Pre-Algebra Prep
Non-Credit
Prerequisite:  Incoming 9th Grader
The goal of this course is to review fundamental mathematical concepts and to develop the skills needed to complete Algebra I.  The course covers the order of operations in mathematics (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, as well as whole and fractional exponents). These operations will then be used on whole signed numbers, fractions, as well as numbers with decimals. The fundamental properties of mathematics will be reviewed as well as learning the conversion of units. All of these mathematical concepts, ideas, and skills will be related to real-world examples whenever possible.

9th Grade English Prep
Non-Credit
Prerequisite:  Incoming 9th Grader
The 9th Grade English Prep class gives an overview of the skills needed for effective reading and writing at the high school level. Students will read and analyze one of the freshman summer reading novels and write two papers over the four weeks of the course. Work in class will focus on developing valuable critical reading skills, techniques for retaining information, and writing skills such as sentence structure, paragraph construction, grammar, clarity of expression and literary analysis. Students who complete the class will be well-prepared for the transition from middle school English to the rigors and demands of the SMCA English curriculum. 

Algebra Skills Builder
Non-Credit
The goal of this course is to strengthen learned Algebra skills. Algebra foundation skills are essential to being successful in higher-level mathematics courses at SMCA. If a student does not demonstrate proficiency skills in Algebra on the SMCA mathematics placement exam, the student will be placed in Algebra I as a 9th grader.  Successful completion of the Algebra Skills Builder course and demonstration of improved proficiency skills on a placement exam during the summer may allow the student to be placed in Geometry.  

Spanish Skills Builder
Non-Credit
This course will be offered to students who wish to be placed into Spanish II, but have not passed the Placement Test.  Students will review the vocabulary and verb tenses that are expected for students enrolled in Spanish II.   Students will be given a Placement Test after completing this course to determine whether they will be placed in Spanish I or Spanish II for the following school year.   Students who are placed into Spanish II will be awarded credit for successful completion of Spanish I.  

English Remediation
Credit Earned: .5 or 1.0
Failed SMCA English Course
The English remediation course is individually designed by the student’s English teacher and is customized to the specific needs of the student. Each individual course of study will be constructed in a series of units designed around reading, writing, vocabulary and research. The student’s grade will not be factored in the cumulative GPA. This is a required course for students failing English at SMCA.  

US Government - 2241
Credit Earned: .5
Prerequisite: US History
The United States Government and Politics course takes an in-depth look at United States government and its origins, including critical issues such as separation of church and state, checks and balances, civil rights, and the Constitution.  In addition to the textbook, guest speakers and the use of media supplement the information presented in class.  The course challenges students to articulate their thoughts in both writing and oral expression.  Students will make use of a high school level text with homework assignments usually consisting of answering questions at the end of a chapter. 

Economics - 2242
Credit Earned: .5
Prerequisite: US History
This course serves as an introductory course to economics by considering its basic principles and how they are applied in our everyday lives.  Material from the media, as well as from the textbook, are used to explore areas such as poverty and wealth, supply and demand, competition, labor, and banking. This course also examines the different schools of economic thought –e.g. Marxist, Capitalist, Keynesian, Monetarist – and how they relate to basic economic principles. Students use a high school level textbook and assignments are primarily from chapter activities.

Geometry – Pre-AP -  2325
Credit Earned: 1.0
Prerequisite: Placement Exam, Instructor Approval & Grade Requirement
This course is structured around geometric proofs.  It delves into topics more deeply and includes more complicated, more abstract work than the standard course.  The greater depth and abstraction of this course will be reflected in somewhat longer, more involved homework assignments, quizzes, and tests.  Students taking this course should be self-motivated and possess a love of mathematics and a strong work ethic.  Logical reasoning is emphasized through work on theorems and their proofs. Students will also explore non-Euclidean geometry. Word problems will be part of the class work, homework, and exams as well.  Additional topics found in this course include geometric probability, law of sines, and law of cosines.  Incoming ninth graders must take a placement test to advance to Pre-AP Geometry.

Visual Art I - 2630
Credit Earned: .5
Prerequisite: Intro to the Arts
This one-semester course is a foundation level course in art fundamentals, art appreciation, and art application.  Students will learn to express themselves and communicate through a wide variety of art media to include drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, and mixed media.  Students study the concepts of color theory, art history, aesthetics and art criticism from a multi-cultural perspective and learn how to critique their own art.  In lieu of a textbook, there is a supply fee for this class.

Communication Applications - 2660
Credit Earned: .5
Prerequisite: None
Students who enroll in Communication Applications will be expected to develop communication skills necessary for social and professional interaction. Rapidly expanding technologies and changing social and corporate systems demand that students send clear verbal messages, choose effective nonverbal behaviors, listen for desired results, and apply valid critical-thinking and problem solving processes. Students will be expected to learn and understand the nature and levels of the communication process including such topics as language, nonverbal messages, listening, interpersonal and group dynamics, interviewing, managing conflicts, media literacy, functioning as a leader, preparing and presenting a variety of presentations. The expectation is that by the end of the semester, the student should be able to understand the various aspects of the communication process and have demonstrated skills in making and evaluating presentations.

Web Design - 2717
Credit Earned: 0.5
Prerequisite: None
This course will focus on the fundamentals of web mastering and design and will teach students how to incorporate different types of technology into one project using a web page format. Students will be introduced to various methods of web design and web mastering and will get a chance to create their own dynamic and multi-layered web sites using the skills they have learned. Web programming includes skills such as identifying a target audience (the end user), developing content, providing for a secure and user-friendly environment, choosing a host or server, designing a site and then monitoring it.

Health - 2801
Credit Earned: .5
Prerequisite: None
Using a wellness approach, this course focuses on the major health concerns of adolescents, such as emotional health and environment, sexuality and human reproduction, personal health habits and social responsibility, alcohol and drugs, maintaining physical fitness, and nutrition.

Theology IV – Philosophical Foundation for Theology - 2047
Credit Earned: .5
Prerequisite: Senior Standing
This course will employ an historical approach to the study of Philosophy, with special attention to the critical role Philosophy has played for understanding Theology. This proves true for the Theology of the Church Fathers with the influence of Plato and Aristotle, long before Aquinas incorporated each in a sort of “middle way.” We will see that the most prominent and traditional Theologians engaged the Philosophers of their time. The same holds true today. Course goals are twofold. First, we will see the historical intimacy between Philosophy and Theology, as well as where the two part ways depending upon the presuppositions of the thinker. Second, we will see philosophy as “the love of wisdom” and, as Socrates said, “a preparation for death.” The text for this course, Sophie’s World, tackles the historical patterns in Philosophy while maintaining a narrative arc and character. A sympathetic character is easier to engage for young students new to Philosophy as opposed to strict theory in isolation. Senior students may take either World Religions or Philosophical Foundation for Theology to satisfy the St. Michael’s Theology graduation requirement.