Electives

The following is a list of elective and advanced placement courses available in each department. For a description of the course, click on the department title. Elective courses will be scheduled depending on student interest and teacher availability.

MATH

AP Calculus
Calculus is the mathematics of instantaneous change and as such allows the student to get a glimpse of  the order in God’s creation. The study of limits involving infinity provides a vehicle for contemplating the infinity of God. Differential calculus enables the student to examine tangents to a curve at a point and calculate the area under a curve.  The discussion of rates of change in the creation provides a striking contrast to the unchanging nature of God. With integral calculus, the student, again, is reminded of the concept of inverse operations in mathematics. The applications of differential and integral calculus in engineering, science and economics serve to underscore the laws of creation as established by God.

SOCIAL STUDIES

AP World History
The AP World History - Modern course focuses on developing student’s understanding of world history from approximately 1200 to the present.  The course has students investigate the content of world history for significant events, individuals, developments and processes in order to make connections among historical developments in different times and places encompassing the five major geographical regions of the globe: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania.  (College Board) 

The AP World History course will integrate biblical truths that encourage followers of Christ to take what they have been taught and apply it to their lives in order to defend the truth of God’s Word and glorify Him forever which is the end goal of the calling placed on followers of Christ. 

SCIENCE

Psychology
The purpose of the Psychology course is for students to acquire an understanding of human mental processes and behavior. Students will complete a survey of psychological topics from a biblical worldview that will foster their own growth and lead them to appreciate the accuracy and purposefulness with which we were made by God. Psychology provides students with a systematic and scientific approach to the study of human behavior and mental processes. Students will explore various aspects of human behavior including theories of personality, aspects of thought processes, states of consciousness, motivation and emotion, and the basic areas of mental illness.

AP Chemistry
Advanced Chemistry will prepare students who have mastered the first level of Chemistry to progress to a college sophomore level of understanding and successfully complete the national Advanced Chemistry Exam. This continued, in-depth examination of the atomic and molecular level of God’s handiwork will provide the student a greater ability to articulate His sovereignty and continual governance in all of the physical processes of His Creation.

Industrial Arts 
“Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men.” (Proverbs 22:29) Industrial Arts is a project based learning course that offers students a unique opportunity to learn skills by primarily using their hands. In this course students will learn techniques and procedures in planning and building projects that will help them to have confidence to handle repairs, learn job skills in construction, and DIY projects. Students will learn how to safely use tools, beagle to identify different types of tools and materials, and develop designs for projects. 

Art I
Art I empowers students to discover how the original creator, God, has gifted us each with our own unique talents, and to see the beauty of his art work in and through each one of us. Students will learn a variety of artistic techniques and use a wide array of  mediums, while also discovering the history of specific styles and the artist famous for their discovery and use.

Art II
Art II is a one semester course that takes the skills and knowledge learned in Art I and expands on them in order to allow students to dive deeper into the creativity and skills God has gifted them.  Students will experience success in learning more advanced techniques in various art forms.

The students are encouraged to seek the Creator for wisdom and understanding in the creative process and use His Creation for inspiration.

Yearbook
Yearbook Journalism empowers students as storytellers and journalists. Also called, “Chronicles,” the yearbook operates as a business with students organizing concepts, financial principles, and page layout. Students balance their natural giftings from God while writing, editing, and proofing the yearbook as a service to their peers and the DCS family at large.

Consumer Science
The Consumer Sciences course is a comprehensive combination of skills, research, and knowledge that helps students make informed decisions about their well being, relationships and resources to achieve optimal quality of life while keeping a focus on God and Christianity at its core. 

Study Skills
The Bible encourages each of us in Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”  This course helps students evaluate their unique strengths and weaknesses in order to set goals, improve academic performance and do their best for the Lord.  Attention will be given to physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual domains of development.

The Digital Design and Media course gives students an in-depth understanding of the graphic design process from a Christian perspective. Utilizing the Adobe Creative Suite, students will follow industry standard best practices in print, presentation and multimedia design, understanding how to see a project through from brainstorming to completion. A culture of constructive criticism and consistent learning is cultivated, with the understanding creativity is continually evolving and there is always room to grow in your craft, whatever that may be. 

 

The Photography course allows students to see God’s creation, both people and nature alike, from a different perspective. Students will learn how a camera works and strategies to capture lasting memories through individual snapshots. After gaining a thorough understanding of settings and techniques, their knowledge will expand to how these attributes apply to videography. Through video work, students will become visual storytellers, with the ability to communicate their message and Christian worldview. 

 

The purpose of the DCHS Physical Education class is to give students opportunities to train their bodies in ways that glorify God, make use of the gifts and talents they have been given, and edify others in Christian competition. Students will pursue physical exercise with proper techniques, nutrition, principles of competition, and sportive play with the end goals of creating and cultivating healthy lifestyles.

College and Career Communications
Typically recommended for upperclassmen, this elective course is meant to support students as they begin preparing for life after high school. Throughout the semester, students will work on improving written and oral communication skills which will aid them as they pursue academic and/or career goals in order to follow God’s lead and fully discover His plan for their lives.

Spanish III
Spanish III is an intermediate to advanced level course that will enable students to function in a more complex bilingual society.  At this level, students will reinforce all acquired cognitive linguistic and cultural skills to utilize their ability to communicate in the present, preterite, and imperfect tenses in order to speak about actions that currently occur, took place or used to happen in the past. At this level, students expand their knowledge of Spanish and Latino Culture, which will include exploring in depth the cultures of Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and other countries of the Spanish-speaking world. Speaking, listening, reading, and writing are major components for this course, so students are expected to engage in conversations in Spanish to discuss topics about which they read or write. Speaking  English is limited except for the learning of new terms, which may enable students to expand their interpretative skills. Spanish III continues  the main calling that God places on every true follower of Jesus, which is to love Him and to love others. Communicating with God is a learning process that all students are encouraged to follow. This is accomplished by exploring the teaching Jesus gives in Matthew 6:9-13 in praying to God daily. In addition, they explore  how Jesus lives out the principles of Loving God and Loving Others through repentance and abiding in Him. 

Spanish IV
Spanish IV is a continuation of Spanish III, which enables students to build stronger proficiency in the four skills areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. During this course, students will increase their critical thinking skills, develop a greater cultural understanding, and improve their proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing in the present, preterite, imperfect, subjunctive and future tenses among other linguistic and cultural tools. Spanish IV continues the main calling that God places on every true follower of Jesus, which is to love God and to love others. This is accomplished by reading the New Testament and  exploring the teaching Jesus gives in Matthew 6:9-13 in praying to God and discussing how Jesus lives out the principles of loving and honoring God and loving others through the miracles he performs. 

Crossing Cultures
As Christians, we are called to love our neighbor. In our world today, our neighbor is likely to represent a generational, organizational, or socio-ethnic culture that is different from our own. Cultural intelligence (CQ) is about learning the necessary skills to relate to people from other nationalities, group identities, and age groups. In this course, students will learn about their own culture and their impact on others. The CQ model taught in this course will facilitate transformation in how students relate to individuals who are different and how they engage in ministry, such as short-term mission opportunities. All Christians are called to love; the Crossing Cultures course equips students to show respect and love in their present and their future as they encounter individuals from different cultures.

Current Events
This course will seek to follow current national and local political and cultural events and will invite students to apply their Christian worldview in the real world—unflinchingly addressing the big issues of today like poverty, gender identity, creation care, gay marriage, gun control, abortion, immigration, and religious liberty. All topics will be evaluated through the filter of ultimate biblical Truth. Particular emphasis will be placed on events that impact Christian freedoms and beliefs. 

APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT

Everyone has used the iPad and iOS platform, but in Software Development, we are digging deeper to learn to develop apps for iOS. Using the Codea Development Environment and Lua Programming Language, we explore the basics of software development. We will learn programming basics including basic data types and structures (Strings, Integers, Booleans, Arrays, Heaps) and basic object-oriented programming techniques. Software Development will be a great introduction to an exciting and ever-expanding field of study.