Class Descriptions

High School Core Classes

To be placed on the waiting list for a class, just register for the class, even if it is full. You will be notified that you are on the waiting list; we will contact you if space opens up for your student. You will not pay tuition for the class unless your student is placed in it.

Cluster A courses: geared toward grades 9-10

Physical Science:  taught by Ms. Christy Kellner  

For the physical science class, students should be able to solve for unknowns and have an idea of how to complete conversion equations.  I will offer to tutor students in my home needing additional help with the math portion of the class. These sessions will be offered on Tuesdays from 1:00 -2:30 for $30 per session.  A reservation needs to be made and sessions must be pre-paid before they arrive.  Upon the start of school, a reservation sheet will be available on Google classroom. 

There is a limit of 18 students in this class.  

American History: taught by Ms. Christy Kellner

 My plan for history is to foster a love for our great history while including different types of activities to make our story come alive and show its relevance and importance in today’s world.  For Physical Science we will be discovering how God beautifully ordered His Universe by studying the Laws of Physics.   

There is a limit of 20 students in this class.

American  Literature: taught by Mr. Derek Christenson

In American Literature we will study the eight American Literary Periods: Colonial, Revolutionary Age, Early National, American Renaissance, Realistic, Naturalist, Modern and Contemporary. This will be accomplished through reading and analysis of political documents, poetry, short stories and novels from these time periods. The novels (which can be purchased or borrowed from the library) will include:

The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, (American Renaissance Period)

The Adventures of Huck Finn, by Mark Twain (Realistic Period)

The Call of the Wild, by Jack London (Naturalist Period)

The Pearl, by John Steinbeck (Modern Period)

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (Contemporary Period)

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury (Contemporary Period)

Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card (Contemporary Period)

A significant amount of at-home reading will be required in addition to written homework. In class, we will discuss the reading as well as read and discuss period short stories and poetry by authors such as Anne Bradstreet, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper, Edgar Allen Poe, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and many others to gain additional insights into these periods. Tests will be given at the completion of each book and an essay writing assignment will accompany each book. The following textbook is required as it contains the poetry, short stories and excerpts which we will read and discuss in class: Holt Elements of Literature, 5th Course. https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0030424186 If purchased USED the price is more affordable.

There will be a $25 per student fee to cover the cost of providing photocopies of study materials. Each student should have a 2-inch binder with tab dividers for this class. All assignments and supplementary materials will be in google classroom. Computer access is a requirement for this class.

There is a limit of 20 students in this class. 

CLASS FULL: Please register to be placed on the waitlist.

Introduction to Literature: (grades 9-12*, see below for 8th graders) taught by Mrs. Patricia (Tish) Shefcik

An Introduction to Literature and Writing:

This class will be a starting point for 8th and 9th graders who have not had much experience in writing. It will also be a good review for those students who have studied writing in middle school. They will be able to develop more complicated writing skills before they take on challenging high school classes. The course will be based on the IEW Structure and Style Units. Since there are some who may not be familiar with this style, the course will start out with some of the simpler techniques such as making an outline, adding in more descriptive words, and mastering the proper grammar rules. By the end of the year, however, the students will be learning more complex skills such as the best way to structure a paper, composing a thesis statement, and writing an Introduction. For Literature, the first semester will focus on short stories and learning the fundamentals of Plot, Characters, and Setting as well as other

stylistic techniques such as Metaphor, Alliteration, and Characterization. The weekly writing assignments will reflect the stories which they are reading. This will provide the students with a cohesive experience.

During the second semester, the students will read longer books with more complicated plots and characters so that they have a good foundation for high school literature. The homework will consist of weekly writing assignments, usually a paragraph, and some homework questions on the reading.

For the first semester, the short stories will be taken from authors such as:

Beatrix Potter, Rudyard Kipling, Arthur Conan Doyle, Louisa May Alcott, P. G. Wodehouse, L. M.

Montgomery, G. K. Chesterton, The Brothers Grimm, Charles Dickins, O. Henry, and Hans Christian Anderson. The students will also read some longer poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ernest Lawrence Thayer, and Henry Grantlan Rice.

The book list for the second semester is as follows The Horse and His Boy - C.S. Lewis, The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett, and The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien.

Materials:

There is NO workbook for this class. The students will need a binder to hold handouts that I will provide for the class. Students will be required to have the IEW Portable Walls Structure and Style chart for reference at home and in the classroom. This may be purchased directly from the Institute for Excellence in Writing for $9. All of the short stories and poems necessary for the first semester are in the public domain and will need to be printed by each family. I will be sending the appropriate links out every week, and the students will be responsible for printing them out and bringing them to class. It will be necessary for each student to have a physical copy of the text for use in class. For the second semester, it would be preferable for the students to have a physical copy of the books on the book list to bring to class. No particular edition is required, and a library copy is acceptable.

There is a limit of 16 students in this class.

Cluster C courses: geared toward grades 11-12

Health: taught by Mrs. Debby Kellner

Using the textbook Health in Christian Perspectives by Abeka, lecture and various activities, this high school course will cover a variety of topics including nutrition, exercise, personal hygiene, stress management, safety, first aid, disease prevention, and more. The goal of this class is to gain knowledge about our physical, mental and emotional health and obtain a good understanding of practical things we can do to help better serve God, ourselves and others. Besides the textbook, students should bring a notebook. There is a $15 materials fee.

There is a limit of 18 students in this class.

Medieval Literature: taught by Mrs. Patricia (Tish) Shefcik

This course college preparatory class begins with a specific focus for several weeks on improving students’ essay writing skills. Writing skills will

be reinforced through writing assignments pertaining to the literary works studied. The literature starts as the Roman Empire falls with Saint

Augustine’s Confessions. Then we read and analyze other works of the medieval era through Dante’s Divine Comedy. While there is no course fee,

each student will need his or her own literature books.

There is a limit of  16 students in this class.  

Financial Literacy: taught by Mr. Derek Christenson 

In this course, we will study personal finance using the book Foundations of Personal Finance by Sally R. Campbell.

Students will gain a basic understanding of the instruments of personal finance:  checking and savings accounts, stocks and bonds, as well as a basic understanding of income taxes.  They will learn how to develop a budget, how to write a resume and how to apply for a job and college.  The topic of debt (both student loan and consumer credit) will be explored and all students will understand the pitfalls of debt.  Students will learn about the various types of insurance (vehicle, house, life, health), how to be a smart shopper, and how to plan for the future.

There will be weekly reading assignments.  Written assignments in this class may be project-oriented:  building a stock portfolio/tracking growth, creating a personal budget, developing a resume, researching job ads/requirements. Each student will participate in “The Budget Challenge”, budgetchallenge.com, which is a 10-week online simulation game which provides the student with a “job” and living expenses for which he/she must budget, pay bills, dealing with unexpected expenses.  This simulation will account for 1/3 of the student’s grade.

All assignments and supplemental materials will be kept on google classroom and computer access is a requirement for the course.

A fee of $35 will be charged per student of which $25 will enroll the student in “The Budget Challenge” simulation and the other $10 will offset costs of photocopies.

There is a limit of 18 students in this class.  

Economics:  taught by Mr. Derek Christenson 

This course will cover topics of macroeconomics including:  factors of production; supply and demand; competition and market economy; the functions of money; government’s impact on the economy; business cycles and other economic cycles.  Each week, students will be responsible for reading and answering questions for one chapter of the text.  In class we will discuss the topics, do hands-on activities to illustrate new concepts, take notes, and periodically view videos which further develop the lesson.  Tests and quizzes will be given.  The text Economics: Work and Prosperity in Christian Perspective, by Russell Kirk, copyright date 1999 is preferable although the new edition can be used if the 1999 addition is unavailable.  It can be purchased used from amazon.com

This is a one-semester course.

There will be a $10 per student fee to cover the cost of providing photocopies of study materials.

Each student should have a binder with tab dividers for this class. All assignments and supplemental materials will be kept on google classroom. Computer access is a requirement for the class.

A syllabus will be distributed at the beginning of the semester, listing homework assignments and test dates. 

CLASS FULL: Please register to be placed on the waitlist.

American Government : taught by Mrs. Martha Schneider 

This High School class will be using an online platform provided by The Patriots Academy.  We will cover the movements that led up to America breaking away from the British Monarchy.  Then, from the Declaration of Independence we move into how the system of Government was created.  We will look into each of the three branches of government and their responsibilities along with the Bill of Rights and the rest of the Amendments that form our governing laws.  This course then looks into the different political parties and interest groups that have formed.  Lastly, we will talk about what it means to be an informed citizen and what are the duties & rights of citizens to keep our republic alive and well for all future generations.  If we get time, we will discuss current topics such as the government bureaucracy and the media’s role in politics. This course fulfills the required HS American Government course and, when completed, the student could earn College credits through taking and passing a CLEP exam. 

This course will require at least one field trip, possibly two.

Required Book The Constitution Made Easy. A Tea Partier’s Guide by Michael K. Holler.

Here are two links that sell The Constitution Made Easy

Amazon link:  https://a.co/d/6eiuHdm  There are 15 USED books available through Amazon other sellers.  They should be about $14.99 + tax and possibly shipping.  If this is not the case see me.

AbeBooks.com link: www.abebooks.com/Constitution-Made-Easy-Tea-Partiers-Guide/32158488224/bd . This site also has copies for around $12.00 + tax and shipping.

Also required:

Cost to enroll in an online course: $17.00 collected by teacher and I will need the student's email.

Paper fee: $10

1 inch binder or a basic folder to manage handouts, homework, etc.

CLASS FULL: Please register to be placed on the waitlist.

Electives

See descriptions for grade levels.

Theology:  taught by Miss Jillian Leonard

Theology class will be a year long, but it will be broken up into different semesters.

1st Semester: Scripture

2nd Semester: Morality 

Scripture will be focused on diving more deeply into the Old and New Testament, and learning more about the Sacred Scriptures. Things like typology, the history of Israel, the forming of the gospels will be covered.

Morality will cover Catholic Social teaching and why the Church teaches what She does on certain moral issues. Dignity of the human person will be shown to be the foundation for Catholic Morality. Topics like abortion, sexuality, euthanasia and suicide, and war will be covered. 

Books:

The Didache Series: Understanding the Scriptures by Dr. Scott Hahn 

Morality: The Didache Series: Our Moral Life in Christ 

There is a limit of 18 students in this class.  

Art: taught by Ms. Veronica Iezzoni (open to grades 8-12).   We recommend parents award .5 credits.

The art course will begin with an introduction to color theory, composition, portrait and figure drawing. In addition, students will explore and apply classic art techniques while learning about various art styles and the Master Artists in art history, with emphasis on sacred art. Projects will include a variety of mediums, including charcoal drawing, painting, sculpture and beyond!

The course will conclude with an art show and exhibit of student's art created in class.

This class is limited to 18 students.  

CLASS FULL: Please register to be placed on the waitlist.

 Theater: taught by Mr. Jay Muldoon (Semester TBD) (open to grades 9-12).  

This is not a graded class. We recommend parents award .5 credits on a pass/fail basis. The semester and production date are TBA.

 My Theatre Mission: Theatre is an adventure in storytelling. Of course like everything else, Jesus is our great example. He used his parables to teach the world about His (our) heavenly Father, and the life we must live to be in relationship with the Holy Trinity. Heeding also the example of St. John Paul II and the advice of Pope Benedict XVI Emeritus, I will employ and teach theatre in order to instill a confident and purposeful voice in our youth, so they can spread the Good News.

How the class works: Students will study, create and perform different aspects of theatre. Although we don’t spend a great deal of time with the technical or design aspect of theatre, the students will witness and learn what goes into creating sets, costumes and other visual facets of theatre. Each year we end this class with a theatre production that showcases the student learning. 

Enrollment process: This Theatre program intends to support the students of ASSG first. Thank you for your understanding!!

1. Families should go ahead and register any students they wish to have in Theatre class, grades 9-12.

2. The Theatre roster will be set after two weeks of registration have passed. 

3. Returning Theatre students from 2024-2025 will be admitted first.

4. New students enrolling in other ASSG classes will be placed next, beginning with 12th graders, working down to 9th.

5. There is a limit of 25 students in the class. 

6. Once the roster is set, it will only be adjusted if a student drops- then another student can be moved in from the waiting list. 

Attendance:

 A significant student absentee rate makes our theatre program difficult to implement successfully. Mr. Muldoon will ask all students to notify him at the beginning of the semester of any planned absences. Of course, students will need to notify Mr. Muldoon of any other absences before they occur. Production week rehearsals are mandatory. 

Students who cannot fulfill the commitment to the Theatre program with good attendance will have to give up their place in the class. Roles will be adjusted according to the discretion of the teacher.

There is a limit of 25 students in this class. Often a few students who enroll need to drop the class due to schedule conflicts. A waiting list will be kept.