Connect Electives

Success 101

This course helps students develop essential skills to succeed academically and personally. Topics include time management, goal setting, growth mindset, grit, and strategies for online learning, such as email etiquette, online discussions, responsible AI use, and test-taking techniques. The course also emphasizes the importance of mental well-being and resilience, equipping students with tools to manage stress, stay motivated, and overcome challenges. Students will explore how their brains work, gaining insights into their habits and thought processes to make more informed choices. Personalized and reflection-based assignments ensure students can apply these skills to real-life situations. By fostering a positive mindset and building effective strategies, students can be empowered to thrive in school, embrace challenges, and build a strong foundation for lifelong happiness and achievement.

• • COURSE #:  96102X0

  • CREDIT:  1

  • TYPE:  Standard

  • GRADE:   9-12

Spanish I 

This course will develop the language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing in everyday situations. Grammar will be integrated throughout the course. Students will acquire insight into how language and cultures work by making comparisons to their own.

• • COURSE #:  11412X0S 

  • CREDIT:  1

  • TYPE:  Standard

  • GRADE:   9-12

Spanish II 

This course will continue the development of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Students will be able to satisfy basic survival needs and interact on issues of everyday life as they participate in simple conversational situations. Writing skills will be extended to composing related sentences which narrate, describe, compare, and summarize familiar topics. Grammar will be integrated throughout the course. Reading skills will be extended to the understanding of main ideas. Students will compare the influence of beliefs and values of the target cultures to their own.

• • COURSE #:  11422X0S   

  • CREDIT:  1

  • TYPE:  Standard

  • GRADE:   9-12

  • PREREQUISITE: Spanish I

Visual Arts I (Beginning)

This course is an introductory course designed to give students practical experience in drawing, painting, sculpture, color, design, and crafts through the understanding and development of the Elements of Art and Principles of Design. Art history, art criticism and art appreciation are also studied. An emphasis is placed on development of basic techniques and skills.

• • COURSE #:   54612X0S

  • CREDIT:  1

  • TYPE:  Standard

  • GRADE:  9-12

Visual Arts II (Intermediate)

This course allows students to build on drawing and painting skills developed in Visual Arts (Beginning). The course provides a focus on the creative process of experimenting, creating, planning and reflecting while continuing to explore multiple types of media. Students are encouraged to begin finding their own artistic voice through research and choice.

• • COURSE #:   54162X0 

  • CREDIT:  1

  • TYPE:  Standard

  • GRADE:  9-12

  • PREREQUISITE: Visual Arts I

Visual Arts Specialization (Intermediate): Digital Photography I

In this studio-based class, students will explore digital photography techniques and learn to enhance images. Through weekly photography projects, combined with critiques and class discussions, we will examine the technical aspects of student work and discuss it in personal and meaningful ways. Course topics will include composition, the elements and principles of design, art history, and cultural connections. Students will also create a digital portfolio to use for future presentations of their work. 

Required, recommended, and/or supplemental materials: Students should have access to either a digital camera, a phone camera, or both. They should also be able to upload photos to a computer. Use of basic editing software can be found free on the web or in an app.

Course-Specific Getting Started Items:  Students will need a good understanding of how to upload photos to discussions.

Collaboration: Students will participate in Live Class sessions weekly. They will also critique the work of others in discussion assignments.

This Course is offered through NCVPS.

• • COURSE #:   54622X0

  • CREDIT:  1

  • TYPE:  Standard

  • GRADE:  10-12

  • PREREQUISITE: Visual Arts (Beginning)

Visual Arts Specialization (Accomplished Honors): Digital Photography II

This course is for students who are interested in pursuing a more advanced study of digital photography. Through a series of projects and critiques, students will expand their technical abilities and explore their own personal aesthetics. Content, form, aesthetics, technical issues around processing, file formats, controlling exposure, and special effects techniques will be covered, along with an exploration of art history and cultural connections. Students will also continue to refine or newly create a digital portfolio to use for future presentations of their photographic work.

Required, recommended, and/or supplemental materials:  Students should have access to either a digital camera, a phone camera, or both. They should also be able to upload photos to a computer. Use of basic editing software can be found free on the web or in an app.

Course-Specific Getting Started Items:  Students will need a good understanding of how to upload photos to discussions.

Collaboration: Students will participate in Live Class sessions bi-weekly. They will also critique the work of others in discussion assignments. 

This Course is offered through NCVPS.

• • COURSE #:   54635X0

  • CREDIT:  1

  • TYPE: Honors

  • GRADE:  10-12

  • PREREQUISITE: Visual Arts (Beginning), Visual Arts (Intermediate) Digital Photography I

Visual Arts Specialization (Intermediate): Art of Game Design

This multimedia course teaches the basic elements of designing digital (video) games and nondigital (board/card) games. Using works of art from the North Carolina Museum of Art as catalysts for learning, you will explore game purpose and structure as well as character and story development. Other topics will include the history of games, games from around the world, and troubleshooting common obstacles in game design.  This course is NOT a coding, computer science or video game development course. Although there are some extra credit tutorials that can get students' feet wet with programming if they are interested, the course is centered around the creative process behind making all types of games and focuses on planning, cooperation, creativity, and the history of games. This Course is offered through NCVPS.

• • COURSE #:   54622X0

  • CREDIT:  1

  • TYPE:  Standard

  • GRADE:  10-12

  • PREREQUISITE: Visual Arts (Beginning)

Visual Arts Specialization (Intermediate): Art of Fashion Design

Do you have a passion for fashion? In this course, you will explore the artistic process of fashion design and learn how design concepts evolve over time. Drawing on inspiration from prehistoric to contemporary fashion and art, you will learn to plan and create your own fashion designs. You will be introduced to various types of patterns, fabrics, materials, and drawing techniques Art that will help you develop your vision as an emerging fashion designer.  This course has been created in collaboration with the North Carolina Museum of Art, with funding provided by a grant from Wells Fargo.  This Course is offered through NCVPS.

• • COURSE #:   54622X0

  • CREDIT:  1

  • TYPE:  Standard

  • GRADE:  10-12

  • PREREQUISITE: Visual Arts (Beginning)

Health and PE

This course will focus on stress management, nutrition/weight management, substance abuse, personal fitness, healthful lifestyles, social wellness, and appreciation for diversity.

COURSE NOTE: This course satisfies the State Board of Education graduation requirement for Healthful Living.

• • COURSE #:  60492X0S

  • CREDIT:  1

  • TYPE:  Standard

  • GRADE:  9-12

Journalism

Journalism is an elective course that will include photography, news reporting, sports reporting, news writing, website design, videography, social media and digital tools, radio broadcasting, podcasting, interviewing, and more. Students will learn about all of these aspects of journalism for the first nine weeks. In the second nine weeks, students will develop their own website and create items for the website based on the area of journalism that most interests them.

• • COURSE #:  10312X0S 

  • CREDIT:  1

  • TYPE:  Standard

  • GRADE:  9-12

Workforce Ready

In this course, students will look at what it means to be prepared for the workforce of the future. They will examine what soft skills employers seek and how to manage workplace communications and conflicts. Students will apply the concept of professionalism, review problem solving and decision making, and learn basic expectations required for a job. By viewing videos of leaders in NC industries, students will gain insight into career clusters and look at how employability skills apply within those industries. 

• • COURSE #:  96102X0 

  • CREDIT:  1

  • TYPE:  Standard

  • GRADE:  9-12

Business Essentials 

This course will introduce students to realistic business and finance principles by examining fundamental economic concepts, the business environment, and primary business activities. Through workplace scenarios and problem-based learning, students will explore business ethics, customer relations, economics, financial analysis, human resources management, information management, marketing, operations, and business technology.  Business Essentials has a CTE Post Assessment (state final exam).  The weight of the state final exam will be 20% of a student’s final course grade. 

This Course is offered through NCVPS.

• • COURSE #:  BF102XOS

  • CREDIT:  1

  • TYPE:  Standard

  • GRADE:  9-12

Entrepreneurship I

In this course, students evaluate the concepts of going into business for themselves and working for or operating a small business. They become acquainted with channel management, pricing, product/service management, and promotion. Emphasis is on the exploration of feasible ideas of products/services, research procedures, business financing, marketing strategies, and access to resources for starting a small business. Students will be introduced to the Lean Canvas Business Model (LCBM) throughout the course. A performance based measurement will be used in this course to assess student learning. English language arts and social studies are reinforced. 

This Course is offered through NCVPS.

• • COURSE #:  ME112XOS  

  • CREDIT:  1

  • TYPE:  Standard

  • GRADE:  9 -12

Leadership Development

This course educates students in the development of various aspects of leadership skills, values clarification, group dynamics, project planning, coordination, and intra-and interpersonal relationships. Students will investigate leadership qualities of present-day and historical leaders, identifying and analyzing leadership examples in history and currently as well as trends in leadership development.

• • COURSE #:  96102X0 

  • CREDIT:  1

  • TYPE:  Standard

  • GRADE:  9 -12