High School Opt-Ins

Summary of Program

The Opt-ins program is part of an increased effort to expand our students’ access to courses to explore interests and potential future majors or careers. We are starting with opening two types of courses:

Any student in Grades 9-12: Creating new exploratory courses. These courses would not be for credit, but would give students a snapshot into future courses they could pursue. These courses will meet 1-3 times a week, during lunch or after school.

Qualifying Seniors: Opening a small set of four pilot AP or concurrent enrollment courses to students across the network. Students will receive credit towards high school graduation requirements, have a chance to earn college credit, and have the course listed on their transcript.

How to Apply

Now Open- Tri 2 Courses! Students in Grades 9-12: Application: Use the Grades 9-12 Exploration Courses Form to apply between Friday, November 13 at 8am and Thursday, November 19 at noon.

CLOSED: Students in Grades 9-12: Application: Use the Grades 9-12 Exploration Courses Form to apply between Friday, August 21 at 8am and Thursday, August 27 at noon.

CLOSED: Qualifying Seniors Applying for Pilot Credit Courses: Apply using the Pilot Credit Courses Form by final deadline of noon on Thursday, August 27. Priority Deadline Friday, August 21 at noon.

Students interested in applying to opt-in courses should review the student and family commitments, enrollment process and available courses explained below before applying. We will do our best to honor course requests, but space is limited in all courses.

Student and Family Commitments

To create the best learning environment for students in the virtual environment, we ask that students and families commit to the following:

Attend all classes and communicate with teachers if an absence is needed.
Review feedback from your teachers on a regular basis.
If you need additional support, please contact your advisor and teacher so we can work together across DSST campuses.
For seniors considering concurrent enrollment courses, please work with your DSST College Success team's college application manager to determine if concurrent enrollment is the best fit.

Enrollment Process

Trimester 1 Process

August 18-21	August 24-28	September 4 - September 14
Tuesday, August 18: The application for course enrollment opens. Thursday, August 20 at 12pm: Optional office hours for students or families that would like to understand their options. Friday, August 21 by 5pm: Seniors who have applied to pilot credit courses and are selected will receive updated schedules. Additional applications for pilot credit courses will be accepted on a rolling basis.	Monday, August 24: All students are reminded about opt-ins. Tuesday and Wednesday August 25 & 26: Additional Office hours for students and families interested in opt-in courses. Thursday August 27: Application closes for all courses.	Friday, September 4: Students notified of opt-ins programs they have been enrolled in. Friday, September 11: Teachers of opt-in exploration courses will share course information, including a syllabus and Google Classroom code with families and students. Monday, September 14: First week of opt-in exploration classes start.

August 18-21

August 24-28

September 4 - September 14

Tuesday, August 18: The application for course enrollment opens.

Thursday, August 20 at 12pm: Optional office hours for students or families that would like to understand their options.

Friday, August 21 by 5pm: Seniors who have applied to pilot credit courses and are selected will receive updated schedules. Additional applications for pilot credit courses will be accepted on a rolling basis.

Monday, August 24: All students are reminded about opt-ins.

Tuesday and Wednesday August 25 & 26: Additional Office hours for students and families interested in opt-in courses.

Thursday August 27: Application closes for all courses.

Friday, September 4: Students notified of opt-ins programs they have been enrolled in.

Friday, September 11: Teachers of opt-in exploration courses will share course information, including a syllabus and Google Classroom code with families and students.

Monday, September 14: First week of opt-in exploration classes start.

Course Offerings

Open Enrollment Courses Open to Grades 9-12

The following courses are offered to students in grade 9-12 as exploration courses. These courses do not count towards DSST graduation credit, and will occur either before or after school, or during lunch. Each course will last for the trimester. Students should enroll in these courses if they are interested in learning more about the content area.

Trimester 2 Offerings

All courses will being the week of November 30, 2020.

Course Name	Days/Times	Description	Instructor
Survival Skills: From the Wilderness to the Zombie Apocalypse	Mondays 3:15-4:15	Have you ever walked through a natural outdoor area and wondered to yourself which plants would be safe to eat, or what materials would be best to start a fire? What about how to build a natural shelter to keep you safe and warm from the harsh elements? Maybe you’ve watched a post-apocalyptic movie or zombie TV show and considered learning some vital skills that would help you survive and even thrive in such an environment. The goal of this course will be that you emerge with practical survival skills for the real world, or even an imagined one!	Jennie King, Physics and Engineering Teacher – GVR HS
Intermediate Financial Literacy	Tuesdays, 3:15-4:15	This OPT-IN financial class will explore the psychology of finances as well as application. We want you to have, open and manage a bank account, credit and investment. We believe that, in order to have a secure financial future, we need our students to manage their finances responsibly today. In this class, we will not only give our students the knowledge, but also help them apply their knowledge real time on what they learned in class. Milestones will range from opening savings, and investing accounts, to building your retirement!	Aka Denjongpa- Manager of Entrepreneurship – Home Office
Sustainability: A Global Perspective on Environmental Solutions	Thursdays, 3:15-4:15	This course ventures beyond the foundations of eco-friendly sciences to explore real-world sustainability application. We’ll discuss the intersection of social, economic and environmental systems to find solutions to oncoming resource challenges. As this is a cross-disciplinary and internationally involved field, we’ll also examine the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and how they will inspire the next generation of problem-solvers.	Jeremy Desiongco- Talent Operations Coordinator – Home Office
Learning How To See Through The Lens Of Drawing And Painting	TBD day of the week 3:15-4:15	The first half of the trimester, students will learn how to draw from direct observation with an emphasis on space, volume, linear, free hand perspective and other basic techniques and concepts. The remaining part of the semester, students will dive into the language of color by exploring painting skills, techniques, composition and design.	Grace Johnson, Development Coordinator – Home Office
Law & Politics	TBD day of the week 3:15-4:15	Law & Politics is an opt-in in which students will analyze actual legal cases, discuss relevant laws, and learn more about opportunities to become involved in the law and politics. We will learn about many areas of the law including criminal, immigration, and civil rights law. Additionally, the opt-in will discuss politics at the local, state, and national levels while creating a space for you to connect with others beyond your individual school.	Noah Stout, Attorney, Manager of Advocacy and External Affairs – Home Office
SAT Prep Boot Camp	TBD day of the week afterschool	The SAT tutoring programs help high school students to master the SAT in the most efficient manner possible, ranging from help on a specific type of question or require a full tutoring program.	Justin Wellum- Director of College Success – CV HS in partnership with Denver Test Prep

Trimester 1 Offerings

Days and Times	Course Name	Teacher	Description
Mondays 3:15-4:15 starting 9/14	Space Exploration and Other Worlds	Jennie King- Advanced Engineering and AP Physics Teacher at DSST: GVR	This course begins with an overview of what is in the night sky. The course will cover topics such as current and future space exploration, how to apply to become an astronaut or work in the space industry. Finally, the course will investigate the most intriguing mysteries of the universe, including black holes, parallel universes, and the search for extraterrestrial life.
Tuesdays 3:15-4:15 starting 9/15	Creative Writing Workshop - Poetry	Michael Kreger- Senior Manager of Campus Leader Development at DSST's Home Office	This course will meet weekly in a small-group setting to learn about various poetic forms and poetics. Students will engage in in-class writing prompts as well as work on creating a series of poems outside of class time. Each week, the class will also engage in a college-style poetry workshop providing feedback on poems written by 1 student from the class. A focus on poetry's power to critique, comment on and/or disrupt systems of power will be present throughout the course.
Tuesdays 3:15-4:15 starting 9/15	Financial Literacy	Aka Denjongpa- Manager of Entrepreneurial Studies (E-Ship) at DSST's Home Office	This course is grounded in understanding financial concepts and how the economy works and does not. Students will understand how the economy can be a system of oppression and implement some active solutions. This course will include exposure to budgeting, banking including credit, developing goals, performing analysis, starting passive income, creating a retirement plan, and tracking and celebrating successes.
Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:15-4:15 starting 9/15	Speech and Debate	Joah Chun- Manager of Talent Acquisition at DSST's Home Office	Speech and Debate is a place to hone your public speaking in any realm - if you want to practice acting, speaking, researching, or you just like arguing, we're going to spend time in this opt-in course developing skills that you can use every day. You will also have an opportunity to participate in Speech and Debate tournaments this year (given your willingness).
Thursdays 3:15-4:15 starting 9/17	Black Cultural Studies	Keena Day- Senior Manager of Humanities at DSST's Home Office	This course is designed to serve as a survey of Black cultural studies and philosophy including literary theory and history. A variety of opportunities to explore personal identity through collaborative discussions are a hallmark of this course. Outside reading to prepare for class content is required.
TBD after-school two days a week	Mass Media Concurrent Enrollment	DSST in partnership with Western Colorado University	An examination of media-related industries (broadcasting, journalism, advertising, public relations and online communications), and the issues related to those industries that affect contemporary public discourse. Learn more about the course and Western at https://western.edu/program/communication-arts/. Students will have the opportunity to earn college credit through this course.

Senior Course Offerings Only

The following courses are offered to seniors only as courses that will count for DSST graduation credit as well as potential college credit. Use the embedded links to watch a video describing the courses. The following abbreviations will be used:

AP= Advanced Placement
CE= Concurrent Enrollment through Western Colorado University

Period(s) Offered	Course Name	College Credit Type	DSST Graduation Credit Type	Teacher	Open Seats Expected	Student Requirement
1	Environmental Science	AP	STEM Elective	Schuyler Fishman - College View HS	2	B or above in Biology in 11th grade or 3 or above on the AP Biology test.
1 or 3	Physics C	AP	STEM Elective	Sarah Gendron- Byers HS	15	B minimum in Precalc or AB Calc the previous year.
1 or 3	Calculus 1	CE	Math	Mark Heffron- College View HS	20	B+ through trimester 2 or stronger in Algebra 2
4 or 5	NGSS Environmental Science	CE	STEM Elective	Schuyler Fishman- College View High School	15	B or above in biology in 11th grade.
4	Music Theory	AP	Fine Arts	Mike Lang- Byers HS	20	Previous experience reading and playing music, ability to practice daily.
5	Physics C	AP	STEM Elective	Hilary Walker- Montview HS	3	B minimum in Precalc or AB Calc the previous year.

Questions

For questions about the Opt-ins program, please email Lauren Jones-Kaplan at opt.ins@scienceandtech.org Please include your students’ name and campus in emails for faster response.

If you cannot join an office hours but would like to review a recording, watch the section below.