Business and Entrepreneurship

Advanced Algebra with Financial Applications*
Grades 11-12
1 credit
This course will introduce students to the mathematical tools needed to become a financially responsible young adult. The course employs selected topics in Algebra II, Precalculus, Probability, Statistics, and Geometry to solve financial problems that occur in everyday life. Real-world problems in investing, credit, banking, auto insurance, mortgages, employment, income taxes, and budgeting and planning for retirement are solved by applying the relevant mathematics. Field projects, computer spreadsheets, and graphing calculators are key components of the course.
*Prerequisite: Algebra II

AP Economics*
Grade 12
1 credit
Is there really no such thing as a free lunch? Why do economists say that if you want something done correctly, you shouldn’t necessarily do it for yourself? AP Economics is a fast-paced, college-level course designed to introduce highly motivated, highly independent, and academically talented seniors to economic analysis. The first semester is devoted to the basic principles of microeconomics, such as cost structure, the theory of the firm, factor markets, and the role of government within the economy. During the second semester, students learn to analyze the intricacies of the aggregate economy. The models used examine national income, employment, and price levels, and explore how stabilization policies (fiscal and monetary) affect economic growth in an integrated world economy. Analysis includes the impact of financial and trade interactions between nations. A unit on different macroeconomic models completes the curriculum. Preparation for the national AP exams in May is also emphasized. Students will sit for two AP exams in the spring: one for AP Microeconomics, and the other for AP Macroeconomics.
*Prerequisite: Permission of the department and, if not enrolled in a previous AP history course, successful completion of a placement exercise
*Corequisite: Calculus

Business with Personal Finance
Grade 12
1 credit
Business with Personal Finance is a year-long, project-based class. The course will blend entrepreneurial projects with simulated workplace experiences, while also providing essential financial literacy skills. Students will practice problem-solving, collaboration, and creative thinking through real-world projects that mirror the types of challenges they will encounter in college and beyond. 

Contemporary Perspectives on Global Issues
Grade 12
.5 credit
This semester-long course will give students the opportunity to explore what global issues are; how they interact with one another and with people, economies, and the natural environment; and how a systems-thinking approach and academic frameworks (like political science and sociology) can help us understand and address these challenges. This course will equip students to use the tools of social science (particularly political science and sociology) to discuss, analyze, and consider ways to address global issues. In addition, the course will ask students to use research tools of the humanities to access and evaluate primary source material concerning global issues, and to apply scholarly approaches to research these challenges.
Offered fall semester

Introduction to Cybersecurity and Ethical Hacking*
Grades 10-12
.5 credit
This course exposes students to the tools and techniques required to learn the foundations of cybersecurity and other critical computer skills. Students are challenged to be resourceful and creative, using "hacking" as a method for discovering how things work and how system vulnerabilities can be remedied. Hands-on lessons cover a broad range of topics, including safe internet use, networking basics, web privacy, network security, and hacking ethics and laws.
*Prerequisite: Ninth-Grade Seminar or permission of the department
Offered in 2027-28

Data Structures and Algorithms–Honors*
Grades 11-12
1 credit
This college-level course covers the theory and application of commonly used data structures and related algorithms for maintaining them. Emphasis is placed on efficiency, appropriate use, and the creation of encapsulated, object-oriented data structures. Students learn to implement iterative and recursive sorting algorithms, variations of linear data structures (linked lists, stacks, queues, and hash tables), variations of non-linear data structures (trees, heaps, and graphs), and the algorithms used to process each structure's data. This course will utilize Java language coding assignments in and out of class as a major means of learning about and employing data structures.
*Prerequisite: AP Computer Science A, and permission of the department

Design Engineering*
Grade 11
.5 credit
This course will give students multiple experiences applying the Engineering Design Cycle. Using CAD and graphics software, hand tools, a 3D printer, a laser cutter, and a variety of materials, students will design, build, and test a solution to a given problem. Students will apply the engineering design cycle to improve their design’s performance. This course will give students opportunities to develop important twenty-first-century skills such as collaborating with one another, identifying and working effectively to problem solve, honing presentation and writing ability, and learning how to complete a project on time and on budget. Students will document their learning by keeping an engineering notebook.
*Prerequisite: Admission to the Applied Science Certificate Program
Offered fall and spring semesters
*Successful completion of the course garners credit for the Applied Science Certificate Program.

Organizational Behavior
Grade 12
.5 Credit
How can the principles of human behavior be applied to organizations and groups? How can the academic frameworks used in sociology, psychology, and anthropology help organizations function more efficiently? How are leadership skills developed? What can be done to motivate individuals? Organizational behavior is a field concerned with using principles and practices from a variety of academic disciplines to understand how groups and individuals function in an organization, and to help people work together successfully and efficiently. This social science course will focus on behavior at the individual, interpersonal, and organizational levels, incorporating elements of anthropology, sociology, and social psychology. Students will study the history and modern application of organizational theory and practices, and explore the inputs and elements that contribute to the functioning of a successful organization.
Offered spring semester

Public Speaking
Grades 10–12
.25 credit
Upper School Public Speaking provides students with instruction on researching, developing, and delivering oral presentations, which are critical to success in business. Four types of presentations are covered: demonstrative, autobiographical, informative, and persuasive. Students participate fully in all aspects of the class and deliver four major presentations, demonstrating proficiency in oral communication as measured on a rubric based on the Competent Speaker Speech Performance Evaluation.
Public Speaking is a quarter-course, usually taken in the tenth-grade year, and satisfies the graduation requirement in Public Speaking.

Statistics*
Grades 11–12
1 credit
This course is an introduction to the mathematical concepts of probability and statistics. Topics studied include sample spaces, independent events, graphic representation, mean, median, mode, variance, standard deviation, standard normal variable, confidence intervals, sampling, and hypothesis testing.
*Prerequisite: Algebra II

AP Statistics*
Grades 11–12
1 credit
This course is intended for junior or senior students. This is a problem-based course in which students learn to collect and analyze data using probability and statistical models. The course will involve technology and connections to many subject areas. Students may take AP Statistics and Precalculus concurrently. This course prepares students to take the AP exam in the spring.
*Prerequisite: Algebra II with Trigonometry or Algebra II–Honors, and permission of the department