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Business

For complete COURSE DESCRIPTIONS, click on Course Title below in chart and/or go to Class Registration

For complete TEXTBOOKS/SUPPLIES, click on Course on Class Registration 

For TUTOR BIOGRAPHIES, click on Tutor Name in below chart and/or go to Class Registration

For assistance in choosing the correct class, please see WEST's Class Track Guidelines

Tuition Payments are broken up with two payments for semester classes and four payments for annual classes

 

BUSINESS
COURSE TITLE GRADE   TUTOR   TERM   TUITION
High School American
Government /
Economics
8-12  R. Fraser /
C. Schmalz
  Full Year    $390
Introduction to Business 8-12  G.Schmalz /
 
C.Schmalz
  Full Year    $375
Interior Design 8-12 Chernyavsky   Full Year    $370
Career Exploration 9-12   Carlson   Spring    $195
Financial Fundamentals & Tech for Today 9-12   Pavlish   Full Year    $380
Introduction to Photography (1-hr course) 10-12   Smith   Full Year    $365

 


COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Career Exploration
This project-based course will actively engage students to explore their interests, talents, aptitudes, skills, and learning styles to find possible career matches. Students will investigate a variety of career fields while using steps in the decision-making process to design a Personal Career Plan. A variety of post-high school opportunities will be discussed to help students set career goals. Students will learn skills to help them develop intrinsic, high-performing, and motivational skills to be successful. Most importantly, students will be encouraged to incorporate spiritual practices to find the path that Our Lord most desires for them.

In this class we will use interest inventories, personality tests, and career exploration to assist students in discovering their career goals. Students will conduct informational interviews, learn to write a resume, and participate in a mock interview.

Economics
Spring Semester of the High School American Government/Economics Class: Economics is all around us - Where does money come from? Why does the iPhone cost so much? Should I work for someone else or start a small business? Students will be exposed to what economics is and how it applies to their lives on a daily basis. Students will demonstrate an understanding of basic micro and macro economic concepts: defining economics, free enterprise, supply and demand, market-clearing price, consumer/savers/investors, money and financial institutions in the United States and more. This is a high school level course that will offer students the opportunity to learn about the economic system in America through reading, discussion, presentations, projects - hands-on and interactive!

Financial Fundamentals & Tech for Today
It’s here! An interactive, hands-on, real-life class to learn and practice financial and computer skills both at once. Discovering the cost of owning a car and its insurance, putting together a resume, creating spreadsheets and formulas to track expenses and balance banking accounts is all a part of this course. Students will learn how to budget, chart the flow of their money, organize their electronic documents well, fill out a tax form and more! Games, projects, discussion and fun guide this class.

Don’t miss the everyday. practicality of personal finance and computer skills using Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Students might even teach parents a few tips and tricks along the way.

Interior Design
This course will be an introduction to the world of interior design and architecture. Students will master the use and impact of color, learn the significance of space and scale and create their own design projects. Over the year, the students will learn how to design floor plans, lighting plans, create perspective drawings, implement color and understand color psychology, as well as design their own design firm and master a final design project just like a professional designer. This will be a very comprehensive course, designed to give the students a foundation in design that they can build from in the future.  An understanding of different design styles and their impact will help the students understand more about their personal design taste and how they can be implemented to minimize weak spots in a room and create balanced, functional spaces that are inviting. This is going to be an exciting and fun class that will allow each student achieve the necessary skills to implement in their own space or expand into a career interest for the future! There will be a final project at the end of each semester with a presentation and the students will build a personal professional portfolio with their work over the year. If working with architecture or design is something that you are considering studying in the future, this course will be a wonderful introduction to both worlds.

Introduction to Business
This Introduction to Business Course will have two primary objectives:  

  1. The students will learn the basics of business.  We will be covering topics like branding, website design, financing, business ethics, marketing, hiring, advertising, and more.  
  2. The students will also be active participants in learning how to create a business.  This will be the interactive piece of the class.  Students will choose a mock business and then walk through the steps of launching that mock business.  

Students will be using a combination of resources to learn about business.  These include, but are not limited to, guest speakers, reading assignments, online videos, interviews, and more.  Students will need to have their own active Google account.  All assignments and class communications will take place via Google Classroom.  

Introduction to Photography
This Introductory Photography Course offering will have students focus on 3 primary outcomes:

  1. Use photography to express who they are and the world around them
  2. Learn and practice basic concepts such as: composition, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, using and creating light, portrait shooting, posing, and basic editing
  3. Develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for the way that photography affects culture and everyday life

Course will consist of the presentation of new concepts, in-class “behind the camera” labs, peer and tutor feedback, and a look at the history of photography in and through culture.  Weekly at home assignments are designed to practice concepts taught in class.  A student showcase will conclude each semester.  Students will need to have their own active Google account.  All assignments and class communications will take place via Google Classroom.  

* Because every camera is different, the class will not cover the specific, technical aspects of your camera. Students must know how to operate their camera and adjust their ISO, aperture (f-stop), and shutter speeds. READ your camera's manual and become familiar with the basics of it.