadership activities which will provide the opportunity to apply essential standard workplace readiness skills through authentic experiences which includes travel.

Exploring Family & Consumer Science - Family Focus

This middle school course will give students the opportunity to explore the following Family and Consumer Sciences topics:

• Interpersonal Relationships- understand yourself, your family, and ways to communicate.
• Nutrition and Wellness- nutrition, food choices, kitchen basics, and nutritious meal planning & preparation.
• Child Development- opportunity for Red Cross Babysitter certification, ages, stages and the care of young children.

Exploring Family & Consumer Science - Consumer Focus

This middle school course will give students the opportunity to explore the following Family and Consumer Sciences topics:

• Personal Finance and Resource Management- opportunity to achieve Personal Financial Literacy certification through the EverFi Vault program.
• Food Service and Hospitality- opportunity to achieve the NC eFoodhandler certification, understand the basics for food service, food safety and sanitation culinary and hospitality.
• Apparel- explore factors influencing clothing choices, basic clothing construction techniques, and the function of marketing on clothing choices.
• Interior Design- basic principles of design, sustainable design, and managing a living space

Exploring Technology

In Exploring Technology, students develop an understanding of the progression and scope of technology through exploratory experiences. In group and individual activities, students experience ways in which technological knowledge and processes contribute to effective design and solutions to technological problems. Students participate in design activities to understand how criteria, constraints, and processes affect designs. Brainstorming, visualizing, modeling, constructing, testing, and refining designs provide firsthand opportunities for students to understand the uses and impacts of innovations. Students develop skills in communicating design information and reporting results. Students learn how technology, innovation, design, and engineering interrelate and are interdependent. This background provides the basis for more focused high school studies.

Technology Design & Innovation

This middle school course focuses on applying the design process in the invention or innovation of a new product, process, or system. Through engaging activities and hands-on projects, students focus on understanding how criteria, constraints, and processes affect designs.  Emphasis is placed on brainstorming, visualizing, modeling, testing, and refining designs.  Students develop skills in researching information, communicating design information, and reporting results.  Activities are structured to integrate physical and social sciences, mathematics, English language arts, and art. Technology Student Association (TSA) competitive events, community service, and leadership activities provide the opportunity to apply essential standards and workplace readiness skills through authentic experiences.

Technological Systems

This middle school course focuses on students’ understanding how technological systems work together to solve problems and capture opportunities.  As technology becomes more integrated and systems become dependent upon each other, this course gives students a general background on the different types of systems, with specific concentration on the connections between these systems.  Art, English language arts, mathematics, and science are reinforced.  Technology Student association (TSA) competitive events, community service, and leadership activities provide the opportunity to apply essential standards and workplace readiness skills through authentic experiences.

Exploring Economics, Finance, and Leadership

This course is designed to explore the nature of business in an international economy and to study related careers in fields such as entrepreneurship, financial services, information technology, marketing, office systems technology, public relations and promotion, and travel and tourism. Emphasis is on using the computer while studying applications in these careers along with problem solving and thinking skills. This course contributes to the development of a career development plan. English language arts, mathematics, and social studies are reinforced. Work-based learning strategies appropriate for this course include service learning and job shadowing.  Students will have the opportunity to participate in various games such as the Stock Market Game, Lemonade Stand, etc.  Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) competitive events, community service, and leadership activities provide the opportunity to apply essential standards and workplace readiness skills through authentic experiences.