5
Special Acknowledgement
It is with great appreciation that we recognize Mrs. Stephens for revising the text, layout, and design of the registration guide.
The Guidance Department wishes to thank you for your good work and a job well done!
Bismarck-Henning High School
Scott Watson, Superintendent
Brent Rademacher, High School Principal P.O. Box 350 Phil Benjamin, Dean of Students (217) 759-7291
Edina LeCleir, Counselor Fax (217) 759-7815
Tom Johnson, Athletic Director
Welcome to Bismarck-Henning High School!
As you enter high school, you will begin to make some very important decisions in regard to your future. Careful thought and planning needs to be a part of your course selection throughout your high school years. This registration guide has been prepared as a valuable resource in helping you make some of those decisions. A wise selection of subjects will broaden your opportunities for post high school education and expand your occupational horizons. We urge you and your parents to read the course descriptions carefully and spend some time thinking about your future so that you can make some wise choices.
In this book, you will find descriptions of each of the courses we offer. Information will include:
1. Title of course
2. Length of course (semester, year)
3. Credit number issued upon successful completion of the course
4. Prerequisites for taking the course
5. Evaluation summary
Registration for the next year generally occurs early during second semester of the current school year. Keep this guide to help you throughout your four years.
The administration, faculty, and staff wish you the very best success.
~Table of Contents~
General Information
Guidance/Counseling 4
Classification of Students 5
Curriculum Information 5
Credits 5
Grading System 6
Honor Roll Requirements 6
Valedictorian/Salutatorian 7
National Honor Society 7
Driver’s Education Requirement 7
Career Exploration and Awareness Activities 8
Other Activities 8
Summer School 9
Correspondence Courses/Alternative School/Adult Courses 9
Declaring a Major and Minor in College 10
Schedule Change Policy 11
Graduation Requirements
BHHS 12
Comparison BHHS/College Admission/NCAA Requirements 13
College Admissions
College Admission Requirements 14
State of Illinois – Career Framework 15
Individual Career & 4-Year Plan 16
Career Pathways 17
Department Courses
Business 23
Family & Consumer Sciences/Home Economics 26
Fine Arts 29
Foreign Language 32
Language Arts 34
Mathematics 40
Science 43
Social Studies 46
Wellness 50
Special Education 52
Other Courses 56
Extracurricular Activities
Academics/Athletics 66
~Introduction~
Guidance/Counseling
Get to know your counselor. The counselor can help you in a variety of way:
ü The can assist in making adjustments to various types of problems relative to your education, vocation, and personal needs.
ü The counselor can provide a wide array of educational, occupational, personal, and social resources.
ü The counselor can help you in identifying concerns and making decisions regarding your educational career choices.
ü The counselor can administer and/or interpret standardized test results.
ü The counselor can act as a liaison between college, military, and social services representatives and students.
ü The counselor can provide personal counseling to students, parents, and other interested parties.
ü The counselor can confer with teachers in developing a positive environment for your success.
ü The counselor can assist in college, scholarship, and job research.
ü The counselor can assist in post-secondary placement.
In addition to these personal services, the counselor, in coordination with other school personnel and administration, does extensive research studies to promote the school’s total education program.
Get to know your counselor!
Classification of Students
Grade Class Credits
9th Freshman 0 - 10
10th Sophomore 10.5-20.5
11th Junior 21-31.5
12th Senior 32+
Curriculum Information
è The minimum course load is 5.0 credits each semester.
è All required courses must be successfully completed. If failed, the class or a suitable substitute must be repeated until successfully completed.
è Some required courses must be passed before the student can advance to the next level.
è Academic honors, extracurricular participation, and athletic eligibility may depend upon the number of subjects you are presently passing. BHHS rules state that a student must be passing 25 hours of class work per week or 5 classes, in order to participate in IHSA activities.
Credits
All courses receive one full credit each semester. Driver’s Education does not receive a credit.
Grading System
Bismarck-Henning High School operates on a 4.0 grading system; however, some classes operate on a higher system. The following classes have been designated as “weighted classes” which means that these courses are figured on a 5.0 system. The classes that are weighted are:
Advanced Chemistry Physics
Algebra II Pre-Calculus
Chemistry Advanced Biology
Spanish III Spanish IV
AP English AP Calculus
Western Civilization I Western Civilization II
US History (Dual Course) Human Anatomy & Physiology
Note: Students and parents are advised to carefully read the section in the student handbook which explains the grading system in more detail.
4.0 Scale Weighted 5.0 Scale
4.0 - 3.5 A 4pts. 5.0 – 4.5 A 5 pts. A = 90 % and up
3.4 – 2.5 B 3 pts. 4.4 – 3.5 B 4 pts. B = 80 – 89 %
2.4 – 1.5 C 2 pts. 3.4 – 2.5 C 3 pts. C = 70 – 79 %
1.4 – 0.5 D 1 pt. 2.4 – 1.5 D 2 pts. D = 60 – 69 %
0.4 – 0 F 0 pts. 1.4 – 0 F 0 pts. F = 59 % and lower
Semester grades will be calculated as follows:
1st quarter grade – 2/5 or 40 % of Final Grade
2nd quarter grade – 2/5 or 40 % of Final Grade
Final Exam grade – 1/5 or 20 % of Final Grade
Semester grade – 1st quarter (40%) + 2nd quarter (40%) + Final Exam (20%) = Semester Grade.
Honor Roll Requirements
BHHS has two honor rolls:
The High Honor Roll lists those students who are carrying at least a minimal load and who achieve a 4.0+ average of all his/her solid subjects.
The Honor Roll lists those students who are carrying at least a minimal load and who achieve a 3.0 average of all his/her solid subjects.
Honor rolls are figured and posted each nine weeks. Semester honor rolls are figured twice per year. Class rank is determined at the end of each semester.
Valedictorian/Salutatorian
Valedictorian and Salutatorian are determined by Criterion and by Grade Point Average:
Criteria:
1. A student with all A’s and 12 weighted semesters will be named as Valedictorian.
2. A grade point average which exceeds those named above will also be named as Valedictorian mathematically.
3. If no student has all A’s, then Valedictorian will be determined strictly by GPA.
4. The last 4 semesters must be taken at Bismarck-Henning High School, i.e. junior and senior years.
5. Valedictorian and Salutatorian will be determined at the end of the 8th semester of the senior year.
National Honor Society
Students who are selected for membership in the National Honor Society must demonstrate standards of excellence in four areas: scholarship, leadership, character, and service to the school and community. Scholarship designation of excellence is a grade point average of at least 3.40. Sophomores, juniors and seniors are eligible for this award.
Driver’s Education Requirement
All students are required to take at least the classroom instruction of Driver’s Education. The law requires that a student must have passed at least eight classes in the previous two semesters before being enrolled in a driver’s education class. Freshmen who are age eligible may be able to enroll in drivers’ education as long as they pass all 1st semester courses, and space is available.
A grade will be issued for the class; however, no credit is issued. Attendance in the class is mandated by the State of Illinois.
Career Exploration Awareness Activities
Through the funds and training offered by Vermilion Vocational Delivery System (VVEDS), each student is trained in using Career Cruising which they can log onto wherever they have internet access.
www.careercruising.com
username: bismarck hs
password: careers
ü Career matching
ü Interactive interviews with people in professions
ü College matches
ü Scholarship matches
ü Resume writing
All the information can be saved, edited, and/or used even after they leave school.
Free Internet access (www.ioicc.state.il.us/etc.htm) to the Illinois Career Center is available and includes the following information:
ü Occupational Sort Inventory
ü College/scholarship information
ü Occupations, job outlook information including salary, required training, and demand
ü Military occupations
1. In addition, VVEDS (Vermilion Vocational Delivery System) routinely does career cruising inventory with 8th grade students which can help them in their high school planning and registration.
2. The Armed Forces provides the ASVAB testing which includes both career interest and aptitude results. Traditionally, the ASVAB is given to juniors and/or seniors if enough interest is shown. This is a requirement for anyone considering the Armed Services; however, any student who is unsure of career choice is encouraged to sign up in the counselor’s office.
Other Activities
ü All sophomores are provided with an orientation and a tour of DACC.
ü All seniors attend College Day which is hosted by DACC.
ü More opportunities are arising for work site learning activities which may include: mentoring, job shadowing, internships, and/or apprenticeships. Career Days may be scheduled and offered.
ü A wide variety of career, scholarship, and school information is available in the guidance office or the school library.
Summer School
Credit will be accepted upon approval of the counselor/principal.
Dual Enrollment/College Express –
Get a Jump on College!
Through a variety of formats (on-line courses, on campus courses) junior/senior students who have a “B” average are eligible to take classes from DACC that will provide both high school and college credit. Students must receive a referral from the counselor to participate. Students do not have to pay for the course(s), but will be responsible for any lab fees and for purchasing books. Students can begin taking classes during the summer between their sophomore and junior year. This is a great cost savings and provides students a chance to get prerequisites for some programs completed early! After a student is enrolled, correspondence is between DACC faculty and student. Bismarck-Henning personnel are not responsible for these classes.
Correspondence Courses/Alternative School/Adult Courses
Correspondence courses from accredited schools and universities may be used toward high school graduation only under the following conditions:
ü Permission must be secured from the guidance counselor.
ü Course may be taken by eighth semester students who have not been able to achieve the necessary graduation requirements from the regularly scheduled curriculum. Students will not be allowed to leave school early to attend another facility.
ü Students who have not earned the number of credits they should have earned may take correspondence courses/alternative school as long as total earned credits do not exceed the following guidelines:
¶ Students who have attended high school one year, 9 credits.
¶ Students who have attended high school two years, 18 credits.
¶ Students who have attended high school three years, 27 credits.
¶ Students who have attended high school four years, no limitations.
A student who is taking any extra outside course for credit will still be expected to follow the normal course sequence at BHHS.
The counseling office will make all attempts to keep students and/or parents notified if the student is in jeopardy of not graduating with entry-level class because of failure to receive credits or meet requirements. A letter will go out early September notifying those seniors in jeopardy of his/her progress toward graduation. Any suspected discrepancies or questions should be made to the counselor immediately.
Declaring a Major and Minor
in College
In discussing your postsecondary plans, your counselor may use the following terms. Get familiar with the terms and what they mean!
ü Postsecondary – after high school
ü Technical/vocational – Specific training in a trade or skill. Participants receive a certificate (1 year) or two year degree.
ü Applied Associate Degree – Offered at Community Colleges, Junior Colleges and Vocational schools. These are usually 2 year degrees and the classes will not transfer to a four year program
ü Associate Science Degree – General education classes usually taken at a community/junior college that fulfill the first two years of a four-year degree. These classes will generally transfer to a 4-year school.
ü Transfer – Seeking a professional degree: Bachelor of Science (BS), Bachelor of Arts (BS), four years of college or more.
ü BA/BS degree – Received at colleges and universities and some vocational schools in a specific area (Ex: BS in Education)
ü MS/MA –Master of Science or Master of Arts degrees. Awarded at universities (approximately 2-3 years) professional studies beyond a Bachelor’s degree
The college or university where you apply may require you to declare a major and minor in order for you to gain admission to the school. A major consists of the courses that you will need to obtain your degree in a particular area. A minor consists of fewer courses than a major, but a degree will still be earned in a particular area. For example, you might choose to major in political science and minor in accounting. Therefore, it is wise to have in mind a particular field that is interesting to you so that you have a major/minor choice if one is required.
~ Schedule Change Policy ~
Students will register for the next school year in the spring. It is recommended that this course handbook be carefully reviewed by the student and parent(s) before selecting appropriate courses of study. If there are any questions concerning appropriate course selections, they should be discussed with the counselor and teachers in advance.