Secondary Showcase
Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008
6:30 – 8:00 p.m. |
Johnson High School showcases eight smaller learning communities. These communities include: Freshman Focus; Architecture, Construction and Engineering; Arts, Communications and Humanities; Business, Marketing and Management; Education and Human Services; Health Sciences; Hospitality, Tourism and Recreation; and National Resources and Sciences. Courses designed to support the smaller learning communities include courses Freshman FOCUS, Foundations (sophomore), Frameworks (junior), and Finale (senior). These classes provide students with the tools to make choices for life beyond high school. Students complete a senior project as a requirement for graduation. Johnson's four-quarter, four-period schedule gives students more choices for in-depth learning than other school schedules. The curricular program also offers challenging (Advanced Placement) AP courses in twelve subject areas. Students can also earn college credit through College in the Schools (CIS) classes offered by the University of Minnesota and Metropolitan State University, and Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) classes at area colleges and universities.
Special Features
- Project Lead the Way
Johnson High School is a certified Project Lead the Way (PLTW) site. PLTW is the preeminent national pre-engineering curriculum for high school students. It is a national program forming partnerships among public schools, higher education institutions and the private sector to increase the quality and quantity of engineers and engineering technologists graduating from the educational system. By introducing high school students to these fields PLTW hopes to attract more students to engineering and allow students while still in high school to determine if engineering is the career they desire. Students participating in PLTW courses are better prepared for college engineering programs and more likely to be successful, thus reducing the attrition rate in these college programs.
Three Project Lead the Way classes are offered: Introduction to Engineering Design, Principles of Engineering, and Digital Electronics.
- Academy Certification
Seniors may earn academy certification for work completed during their three years as members of their academy. The criteria for certification are: 1) a 2.75 GPA or higher in a minimum of eight credits of academy coursework, 2) successful completion of the Senior Project graduation requirement, 3) minimum of thirty hours engaged in community service or career-based experiences.
- Senior Project
Johnson High School is the only St. Paul high school that requires a Senior Project for graduation. The Senior Project consists of three integrated components: the product or self-selected learning experience, the paper, and the presentation.
- At Johnson High School, a series of required classes starting in the ninth-grade year with Freshman FOCUS and followed by sophomore Foundations and junior Frameworks ensure student success with the senior project. Students who want more support and guidance to complete their Senior Project are encouraged to take an elective class, Finale, during their senior year.
| 