Option Opportunities
Highlands Junior High School is so pleased to offer a wide variety of options that students will work in daily.
Option Selection Includes:
Sports Performance: Want to be a better athlete? Are sports your passion? Students in Sports Performance will study training principles, specific sport demands, and develop performance goals. Students will learn how to analyze athletes for strengths and weaknesses and build plans to help them improve. Controversial topics like performance enhancing drugs and supplements will be discussed. Guest speakers include personal trainers, nutritionists, and local athletes. You will get sweaty!
Basketball: Students will learn many things to help them become not only better basketball players, but better all around athletes. The class will focus on the different skill sets including: Offensive skills, defensive skills, teamwork, physical fitness and having positive attitude. Students of all ability levels will have the chance to improve and hone their skills.
Soccer: Students will learn many things to help them become not only better soccer players, but better all around athletes. The class will focus on the different skill sets including:
Offensive skills, defensive skills, teamwork, physical fitness and having positive attitude.
Students of all ability levels will have the chance to improve and hone their skills.
Outdoor Education: Outdoor pursuits and recreation in several different forms are a part of this option. Archery, fire building, orienteering, shelter building, first aid and survival skills, environmental awareness, and potentially even camping will be explored in this option.
Culinary Arts - Beginner: (can only take once) If you love to explore and experiment with the culinary arts, this will give you an opportunity to start your journey into the culinary world. Covering food safety and basic knife and preparation skills, this course will empower you to develop your essential understandings, technique and confidence in the kitchen. Stir, chop, and whisk your way to an important and tasty life skill!
Culinary Arts - Intermediate: (must have taken beginner) Can’t get enough of Foods class? Explore Intermediate Culinary Arts to improve your kitchen skills! This class will cover more advanced techniques in cooking and baking while continuing to give you the skills and palate to create and innovate in the kitchen. Bon appétit!
Rockets, Robots and Racecars: Students will explore the world of physics while building a mousetrap car, Lego Mindstorm robots and rockets.
Clothing and Textiles: Students will be givin the opportunity to create projects using a variety of techniques such as hand and machine sewing, needlepoint, and quilting. Beginners will be able to make pillows and pj bottoms and more experienced sewers will be able to chose a garment or explore yarn arts such crocheting or weaving.
Art: This is a hands-on studio class emphasizing skill building and creative expression: drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and mixed media.
Sculpture: Students will have an opportunity to explore individual and collaborative projects through a variety of three-dimensional media including clay, wood, papier mache and found materials.
Aboriginal Arts and Crafts: Students will make dreamcatchers, medicine wheels and mini drums while learning about their significance in Aboriginal culture.
Creative Writing: Want to learn how to create a comic book? Passionate about poetry? Are you Hollywood bound with the next big screenplay? In creative writing students will get the opportunity to learn and practice writing methods outside the bounds of professional literature. Students will practice through different mediums how to develop character, embed symbolism, and place emphasis on narrative craft.
Dance: In the Highlands Dance class we will explore movement, rhythm, music and student interest through a semester of discovery and fun. Whether you are an experienced dancer or new to dance classes you will be challenged and find success learning technique, body control and choreography. Come move to the music and learn genres like hip hop, jazz, and Ukrainian dance!
Drama: Drama is a great way for students to express themselves and try on different personas! This course is always a fun learning experience. We begin with some introductory improvisation classes to ‘loosen’ students up and get them used to performing in front of others.
Innovation/Design: Do you look at the world and think, “I could do this better!” or “Why hasn’t anyone invented this, to solve that?” If you can relate to this then this class is perfect for you. We will spend the semester learning about basic wood-working tools, brainstorming, inventing, innovating and coming up with ideas and products. You will also get the chance to learn about coding, use a 3D printer, use some 3D pens, and discover the world of entrepreneurs.
Music - beginner: Students will have the opportunity to learn acoustic/electric/bass guitar, djembe drum, piano and singing. Students will learn a variety of pop, rock and country songs. Come and jam!
Music - advanced: This option is for students that have taken Beginner Music OR have previous music background
Film Studies/Creation: Students will learn about the basic elements of film including shot, angle, lighting, frame, editing, costume and script. Students will explore how themes and motifs are purposefully established in films for deeper meaning. Students will have an opportunity to write and create their own short films.
Photography: The digital photography program is designed to teach students the theoretical and technical aspects of digital photography. Students will use digital cameras and associated computer hardware and software for creating, modifying, and producing images.
Horticulture: This course will focus on plant science and will look at controversial topics such as genetically modified foods and pesticide use. Students will also work in the school greenhouse and garden.
Leadership: Do you want to help plan school activities like spirit week or school dances? Do you have a burning desire to create a club or initiative to help connect the school to the community? The possibilities in Leadership are endless. This class is student driven, projects and activities will vary based on student interest.
Science Experiments: This is your chance to explore science! Open-ended problems and challenges will be presented for you to solve. Your basic science skills will come in handy to explore chemical reactions, come up with the best design to solve a problem, and learn and test why the world is the way it is.
Aboriginal Studies: Students will have the opportunity to learn about Aboriginal Culture from Elders, local artists and community groups. Activities include: beading, field trips, tipi painting/set up. We will also explore modern issues affecting Aboriginal people and Canadians. This course is open to students of ALL cultures and backgrounds.
Mathletics: Students will be able to explore all the possibilities on Mathletics program and look at different math centered projects. This option will also offer students the chance to solve or create different mathematical ideas that occur in our daily life.
Sky Science: If you are looking to learn more about stuff in the sky, this option is for you. This course will cover some basic astronomy: stars, planets and galaxies; as well as introduce some interesting weather: natural disasters, thunderstorms, tornados and hurricanes.
Provincial Achievement Test Prep: This course is offered in term 3 to any grade 9 students who want to get an extra start on preparing for and being successful at their PAT exams at the end of the year. Students will go through old released exams to get a sense of the questions, as well as have an opportunity to review course material with the help of a resource teacher.
