General Electives
007YR - EXECUTIVE TEAM REPORTER: 4 Terms / 4 Credits, Grades 11-12
Associate Principal: Tyler Shepard
The Executive Team Reporter student role is a "course" that allows the student(s) to work alongside Wayzata High School Administration to promote academic achievement, WHS events, and WHS students' success stories using a variety of social media tools, including but not limited to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The Executive Team Reporter ideally has a focus on increasing and showcasing student engagement within the Wayzata High School community. The Executive Team Reporter role takes up one block per day for the entire school year. An application is required and available at http://bit.ly/ETR-Application.
049 - ACADEMIC MENTOR (Student Tutor): 1 Term / 1 Credit, Grades 11-12 [Consider becoming an Academic Mentor! video]
Teacher: Emily Haugh
The goal of the academic mentorship (tutoring) program is to provide academic support and enrichment to students. This course is an opportunity for students to be role models and acquire leadership experiences in an academic environment. Mentor students will learn how to work in study groups and build skills that will assist them later in college and the world of work. Students who sign up as Academic Mentors provide tutoring assistance to students in the ARC: Academic Resource Center, classrooms, and 1:1 or study group Zoom sessions. Mentors are expected to maintain a safe learning environment by upholding confidentiality and student privacy. All mentors are expected to complete a 1-week training at the beginning of each term.
056 - HONORS MENTOR CONNECTION: 4 Terms / 4 Credits, 11-12
Teachers: Amy Swenson and Amanda Laden
Prerequisite: Application Process. Selected students may enroll.
Honors Mentor Connection (HMC) is a highly selective, rigorous, academic course offered at WHS. HMC students design, plan, and implement a yearlong investigation to address a research question, that will culminate in the submission of an academic research paper to the College Board and the MN Department of Education. Students must have an area of intense interest, a history of academic success in advanced coursework (especially in the area of interest), and a proven ability to work independently. Students are enrolled in the class through an interview and an application process. The process takes place in December/January of the year prior to enrollment. Students selected for this program must understand they are committing to earning 4 credits through their work in this off-campus, year-long program. The course may not be dropped once the school year has started. Students will submit their original research projects to the MN Department of Education’s Scholars of Distinction Program. In addition, students meeting the requirements of the College Board, may earn AP Research credit.
059 - SCIMENT ONLINE PROGRAM: 4 terms / 4 Credits, Grades 11-12
Prerequisite: High academic achievement in science. Science Research A, B, C, and D are four 1-term offerings that must be taken in a sequence, but timing is flexible.
SciMent is an alternative to Honors Mentor Connection offered through District 287 and Northern Star Online. It is designed to provide talented students an opportunity for high academic achievement in science through independent research, mentoring, and competition in the Intel Science & Engineering Fair, the premiere science competition in the world. Students may not be concurrently enrolled in Honors Mentor Connection and SciMent. WHS students may enroll in SciMent and earn credits toward their 16 yearly credits OR they may enroll in SciMent in addition to 16 credits at WHS and complete the work outside the normal school day. If a student enrolls in SciMent in addition to a full course load at WHS, the student will be responsible for paying the tuition. Students enrolled in SciMent during the school day and not assigned to a WHS class must leave the campus during the block dedicated to SciMent. Students involved in extra-curricular activities may return at the end of the school day and participate. Visit the website for more information: https://www.district287.org/academic-services/gifted-programs/.
265 - TROJAN ACADEMY: 1 term / 1 Credit, Grades 9-12
Would you like to work on academic study skills and have time in the day to complete homework and study preparations for your other classes? Trojan Academy class is designed to help you set goals and prioritize tasks each week as you work to become a better student, meet assignment and project due dates, and prepare for assessments. Specific study skills will be taught and utilized throughout the course.
581 - CHINESE CULTURE AND BEYOND: 1 Term / 1 Credit, Grades 9-12
Teacher: Sheen Heng Zhang
This course is for any WHS student (with or without a language background) who is interested in learning about Chinese culture and history. Heritage speakers are encouraged to take this course before taking the Chinese Level 5 and/or AP Chinese course. Students earn a general elective credit for this course. In Chinese Culture and Beyond, students learn to:
Understand traditional and modern Chinese social systems
Understand the relationship between the traditional written character and simplified written character
Understand Chinese customs and ancient philosophy
Experience the authenticity of Chinese cuisine
Examine influences and contributions to the world
Examine in detail the relationship among the products, practices, and perspectives of the learner’s culture and the target culture.
Compare the learner’s cultural products, practices, and perspectives with the target culture.
901 - WORK EXPERIENCE: 1 terms / 1 Credits, Grades 10-12
Teacher: Ken Pashina
This course is for students who wish to work at a job during the school day. Students will earn credit if they meet the set criteria. Students will learn the information and techniques necessary to navigate through the world of work. A few of the areas we will cover will be job resume, safety on the job, interviewing skills, workplace conflict resolution, as well as several more.