Middle School Electives

Elective

Grade

Description

Academic Decathlon

6, 7, 8

Trimester 2 - Students will compete in the Diocese of Raleigh decathlon in March. Students will compete in 10 events - 2 collaborative team efforts and 8 individual events.

Art

6, 7, 8

Various methods and areas of art are explored as students learn the history of art and famous artists while using hands-on techniques to create their own masterpiece.

Career Exploration

6, 7, 8

Learn about your interests, personality and aptitudes while identifying what is important to you about the career you want to explore.

Band/Percussion

6, 7, 8

Year Long for Beginners. Trimester 2 & 3 for experienced musicians.

Trimester 1 - Beginning Band and Percussion: Students learn to play either Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn, Tuba or Percussion.

Trimesters 2 & 3 - Continuing Band and Percussion: Students perform works in a variety of styles culminating in a performance trip at the end of the year (cost TBD).

Students must take Trimester 1 or have significant playing experience to join Trimester 2.

Computer Programming

7, 8

Students will learn to program computers using the “Python” programming language. The main objective is to introduce students to variables, loops, functions, and operators. Students have the opportunity to learn at their own pace and to create a final project for the course.

Creative Writing

6, 7, 8

Create original pieces of writing including poems and short stories.

Debate Club

6, 7, 8

This course will teach students the basics of speech and how to construct an argument. Students will be given debate topics to research and will have debates with classmates over these topics. They will have to be prepared to argue both for and against various topics.

Drama

6, 7, 8

This is a trimester-long elective. May select 1 trimester or more.

Trimester 1 - Movie Making: Students will learn all about the movie making process: scriptwriting, auditioning, shooting, editing. At the end of the trimester, we will “roll out the red carpet” as we premiere the original short film produced in class.

Trimester 2 - Audition Technique: Auditioning is the job of any actor. In order to land the role, one must know how to audition. We will explore proper audition techniques for plays, film and musical theater (including learning a choreographed dance number!) Students will learn how to perform a monologue, cold reading techniques, and how to learn choreography in a dance audition for musical theater. Students will leave the class with two prepared and memorized contrasting monologues to use in any future audition.

Trimester 3 - Stage Combat: Have you ever wondered how actors create execute fights in plays and movies? In this trimester, long course students will explore two types of stage combat. Students will learn safety procedures and strategies to create realistic-looking fights on stage.

Fundamentals of Fitness

6, 7, 8

The fundamentals of physical fitness elective will promote good health and strength through exercise and proper nutrition. The elective will focus on achieving physical fitness through proper nutrition, moderate-vigorous physical exercise, and sufficient rest.

Meditation & Yoga Movement

6, 7, 8

Namaste, students! Relax, meditate, and stretch as class explores the body and mind benefits of meditation, mindfulness, prayer, and yoga practice. Yoga mat required.

Orchestra

6, 7, 8

Yearlong for beginners or Trimester 2 & 3 for experienced musicians

2 Trimester Minimum - Learn to play Orchestral Sting Instruments like the Violin, Viola, and Cello.

Personal Finance

6, 7, 8

This class is an introduction to personal finance for your middle school student. This course is intended to help your students build core personal finance skills, understand concepts like credit and credit cards, and learn real-world strategies they can use to be fiscally savvy. We hope to provide skills the students will practice so they can get started on the right track to effectively manage their personal finance.

Pop-Culture through the Decades

7, 8

American History Pop Culture through the decades, 1920’s through present day: the pop culture, the music, the fads and trends, the wars, the economy. Like a living documentary series on the major events. This elective will focus on written responses, public speaking presentations and culminating in a “wax museum”.

Science Olympiad

6, 7

NCSO tournaments are competitions that consist of a series of different hands-on and inquiry- based events that are well balanced between the various disciplines of biology, earth science, environmental science, chemistry, physics, engineering and technology.

Our team will consist of 15 students in 6th and 7th grade who will compete with a partner in 23 different events at the local regional tournament in February. Participants will be enrolled in this elective for Trimester 2 & 3. For more information about the organization, visit Science Olympiad. There is a fee of $50 to cover the expenses of the entrance fee of the tournament and supplies needed.

STEM

7, 8

Real life problem solving using science, technology, engineering and math.

Study Skills

6

Learn the skills necessary to succeed in Middle School.