The Advanced Placement (AP) Program provides students who have demonstrated academic excellence in grades 9-11 with the opportunity to take classes at a university level while still in high school. Students who enroll in AP courses take exams provided by the U. S. College Board in the month of May. If the students pass the exams, university credits are earned for over 4000 universities in 45 countries in Europe, United States, Canada, and all of Latin America. The program currently includes courses in English language and literature, Spanish literature, world history, calculus, statistics, biology, and studio art. Students who complete four defined courses in multiple areas of study and earn a 3 or higher on the corresponding exams are eligible for the AP International Diploma for Overseas Study (APID). For more complete information as well as details in all international universities and their home pages please visit: College Board

 

The English Department follows a Constructivist theory of learning where teachers act as facilitators, guiding their students to develop their own ideas which are founded on teacher-guided principals and facts. Teachers create an active, safe environment to allow learning to occur. Examples of some methods and strategies:

• Themes in reading are used as a springboard for writing assignments, including narrative and analytical essays that demonstrate competence and understanding of the writing process.
• Student interest is sparked through research where students are actively involved in the research process, finding facts and discarding extraneous information; their work becomes personal and important.
• Debate, where students who are committed to persuading a group to believe what they believe also internalize the information. As questions are explored through intelligent discussion, ideas blossom, and learning builds.

Academic Program – English Required Courses

• 9 th grade: World Literature
• 10 th grade: Western Literature
• 11 th grade: North American Literature or Advanced Placement English Language
• 12 th grade: British Literature or Advanced Placement English Literature

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The main objective of the Spanish Department is to develop a love of literature through reading, understanding and analysis of universal works. We strive to increase student potential for literary creativity as we develop oral and written expression. Through reading we strengthen critical thought, analysis, abstraction and interpretation. An important aspect of our work is to deepen knowledge about the Ecuadorian, Latin American and universal cultures through the analysis of ethical and social values demonstrated in the works studied. We offer our students a critical approach toward forms of communication so they will become critical thinkers within their immediate and global surroundings.

Academic Program – Spanish Required Courses

• 9 th grade: Literatura Oriental – Introducción al Análisis Literario
• 10 th grade: Literatura Universal I – De los Orígenes al Barroco
• 11 th grade: Literatura Universal II - Del Neoclasicismo al Modernismo
• 12 th grade: Literatura Latinoamericana y Ecuatoriana del Siglo XX or AP Lengua y Literatura en Español

The Science Department applies the school’s philosophy of “Goodness, Beauty and Truth.” It is through the curriculum of each of the subjects, and with the use of different pedagogic models that we strive to achieve a meaningful learning process. Students are expected not only to solve scientific problems; they are expected to find creative solutions to common problems, as well. To foster understanding and learning, a constructivist model using a wide variety of hands-on activities is implemented, and with the help of the latest technology, students are provided with an even wider range of teaching and learning activities.

Investigations are an integral part of the Science Curriculum and students begin to follow the scientific method from their very first laboratory investigation. Students are encouraged to begin by developing their hypothesis, which will then lead them to develop an experimental design, and ultimately, arrive at their conclusion through data analysis and the comparison of findings with other researchers. Students are expected to internalize the subject content to a point that enables them to apply their learned concepts to new situations and implement them in the real world.

 

Academic Program – Science Required Courses

• 9th grade: Introductory Science
• 10th grade: Biology
• 11th grade: Chemistry
• 12th grade: Physics

Our mathematics program emphasizes conceptual understanding through exploration, problem solving, conjecturing, and reasoning, instead of simply engaging in rote learning of rules and algorithms. Students learn mathematical methods, purposes, forms and content. Thoughtful and creative use of instructional resources such as manipulatives, calculators, and computers allow students to explore number ideas and patterns. Students become competent in mathematical skills while applying them in real life situations. Multiple forms of assessment are used: essays, homework, projects, short answers, quizzes, whiteboard work, journals, portfolios, oral and written reports, interviews, mind-mapping, and group work.

 

Our students will:

• Acquire mathematical conceptual understanding and skill proficiency
• Develop work habits, which include self-discipline and perseverance
• Develop a positive attitude toward mathematics and an appreciation of the worth and value of mathematics in the development of our society
• Develop an ability to model the real world through mathematics
• Develop problem solving skills
• Learn to apply mathematics to new situations
• Acquire the language of mathematics
• Develop the ability to read, write and discuss mathematics

Academic Program – Math Required courses

• 9th grade: Contemporary Math in Context I
• 10th grade: Contemporary Math in Context II
• 11th grade: Algebra or Pre-calculus
• 12th grade: Pre-calculus, Introduction to Calculus or AP Calculus

The “office of the citizen,” as Thomas Jefferson called it, is an extremely difficult position to hold. For that reason, the Social Studies Department believes that it is essential to teach future office holders the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are required to be competent citizens. Civic competence is measured by one’s ability to interact with others; therefore, it is essential that our students have guided practice in the interactive experiences that shape their views and values. It is our job as educators to present students with challenging intellectual and moral puzzles that will engage their heads, hearts, and hands in social and ecological betterment throughout their lives.

As a department we employ a variety of instructional methods and learning activities that develop the students’ capacity to respectfully question social norms, express themselves and respond to others. We emphasize the following: language development, note-taking strategies, critical reading and listening techniques, and skills for arguing convincingly in public and on paper.

 

Academic Program – Social Studies Required Courses

• 9 th grade: Universal History I
• 10 th grade: Universal History II
• 11 th grade: Estudios Latinoamericanos
• 12 th grade: Philosophy

Physical Education (PE) is a required course in grades 9, 10 and 11. Classes are designed to give students the opportunity to take part in aerobic exercise that helps refine motor skills, develops self-discipline and improves general physical fitness. Games, sports and activities are offered which motivate students to develop physical activity as a habit and a necessity for the rest of their lives. In grade 12 students may choose an elective PE course which includes Latin-rhythm dance, weights and volleyball.

A quality art program will benefit students throughout their lives in many areas. Art activities fine-tune motor skills and encourage emotional development. Art also teaches effective communication, critical thinking, perceptual sensitivity and aesthetic awareness. Working in groups and in different themes helps the socialization and cognitive processes.

The philosophy of the art department is based on a holistic approach; we feel that the process of creating art outweighs the final product. In a process-oriented class, students have hands-on experience in art and its techniques. We are forming students that will not necessarily become artists but who will have some competence in artistic production in at least one medium; who have developed skills in looking at works of art, including those of masters, contemporaries, their peers and their own work; who possess some understanding of the artistic process; and who show an eagerness to use their creativity in all aspects of life.

The Music Program encourages students to achieve their maximum potential. Every student has the opportunity to acquire musical knowledge, play an instrument and develop a positive attitude towards music. Through the study of music, students learn discipline, perseverance, self-esteem, respect for others, and values that will stay with them throughout their lives, as well as open their minds to new and creative expectations.

The focus of the music program is for students to learn to appreciate, analyze, describe, and perform a varied repertoire of music. The understanding of music comes as a result of the development of its basic concepts: harmony, melody, rhythm, form, dynamics, tempo and timbre. All of these elements are common to all musical works and instruments. The high school music program offers opportunities for students to perform in orchestra or band concerts, or solo concerts. Through a balance of theory and performance, students learn to appreciate the complex beauty of both the creation and the performance of a musical piece.

The main goal of the Computer Department is to teach students to use computers as a cognitive learning tool and as a tool for life. We believe that computers and technology help students to investigate, to be creative, and to solve problems. When students learn through the use of computers, they learn through doing. We aspire for students to become comfortable with and use technology to their own benefit.

A yearlong class in computers is required in 9th and 10th grades. Instruction focuses mainly on practical, hands-on activities; however, concepts, definitions and theory are presented as the foundation for the practical side of technology and are presented in each unit. Students are expected to use technology to achieve subject matter goals, to develop higher order thinking skills, and to apply computer technology to real life situations.