Compass

Two teachers, along with professionals from related industries, will deliver content that is relevant and applicable to the workplace.

Students will work in teams to complete a project for a local business. Watch Course Video 

Once students have registered for a Compass Course, they will be asked to complete an application and interview.

The course grade is based on more than course assignments. Categories are 70% academic, 15% professionalism, and 15% project performance.

Students will practice employability skills such as workplace communication and emotional intelligence.

Students will work with a mentor that works in a field related to your Compass program. The expectation is that you e-mail weekly and meet monthly.

Compass strives to create a professional environment similar to what is expected in a workplace setting. Teachers will provide more details about the dress code during the first week of school.

Some of our courses have fees to assist with purchasing the consumable materials that students will utilize throughout the class. Click for more information.

Compass Program Coordinator: Scott Tordeur

graphic communications

9992 - GRAPHIC COMMUNICATIONS: 2 Terms / 4 credits, Grades 11-12  [Watch Course Video]  [Work Based Learning Experiences Comparison]

Prerequisite recommended: Introduction to Marketing or Applied Graphics or Graphic Design 1

Students enrolled in Graphic Communications are eligible for three college credits through concurrent enrollment at North Hennepin Community College.

This course is scheduled for 2 blocks for each of the 2 terms (4 credits): 9992A: Composition for College and 9992B: Advanced Applied Graphics.

Graphic Communications is a co-taught, project-based learning course that combines Composition for College (English A) and Applied Graphics 2. This course is ideal for students interested in developing professional and technical skills required to advance their knowledge of graphic design and communication styles. Graphic Communications especially serves college writing and reading preparation with several informational and research-based projects where students have occasions to formally present and solicit feedback from instructors and community members. Students will collaborate often in small groups to generate ideas with depth and to organize those ideas in a clearly structured form. Additionally, students will develop their reading, writing and speaking skills through a study of how language is used including Standard American English and the influence of language on place for the Dakota and Anishinaabe people of Minnesota.

This course will educate students in design methods, theory, and creative problem solving utilized in the industry today. Students will learn how to create visual concepts and how those concepts communicate, are perceived, and are interpreted by an intended audience. Students will learn interactive, graphic, and product design skills and how to apply those skills in various career fields. Students will collaborate with local businesses to master the Adobe Creative Suite , write and speak for an authentic audience, and develop their personal brand.  Students within this course will work with clients to plan, design and implement concepts into production through projects authored and sponsored by course instructors and local businesses.

Student Testimonial:

business management & economics

9991 - BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMICS: 2 Terms / 4 credits, Grade 12 [Watch Course Video] [Work Based Learning Experiences Comparison]

Prerequisite: Intro to Business or Accounting 

This course is scheduled for 2 blocks for 2 terms (4 credits): 9991A: Principles of Management and 9991B: Economics. Managers of today’s firms operate in a global environment and must be prepared to quickly react to changing business and market conditions. As a result, the study of economics and business management offers a perfect combination of theory and application. Business management is the study of how for-profit and non-profit organizations are structured and how they interact with each other, their customers, and the government. Economics is the study of how society allocates scarce resources. Global events have shown that organizational survival does not only depend on sound business management, but also on how well one can identify emerging trends, make sense of government policies, and adapt to changing external economic forces in order to optimize limited resources to create opportunities for future growth. Students will partner with businesses and apply critical thinking skills as they complete hands-on learning projects. In addition, students will conduct research on real-life problems/policy issues facing organizations in the 21st century, and work to develop timely and applicable solutions.

cybersecurity & applied mathematics

9993 (STEM) - CYBERSECURITY AND APPLIED MATHEMATICS: 2 Terms / 4 credits, Grades 11-12 [Watch Course Video] [Work Based Learning Experiences Comparison]

Prerequisite: Any computer-related course and Geometry or Accelerated Geometry

This course is scheduled for 2 blocks for 2 terms (4 credits): 9993A: Cybersecurity and 9993B: Applied Mathematics. Interested in a STEM career? Learn about Cybersecurity and Applied Mathematics by working with business professionals from the field. Cybersecurity is one of the hottest fields in computer science right now. This course will introduce students to the field of cybersecurity and digital forensics and will educate students in the theory, techniques, and analysis used within the field. In addition, students will apply mathematics to real-world problems and explore ways in which mathematics is used in various careers. Topics include risk analysis, virtualization, computer forensics, email investigations, networking basics, computer security policies, vertex-edge graphs, game theory, encryption and cryptography, probability, voting methods, and creative problem-solving. This course will utilize a team-teaching environment using project-based learning with our business partnerships.

 Testimonial: